Bradford M. Freeman

Freeman was introduced to George W. Bush in 1979, and the two quickly became good friends.^[1] Freeman served on the "Team of 100," George H. W. Bush's group of top fundraisers, and helped raise funds for George W. Bush's campaigns for Governor of Texas.^[2] Freeman served as a "Pioneer" in Bush's 2000 presidential campaign and helped raise millions of dollars for Bush and the Republican National Committee.^[1] Freeman also served as chairman of the 2000 Presidential Inaugural Committee.^[1] Though Freeman himself did not earn a major presidential appointment,^[2] Freeman's business partner, Ron Spogli, was appointed Ambassador to Italy in 2005.^[4]

In the 2016 film Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk, Freeman said that after raising and contributing millions of dollars to George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, he was expecting a government appointment such as "a chance to run the CIA," but Bush instead offered him his cat.^[5] According to friends, Bush did arrange for Freeman a membership of Augusta National Golf Club.

Freeman has served on the board of trustees of Stanford University.^[3] In 2025, he donated $50 million to the Stanford football program, for which he formerly played.^[6]

• Ronald P. Spogli – American diplomat