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44-410: Madrona was founded in 1995 by Tom Alberg , Paul Goodrich, Gerald Grinstein , and William Ruckelshaus . Madrona has invested in the information technology sector including consumer internet commercial software and services, cloud computing, digital media and advertising, wireless, networking, mobile, and infrastructure sectors. As of 2015, more than 90% of the firms investments were in companies based in

88-638: A drill sergeant at Fort Lewis in Tacoma , Washington . He left the Army in 1955, returning to and graduating from Princeton with an A.B. ( cum laude ) in history in 1957 after completing a senior thesis titled "American Attitudes toward the Spanish Civil War." In 1960 he earned an LL.B. from Harvard Law School and joined the family law firm in Indianapolis. In 1960, Ruckelshaus married Ellen Urban, who died

132-612: A civil lawsuit against the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company "for discharging substantial quantities of cyanide into the Cuyahoga" at Ruckelshaus's request and sought an injunction "to halt the discharge of these deleterious materials into the river...." Also during his first tenure at the EPA, Ruckelshaus advocated for and enacted a ban on the insecticide DDT . Ruckelshaus laid the foundation for

176-493: A major and expanding waste-removal firm. During his tenure, Browning Ferris shifted from a focus on hazardous wastes to recycling. As the company expanded its operations into New York City , Ruckelshaus "helped investigators infiltrate a Mafia-dominated carting conspiracy, leading prosecutors to obtain indictments." After leaving Browning-Ferris, Ruckelshaus became a partner in the private investment firm, Madrona Venture Group . President Bill Clinton appointed Ruckelshaus as

220-692: A member of the President's Council for Sustainable Development from 1993 to 1997, and as U.S. special envoy in the implementation of the Pacific Salmon Treaty from 1997 to 1998. He was also appointed Chairman of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board for the state of Washington . Ruckelshaus was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the United States Commission on Ocean Policy , which submitted its Final Report to

264-436: A position as senior vice-president for law and corporate affairs of the Tacoma -based Weyerhaeuser timber company. Ruckelshaus remained in that position until 1983. Ruckelshaus was one of Gerald Ford 's preferred candidates to be his vice presidential running mate in the 1976 election . Ford selected Bob Dole ; the two lost the election to Democrat Jimmy Carter and his running mate, Walter Mondale . In 1983, with

308-543: A private equity or venture capital firm based in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tom Alberg Thomas Austin Alberg (February 12, 1940 – August 5, 2022) was an American lawyer and businessman, founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group , and a director of Amazon.com from 1996 to 2019. In addition to investing in many high tech startups, he

352-470: A total of $ 1 million. The other early investors included both Bezos' parents and Alberg's parents. Alberg joined the company's board in 1996, and by mid-1999, he was noted to have made at least $ 21 million on the investment. He stepped down from the board in 2019 after serving for 23 years. Alberg set up Oxbow Farms, a conservation center spread over 240 acres along the Snoqualmie River on land that

396-663: The Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Nixon's new administration. Ruckelshaus held the post until his appointment as the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. Ruckelshaus became the US Environmental Protection Agency 's first administrator when the agency was formed on December 2, 1970 by Nixon. Although many people were mentioned as possibilities for

440-649: The University of Washington and Washington State University , Chair Emeritus of the University of Wyoming 's Ruckelshaus Institute for Environment and Natural Resources, Chairman Emeritus of the World Resources Institute , and Chair of the Meridian Institute . He was a director of the Initiative for Global Development. In 2008, Ruckelshaus endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 election for President of

484-409: The University of Washington and also worked with former Washington state governor Christine Gregoire to set up Challenge Seattle, a non-profit that allowed business and technology leaders to contribute towards solving civic issues in the region. Alberg married Mary Ann Johnke, a physics professor, in 1963. The couple had three children. The marriage ended in a divorce in 1989. He married Judi Beck

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528-569: The " Saturday Night Massacre ," Ruckelshaus and US Attorney General Elliot Richardson resigned from their positions rather than obey the order of US President Richard Nixon to fire the independent special prosecutor , Archibald Cox , who was tasked with investigating Nixon's role in the Watergate scandal . Ruckelshaus was born in Indianapolis , Indiana , on July 24, 1932, the son of Marion Doyle ( née Covington) and John K. Ruckelshaus. He

