Tom Bruggere
Tom Bruggere | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1946 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, political figure |
| Known for | Founder of Mentor Graphics; 1996 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Oregon |
Tom Bruggere (born February 18, 1946, in Berkeley, California) is an American businessman and political figure based in Oregon. He is the founder of Mentor Graphics and has played key roles in numerous startup companies. In 1996, Bruggere was the Democratic candidate for the 1996 United States Senate election in Oregon.
Early life
Bruggere was born in Berkeley, California and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He further obtained a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin and completed an MBA at Pepperdine University. Between 1968 and 1970, he served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Prior to his political career, he participated on various governmental boards, including the Oregon State Board of Higher Education.
In his early professional years, Bruggere worked as an engineer at Burroughs Corporation located in Pasadena, California during the early 1970s and subsequently joined Tektronix, Inc. later that decade. He identifies as Protestant.
Leadership of Mentor Graphics
In 1981, Bruggere established Mentor Graphics, which originated as a spin-off from Tektronix. An article featured in Oregon Business recognized Mentor Graphics as a leading example of successful companies initiated by former Tektronix employees. During the early 2000s, Bruggere also played a foundational role in creating the Oregon Center for Advanced Technology Education, where he served as chairman. Mentor Graphics is acknowledged as a pioneer in the electronic design automation sector. Bruggere stepped down as president and CEO in October 1993 to focus on public policy initiatives; Wally Rhines succeeded him.
1996 U.S. Senate race
Bruggere secured the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat left open by Mark Hatfield in 1996. He invested approximately $800,000 of personal funds into the primary campaign and was among 134 congressional candidates nationwide who self-financed more than $50,000 that election cycle.
His Republican challenger, Gordon Smith, also contributed heavily to his campaign financing, having spent $2.5 million earlier that year during a special Senate election. The majority of Oregon’s daily newspapers endorsed Smith over Bruggere. The general election was tightly contested; neither candidate declared victory on election night, but absentee ballots eventually confirmed Smith’s win.
Further business ventures
Bruggere served as founding Chairman for Stamps.com and Sensoria, stepping down from the Stamps.com board in October 2000. Additionally, he held board positions at Will Vinton Studios, OpenMarket, and Sirigen. His advisory roles extended to organizations such as Mercy Corps and the Technology Management Program at UCSB.
By 2011, Bruggere was involved with the management team at 13therapeutics, a biotechnology company spun out from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).