Amazing the things you learn on the Interwebs. Like, before I read this Fortune story this morning, I don't know if I'd ever heard the name Cappy McGarr -- sounds like an Irish pirate, y'ask me. But, nope, turns out he's a very powerful man, especially as far as the Democratic Party's concerned. That's how he garners the mention in Fortune: Democratic National Committee national finance chairman Philip Murphy counts McGarr among his go-to guys in "stubbornly red states" as he trolls for dough for Dems running for office in 2008.
What else do we know about McGarr? After the jump, we learn plenty -- except whether his blood smells like cologne.
Well, he runs McGarr Capital Holdings, based on Turtle Creek Boulevard. He's a big-time giver to the Democrats' top three presidential candidates and many, many other Dems running for office in recent years, among them Ron Kirk and Eddie Bernice Johnson. He's also executive-produced the PBS specials honoring winners of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (including the 2004 show honoring Lorne Michaels), he's been a Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (as Bill Clinton's appointee), he's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, and he's currently on the board of directors of The Foundation for the National Archives. Oh -- and he's former Dallas Mayor Annette Strauss and Ted Strauss' son-in-law.
But here's how Cappy would describe himself: "an entrepreneur, a raconteur, a roastmaster and a toastmaster, and his rolodex is a 'Who’s Who' in Washington and Hollywood." That's from his Web site for his radio show, which airs ... anyone? And just look at all his famous friends: Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson, Barack Obama ... and Steve Martin! So how is it that a search of the Nexis database only reveals 11 mentions of this guy, the only substantial item being a 1995 interview with Barron's about his investment policy and his stock picks? I am now officially obsessed with you, Cappy McGarr, and I am comin' for ya. --Robert Wilonsky
