Tom Bruggere
Encyclopedia
Tom Bruggere is an entrepreneur and onetime candidate for the U.S. Senate in the U.S. state of Oregon
. He founded the company Mentor Graphics
and has been involved with several other startup companies.
, California
. He stated of his early life that he "grew up with a picture of Jack and Bobby Kennedy over [his] bed."
He has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara
, a Masters of Science in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, and a Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University
. He served in the Army
in the Vietnam War
, from 1968-1970. Prior to running for office, he served on several government boards, including the Oregon State Board of Higher Education
.
Bruggere was an engineer with Burroughs Corporation Medium Systems Plant in Pasadena, California
in the early-to-mid 1970s, then with Tektronix, Inc. in the late 1970s.
He is Protestant.
, a "Tektronix spinoff," in 1981. A 1991 article in Oregon Business magazine stated: "One of [Tektronix'] main contributions to Oregon has been the many companies that spun off from former employees," citing the success of Bruggere and a number of other creative former Tektronix employees with Mentor Graphics as the prime example. The company is credited with having established the industry of electronic design automation
. He resigned as president and CEO in October 1993, and was succeeded in both roles by Wally Rhines. Upon leaving Mentor Graphics, he cited a desire "to do something else, something in public policy."
nomination for the United States Senate
seat vacated by the retiring Mark Hatfield
in 1996. Spending $800,000 of his own money in the primary race, he was one of 134 candidates for the U.S. Congress to finance their own elections in excess of $50,000 in that cycle.
Bruggere's Republican
opponent, Gordon Smith, was also heavily self-financed, having spent $2.5 million of his own money earlier that same year in an unsuccessful effort to defeat Democrat Ron Wyden
in the special election
to replace Bob Packwood
, who had resigned.
In the general election race, most Oregon daily newspapers endorsed Smith over Bruggere. Bruggere lost a close election to Smith, with neither side claiming victory for several days after the election, when absentee ballots were tallied.
and Sensoria
. He resigned from the Stamps.com board in October 2000.
He has also served on the boards of Will Vinton Studios, OpenMarket
, and Sirigen and on the advisory boards of Mercy Corps
and of the Technology Management Program at UCSB.
As of 2011, he was part of the management team of 13therapeutics, a biotech spin-off of the Oregon Health & Science University
(OHSU).
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He founded the company Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics, Inc is a US-based multinational corporation dealing in electronic design automation for electrical engineering and electronics, as of 2004, ranked third in the EDA industry it helped create...
and has been involved with several other startup companies.
Early life
Tom Bruggere was born in BerkeleyBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He stated of his early life that he "grew up with a picture of Jack and Bobby Kennedy over [his] bed."
He has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, a Masters of Science in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, and a Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
. He served in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, from 1968-1970. Prior to running for office, he served on several government boards, including the Oregon State Board of Higher Education
Oregon State Board of Higher Education
The Oregon State Board of Higher Education is the statutory governing board for the Oregon University System. The board is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor of Oregon and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate...
.
Bruggere was an engineer with Burroughs Corporation Medium Systems Plant in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
in the early-to-mid 1970s, then with Tektronix, Inc. in the late 1970s.
He is Protestant.
Leadership of Mentor Graphics
Bruggere founded Mentor GraphicsMentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics, Inc is a US-based multinational corporation dealing in electronic design automation for electrical engineering and electronics, as of 2004, ranked third in the EDA industry it helped create...
, a "Tektronix spinoff," in 1981. A 1991 article in Oregon Business magazine stated: "One of [Tektronix'] main contributions to Oregon has been the many companies that spun off from former employees," citing the success of Bruggere and a number of other creative former Tektronix employees with Mentor Graphics as the prime example. The company is credited with having established the industry of electronic design automation
Electronic design automation
Electronic design automation is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits...
. He resigned as president and CEO in October 1993, and was succeeded in both roles by Wally Rhines. Upon leaving Mentor Graphics, he cited a desire "to do something else, something in public policy."
1996 U.S. Senate race
Bruggere won the DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nomination for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat vacated by the retiring Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
in 1996. Spending $800,000 of his own money in the primary race, he was one of 134 candidates for the U.S. Congress to finance their own elections in excess of $50,000 in that cycle.
Bruggere's Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
opponent, Gordon Smith, was also heavily self-financed, having spent $2.5 million of his own money earlier that same year in an unsuccessful effort to defeat Democrat Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
in the special election
United States Senate special election in Oregon, 1996
The 1996 United States Senate special election in Oregon was held on January 30, 1996 to fill the seat vacated by Republican Bob Packwood, who resigned from the Senate due to sexual misconduct allegations. Democrat Ron Wyden won the open seat. Smith would win election to the Senate later that year...
to replace Bob Packwood
Bob Packwood
Robert William "Bob" Packwood is a U.S. politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of women emerged.-Early life and career:Packwood was born in...
, who had resigned.
In the general election race, most Oregon daily newspapers endorsed Smith over Bruggere. Bruggere lost a close election to Smith, with neither side claiming victory for several days after the election, when absentee ballots were tallied.
Further business ventures
Bruggere was the founding Chairman of Stamps.comStamps.com
Stamps.com is a Los Angeles, California-based company that provides Internet-based mailing and shipping services. Stamps.com is a public company and trades on the NYSE exchange under the symbol STMP.- History :On April 13, 1998, the U.S...
and Sensoria
Sensoria
Sensoria is a private company that manufactures a computer system, which is equipped with sensors, wireless network radios, and a software infrastructure that allow a group of such systems to form an ad-hoc distributed network. This system is used by several applications in the U.S...
. He resigned from the Stamps.com board in October 2000.
He has also served on the boards of Will Vinton Studios, OpenMarket
OpenMarket
Open Market was an ecommerce startup, founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in early 1994. It went public in 1996 on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol OMKT, as one of the first ecommerce IPOs...
, and Sirigen and on the advisory boards of Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a global aid agency engaged in transitional environments that have experienced some sort of shock: natural disaster, economic collapse, or conflict. People working for it move as quickly as possible from bringing in food and supplies to enabling people to rebuild their economy with...
and of the Technology Management Program at UCSB.
As of 2011, he was part of the management team of 13therapeutics, a biotech spin-off of the Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University is a public university in Oregon with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland and a smaller campus in Hillsboro...
(OHSU).