572-664: The Attorney General's Office. In 1964, Ruckelshaus ran as a moderate Republican in the U.S. House election in Indiana's 11th district , losing in the primary to Don Tabbert, a candidate from the conservative wing of the party. He subsequently spent a year as minority attorney for the Indiana Senate . He won a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives in 1966, benefiting from an up year for Republicans overall. He served in

616-402: The EPA by asking Congress to cut the agency's budget, eliminating jobs and halting enforcement activities. On his second day after taking over for Burford, Ruckelsaus fired four people on the agency's management team. Under Ruckelshaus' tenure, the issue of asbestos in schools was directed against the EPA. Ruckelshaus attempted to win back public confidence in the EPA, a challenging task in

660-618: The EPA by hiring its leaders by defining its mission, deciding on priorities, and selecting an organizational structure. He also oversaw the implementation of the Clean Air Act of 1970 . In April 1973, during the growing Watergate scandal, there was a major reshuffling of Nixon administration posts because of the resignations of White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman and Domestic Affairs Advisor John Ehrlichman . Ruckelshaus's record of success at EPA and Justice and his reputation for integrity led to his being appointed acting Director of

704-605: The EPA in crisis due to mass resignations over the mishandling of the Superfund program, President Ronald Reagan appointed Ruckelshaus to serve as EPA Administrator again. This time it was White House Chief of Staff James Baker who was Ruckelshaus's champion in asking him to return to the agency. The White House acceded to Ruckhelshaus's request to allow him maximum autonomy in the choice of new appointees. Ruckelshaus's predecessor, Anne Gorsuch Burford (mother of future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch ), had depleted

748-506: The Federal Bureau of Investigation to replace L. Patrick Gray III , "who had allowed Nixon aides to examine Watergate files and had even destroyed evidence in the case." Later that year, Ruckelshaus was promoted to Deputy Attorney General. On October 20, 1973, in the event known as the " Saturday Night Massacre ," Attorney General Elliot Richardson and then Ruckelshaus resigned their positions, rather than obey orders from Nixon to fire

792-478: The Group announced that it had raised over $ 500 million in new capital. Over $ 345 million of that figure was raised for its eighth fund, its largest to date, and $ 161 million for a second later-stage fund. In September 2022, Madrona Venture Group raised its largest fund ever, $ 690 million. Companies invested in include Apptio , Impinj , Redfin , The Riveter , Rover.com , and Smartsheet . This article about

836-550: The House for one term, until 1968. He became the first first-term legislator to serve as majority leader of the House. Ruckelshaus ran in the 1968 United States Senate election in Indiana , winning the Republican nomination, but losing the general election, 51%–48%, to incumbent Birch Bayh . In 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed him as U.S. Assistant Attorney General for

880-521: The Pacific Northwest. In 2012, Madrona raised a $ 300 million fund. In 2014, Madrona Venture Group launched a startup studio, Madrona Venture Labs, as an in-house startup incubator. In 2018, Madrona raised Madrona Fund VII of $ 300 million. In October 2020, Madrona Venture Group invested in Temporal, a Seattle-based company that is developing microservice orchestration platform. At the end of 2020,

924-580: The President and Congress, An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century , in 2004. In June 2010, Ruckelshaus became co-chair of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative . Ruckelshaus served as a director on boards of several corporations, including Isilon Systems , Monsanto , Cummins , Pharmacia , Solutia , Coinstar , Nordstrom , Pfizer , and Weyerhaeuser . He was Chair of the Advisory Board of The William D. Ruckelshaus Center at

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968-650: The United States . In August 2016, Ruckelshaus and another former Republican-appointed EPA administrator, William K. Reilly , jointly endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in the 2016 election . In 2008, Ruckelshaus was appointed to the Washington State Puget Sound Partnership, an agency devoted to cleaning up Puget Sound. In early 2012, Ruckelshaus was appointed co-chair of the Washington Blue Ribbon Panel on ocean acidification . In August 2018, Ruckelshaus drew parallels to

