Hamilton Jordan

Hamilton Jordan, "a self-proclaimed “political animal” and campaign whiz-kid who, at age 26, ran a successful campaign for governor and, at age 31, a successful presidential campaign for Jimmy Carter, eventually becoming the president’s chief of staff and top confidant, died Tuesday [2008] at his home in Atlanta. He was 63...

"Mr. Jordan, a thick-set and rough-hewn man with piercing dark eyes, thick black hair and a rapier wit that knew how to draw blood was one of a triumvirate of Georgians — along with Jody Powell and Bert Lance — who became known as the Georgia Mafia during the Carter presidency. They had dedicated themselves to the political career of Mr. Carter, the little-known peanut farmer from Plains, Ga., who reciprocated their loyalty, and it brought them all to the brink of power...

"In 1986, Mr. Jordan mounted his own campaign for a United States Senate seat in Georgia, but lost in the Democratic primary to Wyche Fowler, who went on to win the general election.

"Subsequently, Mr. Jordan became increasingly disillusioned with the two major political parties and strongly pushed for a third-party movement, going so far as to become, with Ed Rollins, a co-chairman of the Texas businessman H. Ross Perot’s 1992 third-party White House bid.

"Mr. Jordan also became well-known as an advocate for cancer research..."

• Cofounder, GoodWorks International
• Cofounder, Unity08