Ross H. Perot Businessman and presidential candidate.

Ross Perot was born in Texarkana, Texas in 1930. After working for IBM, he founded (1962) Electronic Data Systems (EDS), a computer services company. During the Iranian hostage crisis (1979), he funded a successful operation to rescue two of his employees from an Iranian prison. He sold EDS to General Motors in 1984, diversified into real estate, gas, and oil, and later started a new computer services company.

He ran unsuccessfully for U.S. president as an independent in 1992 and fought U.S. ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Dr. Henry A. Kissinger National Security Adviser (1969-75)

Henry Kissinger was born in Germany in 1923. An expert in international affairs and nuclear defense, he was national-security adviser (1969-75) to Presidents Nixon and Ford, and played a major role in the formulation of U.S. foreign policy.

He arranged Nixon's visit (1972) to China, shared (1973) the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating a cease-fire with North Vietnam, and helped arrange a cease-fire in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. He has written several books on foreign policy and two volumes of memoirs.

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Civil Rights Leader and Politician

Jesse Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1941. He was executive director (1966-71) of Operation Breadbasket, founder and national president (1971-83) of People United to Save Humanity (Operation PUSH), and the first serious African-American candidate in the presidential primaries (1984; 1988). An advocate of statehood for the District of Columbia, he was elected (1990) as one of the District's nonvoting "shadow" senators.
Contact Jessie Jackson at 400 I Street NW, Washington, DC DC 20001 or try the Rainbow Coalition web site at http://www.rainbowpush.org

Albert (Al) Gore U.S. Vice President

Al Gore was born in Washington, D.C. in 1948. A moderate Democrat, he served (1977-85) as a U.S. representative from Tennessee before he was elected (1984) U.S. senator from Tennessee. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. Gore was reelected to the Senate in 1990.

In his successful campaigns for president, Bill Clinton chose Gore as his vice-presidential running mate in 1992 and again in 1996. Gore has sought to draw attention to environmental concerns and to promote the development of nationwide information systems and the streamlining of the federal government.

Colin L. Powell Military Leader

Colin Powell was born in New York City in 1937. He became a U.S. army general, the highest ranking African-American officer in U.S. history and chairman (1989-93) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He served two tours of duty (1962-63, 1968-69) during the Vietnam War and later served in both command (commander, 2d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, 1976-77; commander, V Corps, Europe, 1986) and political (military assistant to the Deputy Defense Secy., 1979-81, and to the Defense Secy., 1983-86) positions.

From 1987 to 1989 he was President Reagan's national security adviser. In 1989 he was made a four-star general and was appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell played an influential role in the planning of U.S. strategy during the Persian Gulf War.

Bob Dylan Musician and Poet

Bob Dylan was born as Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1941. In the 1960s he gained recognition through his lyrics, capturing the alienation of American youth, and his harsh, insistent delivery. Influenced by Woody Guthrie, among others, Dylan exercised a profound influence on folk and Rock Music, his style evolving from folk to folk-rock to country. Enigmatic and reclusive, he became something of a cult figure.

Robert J. (Bob) Dole Former U.S. Senator

Bob Dole was born in Russell, Kansas, in 1923. A lawyer and Republican, he was elected as U.S. representative from Kansas in 1960 and served four terms. In 1968 he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Dole was Gerald Ford's running mate in Ford's unsuccessful presidential campaign (1976) and campaigned unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 and 1988. He has served as Senate majority leader (1985-87, 1995 to 1996) and minority leader (1987-95).

His wife, Elizabeth Hanford Dole, born in Salisbury, North Carolina, in1936, is a lawyer and U.S. government official. A Republican, she was secretary of transportation (1983-89) in the Reagan administration and secretary of labor (1989-91) under President Bush. She became president of the American Red Cross in 1991.