1012-552: The Watergate special prosecutor, Archibald Cox , who was investigating official misconduct by Nixon and his aides and sought "tape recordings that... would incriminate" Nixon. After the resignations, the third in command at the Justice Department, US Solicitor General Robert Bork immediately effected the firing and the abolition of the special prosecutor's office, completing the "Massacre." However, 300,000 telegrams, release of

1056-571: The actions of President Donald Trump 's administration relating to special prosecutor Robert Mueller and Ruckelshaus's own experiences during the Massacre and with President Nixon's "disrespect for the rule of law" in an opinion-editorial in The Washington Post . In November 2015, Ruckelshaus was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama during a ceremony at

1100-608: The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency , to form Madrona Venture Group , a venture capital firm headquartered in Seattle. Some of the investments by Madrona included Impinj , a RFID technology start-up, online real estate brokerage Redfin , business management as-a-service provider Apptio and Isilon Systems , a storage software provider which was later acquired by the Emc Corporation . Alberg

1144-433: The city. He went on to become the chair of the executive committee and served Boeing , Alaska Airlines , and other clients in the high-tech industry. During his time with the firm, he led the shift from public offerings toward private investments and venture capital, helping the firm focus on the emerging technology companies in the region. His work with Advanced Technology Labs, an ultrasound imaging technology company

1188-401: The face of a skeptical press and a wary Congress, both of whom scrutinized all aspects of the agency's activities and some of whom interpreted a number of its actions in the worst possible light. Nonetheless, Ruckelshaus filled the top-level staffing slots with persons of competence, turned the attention of the staff back to the agency's fundamental mission, and raised the esteem of the agency in

1232-533: The family farm in Carnation. He studied at Harvard University , where he received a BA in International Affairs in 1962. He then studied at Columbia Law School , where he received a JD degree in 1965. Alberg started his career in 1965 with Cravath, Swaine & Moore , a New York–based law firm, after graduating from Columbia. He returned to Seattle in 1967 and joined Perkins Coie , a law firm based in

1276-509: The following year from complications incurred after giving birth to their twin daughters. In 1962 he remarried, to Jill Strickland , with whom he had three children. His brother was John C. Ruckelshaus and his nephew was John Ruckelshaus ; they also served in the Indiana General Assembly . After passing the Indiana bar exam, Ruckelshaus joined the family law firm of Ruckelshaus, Bobbitt, and O'Connor. In 1960, at age 28, he

1320-630: The government. At EPA, you work for a cause that is beyond self-interest and larger than the goals people normally pursue. You're not there for the money, you're there for something beyond yourself. Ruckelshaus was at Perkins Coie , a Seattle-based law firm, from 1985 to 1988. From 1983 to 1986, he served on the World Commission on Environment and Development set up by the United Nations . From 1988 to 1999, he served as chief executive officer of Browning-Ferris Industries of Houston , Texas ,

1364-455: The new position, the choice of Ruckelshaus had been based upon the strong recommendation of US Attorney General John N. Mitchell . Ruckelhaus had been suggested in a Newsweek opinion column by a friend without his knowledge and was later approached Mitchell about the position. The burning of the Cuyahoga River had created a national outcry. The Justice Department under Mitchell filed

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1408-558: The non profit Cascade Public Media. Alberg was made a member of then-US President Barack Obama 's National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2009. In 2015, Alberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award at Seattle Business Magazine ' s Tech Impact Awards. His work with Madrona Venture Group and Amazon.com were noted. Alberg also helped start the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at

1452-423: The opportunity to think about what makes them worthwhile. I've concluded there are four important criteria: interest, excitement, challenge, and fulfillment. I've never worked anywhere where I could find all four to quite the same extent as at EPA. I can find interest, challenge, and excitement as [board chair of a company]. I do have an interesting job. But it is tough to find the same degree of fulfillment I found in

1496-650: The problem of homelessness and affordable housing. During this period, he also wrote his book Flywheels: How Cities Are Creating Their Own Futures (2021), which focused on Seattle's technology-led urban renaissance and how it can serve as a template for other cities seeking to emerge as innovation hubs. Alberg was an investor in local journalism efforts focused in the Pacific Northwest including Seattle Weekly 's Eastside Week and The New Pacific . Crosscut , an online news website that he started with venture capitalist David Brewster later merged with KCTS 9 to form

