Who is Tim Draper? His family tree says it all. Skull and Cross Bones
AGENDA 21 RADIO
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THE FATHER OF TIM DRAPER
Draper was born on January 15, 1928 in White Plains, New York, the son of Katherine Louise (née Baum) and banker, general, and diplomat William Henry Draper Jr.[1] His father founded Draper, Gaither and Anderson. He attended Yale University with president George H. W. Bush, graduated in 1950, the year after George H. W. Bush, and is a member of the secret society Skull and Bones. After graduating from college, Draper served as a second lieutenant in the Korean War. Upon returning to the United States, he attended Harvard Business School and studied under professor Georges Doriot, who is often credited with starting the venture capital industry. Draper graduated with a Masters of Business degree, with distinction, in 1954. He then worked from 1954-1959 as a steel salesman at Chicago’s Inland Steel Company.
Early venture capital
In 1959, Draper left Chicago to work as an associate at his father’s newly formed firm, Draper, Gaither & Anderson, the first venture capital company on the West Coast. In 1962, Draper left Draper, Gaither & Anderson to co-found the venture capital firm Draper & Johnson Investment Company with his good friend Pitch Johnson, whom he had met while working at Inland Steel. In 1965, Draper founded Sutter Hill Ventures, which to this day remains one of the top venture capital firms in the country. During his twenty years as the senior partner of Sutter Hill, Draper helped to organize and finance several hundred high technology manufacturing companies.In 1986, he became the head of the world’s largest source of multilateral development grant assistance, the United Nations Development Programme, and was instrumental in leadership of several global initiatives, such as the international Education for All movement (beginning formally with the 1990 Conference in Jomtien, Thailand), the 1995 Beijing Women’s’ Conference, and the 1995 Social Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sabbatical from Silicon Valley – public service
Draper has played an international leadership role in expanding the world economy and the global wealth gap. He served from 1981 to 1986 as President and Chairman of the Export–Import Bank of the United States and was appointed to this position by President Ronald Reagan. In this post, Draper assumed a leadership role in U.S. efforts to sustain world trade in the face of major liquidity problems among the developing countries.
In 1986, he became the head of the world’s largest source of multilateral development grant assistance, the United Nations Development Programme.[3] As the second highest ranking individual in the United Nations, Draper oversaw nearly 10,000 international aid projects. During his time at the UN and the Export-Import Bank, Draper traveled to 101 developing countries and met with over 50 heads of state.
Personal life
Draper is married to Phyllis Culbertson Draper, and is the father of Timothy C. Draper, a venture capitalist who founded Draper Fisher Jurvetson, as well as Polly Draper and Becky Draper. Polly is an actress and a writer, known for her portrayal of Ellyn on ABC’s Thirtysomething. She also created and produced Nickelodeon’s series The Naked Brothers Band, which starred her sons, Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff.
Community service
As a civic leader, Draper has been involved in many community service programs. He is currently on the boards of the Atlantic Council, The Draper Richards Foundation, Hoover Institution, Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies at Stanford University, World Affairs Council of Northern California, the United Nations Association of the United States of America and the Harvard Business School California Research Center Advisory Board. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the President’s Council on International Activities at Yale University.
Draper formerly served as the Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, Chairman of the Institute of International Education, as a Trustee of Yale University and as Chairman of the Board of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco; he was a former Board member of Population Action International, George Bush Library Foundation, the Advisory Council of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the World Rehabilitation Fund in New York. Draper currently sits on the advisory board of Washington, DC based non-profit America Abroad Media.
