Paul Singer
| Paul Singer | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Elliott Associates. |
Paul Singer is a donor and businessman. He is the founder of the hedge fund Elliott Management.[1]
Biography
Paul Singer was born in 1944.[2] He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Rochester and a J.D. from Harvard.[1] After graduating from law school, Singer worked as a real estate attorney at the investment bank Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette.[3]
In 1977, Singer founded Elliott Management. Singer started the firm as a convertible arbitrage trader, but following the 1987 market crash, he moved into activist investing, including distressed debt.[4] Quartz's Oliver Staley wrote that Elliott "specializes in taking stakes in companies or institutions where it can shape the outcome. That can include agitating for changes in leadership, or spending years and million[s] of dollars in court pursuing its interests."[5]
A small portion of Elliott’s distressed securities trading has been in sovereign debt, most recently Argentina and Congo-Brazzaville. Elliott is well-known for its investment in the distressed debt of Peru. In 1995, Elliott bought $20 million face value of defaulted Peruvian bank debt. After extensive and costly litigation and numerous attempts by Elliott to settle, the Court awarded $58 million to Elliott, including past due interest. More recently, Elliott has exposed rampant corruption in Congo-Brazzaville in its efforts to enforce judgments totaling more than $100 million in defaulted bank debt.[6]
Work and activities
Political activism and donations
Singer has been active in Republican Party politics and was a major contributor to George W. Bush's presidential campaigns. In 2007, he became a supporter of GOP presidential contender Rudy Giuliani.[7],[8]
Singer has acknowledged that he donated $175,000 to Take Initiative America, a Missouri corporation which in turn gave a substantial donation to Californians for Equal Representation, which was the original sponsor of the California Presidential Electoral College ballot measure.
When Singer told reporters that he was the source of the controversial donation to TIA, he said "I contributed to the Take Initiative America because I believe in proportional voting in the Electoral College. I made the contribution without any restrictions, including whether or how it would need to be disclosed. I left disclosure completely up to Take Initiative America."[9]
LGBTQ causes
In 2011, Singer asked New York Senate Republicans to support legalizing same-sex marriage and subsequently raised money for their re-election bids. He also launched the American Unity super PAC and the American Unity Fund, to support same-sex marriage.[10]
The Paul E. Singer Foundation
Singer founded The Paul E. Singer Foundation. Its website says its mission is "to support and create innovative and effective organizations and initiatives that strengthen American democracy, the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and Jewish continuity."[11]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Paul Singer donor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- What is an influencer?
- Take Initiative America
- California Presidential Electoral College
- Marco Rubio presidential campaign, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elliott Management, "Paul Singer," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ Forbes, "Paul Singer," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ Fortune, "Mitt Romney’s hedge fund kingmaker," March 26, 2012
- ↑ Elliot's Activist Chief has no time for cheats but denounces aggressive tactics"
- ↑ Quartz, "Hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer’s ruthless strategies include bullying CEOs, suing governments and seizing their navy’s ships," July 20, 2022
- ↑ The Debt Frenzy
- ↑ Hedge fund chiefs, with cash, join political fray
- ↑ Romney Attracts More of Bush's Top Donors Than Rivals
- ↑ Giuliani fundraiser gave big bucks to state ballot measure
- ↑ Quartz, "A gay-marriage-supporting New York billionaire is about to take over Marco Rubio’s fundraising efforts," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ The Paul E. Singer Foundation, "Homepage," accessed August 5, 2025
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