1540-436: The public mind. On November 28, 1984, Ruckelshaus announced that he would be retiring as EPA head, effective January 5, 1985, around the start of President Reagan's second term. He remained Administrator until February 7, 1985, when his successor, Lee M. Thomas , was confirmed. Of his two tenures at EPA, Ruckelshaus later reflected: I've had an awful lot of jobs in my lifetime, and in moving from one to another, have had

1584-450: The same year and remained married until his death. The couple had two children. He was an avid sailor and a winemaker. Alberg died on August 5, 2022, at the age of 82, approximately one year after a stroke . William Ruckelshaus William Doyle Ruckelshaus (July 24, 1932 – November 27, 2019) was an American attorney and government official. Ruckelshaus served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1966 to 1968, and

1628-517: The tapes, the reinstatement of a special prosecutor, and (ultimately) Nixon's resignation in August 1974 would occur over the next 10 months. After leaving the Justice Department, Ruckelshaus returned to the private sector as an attorney at the Washington law firm of Ruckelshaus, Beveridge, Fairbanks , and Diamond from 1973 to 1975. In 1975, Ruckelshaus moved to Seattle , Washington , where he accepted

1672-433: Was a step in this direction. He joined McCaw Cellular in 1990 as an executive vice president, having been recruited by the then chairman Craig McCaw . In the mid-1990s, he quit McCaw after it was acquired by AT&T . After acting as an advisor to the board and being part of the negotiating team during this time, he quit the combined entity in 1995. He then partnered with William Ruckelshaus , who had earlier served as

1716-720: Was appointed as Deputy Attorney General of Indiana, and served through 1965. For two years he was assigned to the Indiana Board of Health. As counsel to the Indiana Stream Pollution Control Board, Ruckelshaus obtained court orders prohibiting industries and municipalities from heavily polluting the state's water supply; he also helped draft the Indiana Air Pollution Control Act of 1961, the state's first attempt to reduce that problem. After that assignment, he spent two years as Chief Counsel for

1760-646: Was from a distinguished family with a long history of practicing law in Indianapolis and serving in Republican Party politics. He attended parochial schools until the age of 16, then finished high school in Portsmouth , Rhode Island , at the Portsmouth Abbey School . He began college at Princeton University before being drafted and serving for two years in the United States Army , becoming

1804-536: Was handed down to him by his father in Carnation, Washington . The non-profit organization focused on sustainable agriculture methods for growing food. He also was the founder of Novelty Hill Winery in Woodinville, Washington which he founded with winemaker Mike Januik. He also owned a vineyard in Royal City, Washington . In the late 2010s and early 2020s, Alberg shifted his focus toward urban planning, and tackling

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1848-474: Was noted for his association with Jeff Bezos and Amazon , where he was one of the earliest investors after being introduced to Bezos in 1995 by a friend. While he loved physical bookstores, it is noted that he was convinced by Bezos' online store after he failed to find a book by management consultant Peter Drucker in his neighborhood bookstore. He started with an investment of $ 50,000 in the company and partnered in convincing twenty-two other investors to raise

1892-767: Was one of the earliest investors in Amazon. At Madrona, some of Alberg's investments included Impinj , a RFID technology start-up, online real estate brokerage Redfin , business management as-a-service provider Apptio and Isilon Systems , a storage software provider which was later acquired by the Emc Corporation . Alberg was born on February 12, 1940, in San Francisco, California , the son of Thomas Alberg and Miriam Twitchell Alberg. His grandfather had immigrated from Sweden . Alberg grew up in Seattle, Washington where he attended Ballard High School . During this time he also worked at

1936-737: Was the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division from 1969 to 1970. He was also the first Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 1970 to 1973, after being nominated by Richard Nixon . He returned to the position from 1983 to 1985, as the fifth Administrator of the EPA, during the Reagan administration . In 1973, he was also the acting FBI Director . While serving as US Deputy Attorney General in October 1973, in what became known as

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