Thomas Siebel rose to number 30 on our list by writing one check. It's the first time federal candidates have benefited from his generosity, to the tune of $500,000. Not bad for a novice.
Siebel, a former vice president of Oracle Corp. who now heads a customer-service software company in Silicon Valley, seems far removed from Washington. But he was there 20 years ago to manage David Crane's unsuccessful run for a seat in the House. Back then, the now-billionaire was reportedly so broke that he had to sleep in the campaign office.
Fast forward two decades to 2000, when David Crane's brother, Rep. Phil Crane (R-Ill.), was vying in a tight race for the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, set to be vacated when Rep. Bill Archer (R-Texas) retired. To beat out other hopefuls, Crane needed to make himself look good to House leaders like Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). It certainly didn't hurt his cause when he solicited contributions and then passed them along to the party -- including the $500,000 from Siebel. Crane ceremoniously presented the check to Hastert at a meeting for the House Republican conference. The money was one of the largest sums the National Republican Campaign Committee received during the election cycle, an NRCC spokesman told the Chicago Tribune.
In the end, Siebel's donation wasn't enough to make his friend chair of the powerful tax-making committee, but it did help the Republicans win back the White House and maintain their control in Congress.
Siebel, who earns $3 million a year as head of Siebel Sytems, also owns 15 percent of the company -- an investment worth nearly $280 million.
-- Pam Smith
