Trustees donate thousands to political campaigns; top donors give to both Democrats and Republicans
By Charles Dunst ’18, Editor-in-Chief
The Board of Trustees is the highest governing Board at Hamilton College, serving as key decision-makers in reference to issues of student life, admission, and financial health of the college.
According to Chairman Stephen Sadove, the Board is responsible for the “broad oversight of the affairs of the College. The day to day operation of the College is delegated to President Wippman and his colleagues.” He added, “we are fortunate to have such a talented administration, faculty, and staff and we benefit from the commitment and leadership of valued trustees from varied backgrounds who devote a substantial amount of time and energy on behalf of the College. This is so important during this time when there are so many challenges and opportunities facing great institutions like Hamilton.”
In light of this past week’s meeting of the trustees, in which the board heard reports on admission, advancement, student mental health, strategic planning, and comparative college data and approved the promotion to professor of Rebecca Murtaugh, The Spectator opted to examine the individual donations made by members of the Board as a means to better understand the political affiliations and ideology of those tasked with governing the College.
Campaign finance was a cornerstone issue throughout the 2016 election cycle, particularly within the Democratic primary. Bernie Sanders advocated for overturning Citizens United, pushing for a constitutional amendment to allow for Congress to regulate money in elections, as well as advocating for the establishment of a transparent system of campaign financing. Hillary Clinton concurred, also pushing for federal legislation to require the disclosure of political spending, as well as a small-donor matching system. President Donald Trump has yet to take a clear position on the issue, although he once told CNN that “PACs are a horrible thing”; he went on to mock Jeb Bush’s super-PAC donations.
According to OpenSecrets, in 2015–16, only 0.53 percent of Americans donated more than $200 to a political candidate, party, or PAC. The percentage of Hamilton Trustees who gave past this threshold differed across the various Trustee groups; 58 percent of Life Trustees, 41 percent of Charter Trustees, and 8 percent of Alumni Trustees donated more than $200 dollars.
Of the top donors — those who gave over $10,000 — political affiliations were largely split. The top two donors gave to groups on both sides of the aisle, while the following ten were far more partisan. Many of these top donors also tended to give large sums of money to the corporate political action committees within their respective fields; these groups tend to be non-partisan, instead advocating on behalf of their industry.
Of the twelve donors whose totals surpassed $10,000, seven gave overwhelmingly to liberal groups and candidates, while five gave mostly to conservatives groups and candidates.
Of these 29 Trustees who donated more $200, twelve gave more than $10,000. Of these twelve, seven are Life Trustees, while five are Charter Trustees. No Alumni Trustees donated more than $5,000. The top donors, by far, were Thomas Tull and David Solomon, while Robert Delaney, Jr., David Blood, George Little II, and Kevin Kennedy followed as the other highest donors.
Thomas Tull ’92, former CEO of Legendary Pictures
Mr. Tull, former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Legendary Pictures, was the sole Life Trustee appointed in 2017. Tull donated a total of $2,933,448.50 in the 2015–16 election cycle. Tull’s largest donations were of $1,000,000 and $500,000, both to Priorities Action USA, the super PAC behind Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Tull also gave a total of $449,500 to the Hillary Victory Fund. On the other side of the aisle, Tull gave $33,400 to the National Republican Congressional Committee and $10,000 to Team Ryan, a joint fundraising committee authorized by and composed of Ryan for Congress, Inc., Prosperity Action, Inc., and the NRCC.
David Solomon ’84, President of Goldman Sachs
The second higher donor was David M. Solomon, who donated a total of $215,930 during the 2015–16 election cycle. Solomon is currently President of Goldman Sachs. At Hamilton, Solomon is the Co-Chair of the Student Affairs Committee; he also serves on the Executive and Admissions Committees. Similarly to Mr. Tull, Solomon donated to groups on both sides of the aisle. Solomon’s largest donations were to liberal groups; he donated $100,000 to the Hillary Action Fund, and donations of $33,400 and $31,950 to the Democratic National Committee. Solomon’s conservative donations totaled $24,750; he donated a total of $8100 to Rob Portman’s Senate campaign, as well as $5000 to Right to Rise PAC, a Jeb Bush super PAC, and $2700 to the McCain-Ayotte Joint Victory Committee.
While Tull and Solomon, the two highest donors, gave to both liberals and conservatives, the next highest donors, Robert Delaney, George Little, David Blood, and Kevin Kennedy were far more ideological in their gifts.
Robert Delaney, Jr. ’79, Partner at Crestview Partners
Robert Delaney is a partner and member of the Investment Committee and Crestview Partners, a private equity firm which specializes in leveraged buyout, growth capital and distressed-for-control investments. Delaney is also the head of Crestview’s Energy Strategy.
