Thomas Anderson Roe, Jr.

Thomas Anderson Roe Jr. (1927–2000) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and conservative activist. Biography Early life and education Thomas Anderson Roe Jr. was born in 1927 in Greenville, South Carolina. He graduated from Furman University in 1948, and worked as a research assistant in their cancer center, with a grant from the Carnegie Foundation. He received a business degree from LaSalle Extension University and a certificate in advanced studies from the Brookings Institution Program on Urban Policy. Career In 1961, he inherited the Citizens Lumber Company from his late father, and renamed it Builder Marts of America. It became a Forbes 500 company. It was later purchased by Guardian Industries. He started a telecommunications company for long-distance calls, later purchased by MCI Inc. He also served as vice president of American Holdings, a firm with ice cream, refrigerator, and furniture manufacturing interests in the United States, along with land holding and air cargo operations in the Dominican Republic.