Co-founder of Home Depot Bernard “Bernie” Marcus has died at the age of 95.
The company shared in a statement with CNN, “The entire Home Depot family is deeply saddened by the death of our cofounder Bernie Marcus. We owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude to Bernie.”
Marcus, a Republican megadonor, started Home Depot with Arthur Blank in 1978 and he was the CEO of Home Depot until 1997. He served as a chairman until he retired in 2002. Additionally, Marcus was a well-known philanthropist. He had a net worth of roughly $7.4 billion, CNN reports, citing Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.
“He was a master merchant and a retail visionary. But even more importantly, he valued our associates, customers and communities above all,” the company said. “He’s left us with an invaluable legacy and the backbone of our company: our values.”
Marcus was an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump. He has donated millions of dollars to campaigns, including Trump’s, late John McCain, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), per CNN.
In November 2023, Marcus wrote an op-ed piece where he warned he saw “freedoms and values being eroded today as government gets bigger and weaponized against its political opponents.”
Marcus later wrote in his endorsement of Trump: “I understand the frustration of some of my Republican friends who do not like or are offended by things Donald Trump does and says. I, too, have been frustrated at times, but we cannot let his brash style be the reason we walk away from his otherwise excellent stewardship of the United States during his first term in office. Now is the time for unity to save The American Dream for future generations.”
“I endorse him not only because he has the best chance of winning the general election but because he is the best person to take on and dismantle the administrative state that is strangling America,” he added.