At Hamilton, Delaney serves on the Executive, Audit, and Budget and Finance Committees. Delaney is the namesake of the Delaney Team Center, the 5,100-square-foot addition to the Sage Rink dedicated in 2015. Delaney, along with his wife, Pamela Craig, “provided the lead funding for the $3.2 million facility.”
In the 2015–16 election cycle, Delaney gave a total of $160,300, exclusively to conservative campaigns and groups. Delaney’s largest donation was $100,000 to Right to Rise, a political action committee created to support Jeb Bush’s 2016 campaign.
George Little II ’71, co-President of George Little Management LLC
George Little II, the Vice Chairman of the Board, was the next highest donor. Little is the co-president of George Little Management LLC, a firm which organizes tradeshows and events for design and home lifestyle, sports and active lifestyle, e-commerce, product development and sourcing, and luxury lifestyle sectors across the globe. Little also serves on the Executive Committee.
In the 2015–16 election cycle, Little gave a total of $82,500, exclusively to liberal groups. Little’s largest donation was $50,900 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“I think political engagement is part of being a good citizen,” Little told The Spec over email, adding, “as you can tell from my donations, I identify more with the priorities of the Democratic party than the Republican party at this moment in our history.”
David Blood ’81, Co-Founder of Generation Investment Management
The next highest donor was David W. Blood. Blood is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the London-based Generation Investment Management LLP. Blood cofounded Generation Investment with former Vice-President Al Gore; the firm’s investment strategy focuses on sustainability and social responsibility. Blood’s parents, Charlene and Wayland Blood, are the namesakes of the Blood Fitness Center.
Blood gave a total of $81,000 throughout the 2015–16 election cycle. His largest donations were of $50,000 and $33,400 to the Hillary Action Fund and the Democratic National Committee, respectively.
Kevin W. Kennedy ’70, former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs
Kevin W. Kennedy, a former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, was the next highest donor. Kennedy and his wife are the namesakes of the appropriately-named Kevin and Karen Kennedy Center for Theatre and Studio Arts. Their $10 million gift to the college enabled the construction of the facility. He serves on the Executive, Buildings, and Investment Committees.
Throughout the 2015–16 election cycle, Kennedy gave a total of $50,000, exclusively to conservative groups and candidates. Kennedy’s top 2015–16 donation was of $25,000 to the Massachusetts Victory Committee, a joint fund-raising committee established in 2013 to support Charlie Baker’s gubernatorial campaign. Baker was Hamilton’s Commencement speaker in 2017.
Kennedy is cited as an influence by Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist and current Breitbart Chairman. Joshua Green, a Bloomberg Businessweek journalist, detailed this connection in his recent book, Devil’s Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency.
In the late 1980s, Bannon, in his attempts to secure a finance job, “dutifully attended a presentation delivered by Kevin Kennedy, a young vice president who would go on to become a senior partner at the firm,” Green writes.
“Thirty years later, Bannon could still summon the details of Kennedy’s no-bullshit pitch.”
As Bannon himself put it, summing up Kennedy’s speech, “He says, ‘We’re a very hard-working place. There are no stretch limos outside. We’re very middle class. We work very hard. It’s all about the firm. It’s about partnership. It’s about teamwork.
“It sounded perfect to me,” Bannon continued, adding, “It wasn’t Gordon Gekko. I thought to myself, I gotta do this.”
2017–18 Donations
Of these top six donors, Tull & Solomon gave massive sums to both liberals and conservatives, Little and Blood gave to liberals, and Delaney and Kennedy gave to conservatives. Five of these six top donors have given money in the 2017–18 election cycle.
Thomas Tull, the top donor in 2015–16, has demonstrated a similar pattern in the past year, giving a total of $298,600 since January 2017. Unlike 2015–16, however, Tull’s recent donations have been overwhelmingly to conservative groups. Tull’s largest donation was $244,000 to Team Ryan, Paul Ryan’s political action committee.
David Solomon, the second highest donor in 2015–16, has a recent donation pattern matching that of Tull; following Republican victories in 2016, both have donated mostly to Republicans. So far, Solomon has given a total of $52,000 in the 2017–18 election cycle. Solomon’s largest donation was $23,500 to the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Robert V. Delaney, Jr., the third highest donor in 2015–16, has once again given almost-exclusively to conservative groups; his donations total $34,900. In March, Delaney donated $33,900 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. His only other donation was of $1,000 to the American Investment Council Political Action Committee.
David Blood has only made one donation in the 2017–18 election cycle; $5,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia.
George Little has donated a total of $7000 in the 2017–18 election cycle; $5000 Emily’s List and $2000 to the Democratic National Committee.
Kevin Kennedy has given a total of $45,000 in the 2017–18 election cycle. The entirety of this money has gone to conservative groups. Kennedy’s largest donation is $20,000 to the Massachusetts Victory Committee.
Blood, Kennedy, and Delaney, Jr. had no comment. Solomon did not respond to our inquiry. Tull could not be reached for comment. Little’s response is noted above.
