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Joe Ricketts
| Joe Ricketts | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | TD Ameritrade |
| Role: | Founder |
| Location: | Jackson Hole, Wyo. |
| Education: | Creighton University (B.A., economics, 1968) |
| Website: | Official website |
John Joseph "Joe" Ricketts is a businessman living in Wyoming. He was the founder and former CEO and chair of TD Ameritrade, an online stock brokerage firm. Active in politics, he started Taxpayers Against Earmarks, an advocacy group that changed its name to Ending Spending, and has served as chair of the Ending Spending Action Fund.[1][2]
Biography
Joe Ricketts earned a B.A. in economics from Creighton University in 1968.[3] After college, he worked as an investment adviser and then moved on to become a registered representative with Dean Witter, a stock brokerage that merged with Morgan Stanley in 1997. After working for Dean Witter, Ricketts became a branch manager for Dun & Bradstreet, a company that provides commercial information for its clients.[3][4][5]
In 1975, Ricketts co-founded First Omaha Securities, a former securities brokerage firm in Omaha, Neb.[3] The company became TD Ameritrade, an online stock brokerage firm. Ricketts served as the CEO of Ameritrade Holding Corp., which owns TD Ameritrade, from 1982 to 2001 and its chair from 1982 to 2008.[3]
In 2015 Forbes ranked Ricketts as number 1173 on their list of billionaires.[6]
Work and activities
Political activity
According to Fortune, Joe Ricketts was active in the Republican Party in Omaha, Neb. starting in the 1970s. He has also served on the board of the American Enterprise Institute, whose website calls itself "a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world."[7][8]
In 2010, Ricketts founded a nonpartisan advocacy organization called Taxpayers Against Earmarks.[1] The group supported a two-year earmark ban in the U.S senate.[9] The group changed its name to Ending Spending, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that addresses broader fiscal issues. According to its website, Ending Spending "is dedicated to educating and engaging American taxpayers about wasteful and excessive government spending."[10][1]
Ricketts served as the chair of the Ending Spending Action Fund, now ESAFund, which is a super PAC that aims to support "candidates regardless of party affiliation who favor enhancing free enterprise, reducing the size of government, and balancing our nation's budget."[2]The group spent at least $2.6 million in support of Sen. Deb Fischer (R) in the 2024 election cycle.[11]
In 2012, Ricketts co-founded the Campaign for Primary Accountability, a nonpartisan political action committee that aims "to bring true competition to our electoral process, to give voters real information about their choices, and to restore fair, not fixed, elections."[12][13]
Presidential election, 2016
In early 2016, Joe Ricketts and his wife supported Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's (R) bid for the presidency.[14] After Donald Trump took the lead and Walker and others dropped out, Ricketts and his wife gave $5.5 million to the anti-Trump super PAC Our Principles PAC.[15] However, according to The Wall Street Journal, Ricketts' political strategist Brian Baker announced on September 20, 2016, that Ricketts would contribute to a pro-Trump group.[16] Baker said that Ricketts planned on giving the committee at least $1 million.[16]
Presidential election 2020
Forbes reported that Ricketts and his wife Marlene donated more than $2.2 million to support Donald Trump (R) in the 2020 election cycle.[17]
2024 election cycle
During the 2024 election cycle, Ricketts gave over $2.5 million to candidates and political organizations, according to FEC records.[18]
Ballot measure activity
Overview of ballot measure support and opposition
The following table details Joe Ricketts' ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
| Ballot measure support and opposition for Joe Ricketts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot measure | Year | Position | Status |
| Nebraska Death Penalty Repeal, Referendum 426 | 2016 | Supported[19] | |
Philanthropic activity
Joe Ricketts has contributed to several charitable organizations:[3][10]
- Opportunity Education
- The Ricketts Conservation Foundation, founder
- The Cloisters on the Platte, founder
- Ricketts Art Foundation, founder
The Chicago Cubs
Joe Ricketts and his family became the owners of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team in 2009 when their family trust acquired a 95 percent controlling interest in the team and Wrigley Field.[3][20]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Joe Ricketts as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Joe Ricketts'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Joe Ricketts Personal Website
- The Ricketts Conservation Foundation
- ESAFund
- Campaign for Primary Accountability
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ending Spending, "About Us," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 ESAFund, "About ESAFund," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Joe Ricketts.com, "Joe Ricketts," accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Morgan Stanley And Dean Witter Agree To Merge," February 6, 1997
- ↑ Dun & Bradstreet, "About Us," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Forbes, "#1173 J. Joe Ricketts," accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ Fortune, "Joe Ricketts:The new billionaire political activist," September 21, 2012
- ↑ AEI , "About," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ The Daily Caller, "How conservatives beat the establishment on earmarks," November 16, 2010
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Joe Ricketts.com, "Philanthropy," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Flatwater Free Press , "Ricketts’ Riches: Record election spending shows senator’s family far from done in Nebraska," December 20, 2024
- ↑ Politico , "PAC strikes fear within incumbents," March 19, 2012
- ↑ Campaign for Primary Accountability, "Who We Are," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Washington Post , "Ricketts family gives more than $5 million to Walker super PAC," July 30, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post , "After opposing Trump in the primaries, Joe Ricketts will give at least $1 million to support him," September 20, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Wall Street Journal, "After Failing in Costly Anti-Trump Effort, Ameritrade Founder Joe Ricketts to Back Nominee," September 20, 2016
- ↑ Forbes , "Here Are The Billionaires Who Donated To Donald Trump’s 2020 Presidential Campaign," February 19, 2021
- ↑ FEC , "John Joe Ricketts," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, "Campaign Statements," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "Tribune Co. will sell Cubs, Wrigley Field to Ricketts family," accessed August 21, 2009
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