Beto O’Rourke is best known as a political figure, but he is also believed to be a millionaire, so how did he make his money?
Beto O’Rourke makes some of his money from his technology business, while he also married into a wealthy family. Amy, his wife, is the daughter of a real estate tycoon.
Find out more about Beto O’Rourke below.
Who is Beta O’Rourke?
Born in 1972, Beto O’Rourke comes from Texas. He got the nickname ‘Beto’ during childhood, though his full name is Rober Francis O’Rourke.
His mother, Melissa, and father, Pat, had two daughters, who were both born after Beto. O’Rourke comes from a political background, with his father having served in public office.
Pat O’Rourke worked as a county commissioner and later became county judge, a prominent Texan role. He also ran in elections for other public roles, but ultimately was not successful.
Beto O’Rourke was educated in Virginia, where he attended a boarding school. After high school, he studied English, enrolling at Columbia University, and during his years at the university, showed an interest in rowing.
He joined the band Foss during university, which achieved relative success and embarked on multiple tours of the US. After graduating from Columbia University, he continued to perform with the band.
Before beginning his career in politics, he spent time living in New York, where he worked in numerous jobs, including babysitting and proofreading. Ultimately, though, he decided to head back to his home state of Texas.
Wealth
O’Rourke’s personal wealth is somewhat down to his web development business, Stanton Street. In his political profile, he pointed out the business’ hiring history.
“Over the years Stanton Street hired dozens of people in high skill, high wage jobs that one might not expect to see in a border community,” his website read.
O’Rourke’s wife is also wealthy. Amy O’Rourke, previously Amy Hoover Sanders is the daughter of William D. Sanders, a businessman.
The couple, both Texan natives, met in El Paso, introduced by a family member of Amy’s, and married soon after. They now share three children, Ulysses, Henry, and Molly.
William Sanders is a real estate tycoon who plays a prominent role in the Real Estate Investment Trust. He is the founder of International Development Corp, a business he created in the 1960s, and eventually became a brokerage company.
He sold his share of the business two decades later, supposedly for a sum of more than $60 million. Throughout the decades, Sanders has created numerous businesses, including property investment ventures.
While some media outlets have claimed that Sanders is a billionaire, Forbes refutes this, believing the true figure to be closer to $500 million.
Political Career
After his stint in New York, Beto O’Rourke began his career in politics, firstly at a local level in El Paso’s city council.
His next political role came when he ran for a House of Representatives seat, which he went on to win. Winning the seat in 2012, he served for the 16th district of Texas.
In 2018, he ran for a statewide role, taking on Ted Cruz for the Texan seat in the Senate. O’Rourke was hoping to become the first Democrat to hold the position in Texas, a historically Republican state.
He was unsuccessful in his bid but did gain significant media attention from the election.
Following this newfound attention, he decided to run in the 2020 presidential election, hoping to become the Democratic candidate. He spoke to Vanity Fair about his campaign, saying, “I’m just born to be in it, and want to do everything I humanly can for this country at this moment.”
His “born to be in it,” comment attracted some criticism, including from President Trump. O’Rourke ultimately decided to drop out of the race, announcing the decision online.
“Our campaign has always been about seeing clearly, speaking honestly, and acting decisively. In that spirit: I am announcing that my service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee.”
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