Harlan Crow (born December 1950) is an American businessman, real estate developer, and prominent [[conservative]] political megadonor. He is the son of Trammell Crow, a real estate developer who founded Trammell Crow Company, one of the largest real estate development firms in the United States. Harlan Crow has used his wealth and influence to support a range of right-wing causes and candidates. Born in Dallas, Texas, Harlan Crow was raised in a wealthy and well-connected family. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a degree in [economics](https://doctorparadox.net/category/economics/). After graduating, he joined his father's company, Trammell Crow Company, in 1974. He eventually became the CEO of the firm in the 1980s, and under his leadership, the company diversified its real estate holdings and expanded its reach both nationally and internationally. ## Harlan Crow: Republican donor In addition to his business pursuits, billionaire Harlan Crow has been a prominent figure in conservative politics. He has consistently supported conservative candidates and causes, often contributing significant sums to their campaigns. Some of the notable candidates he has supported include [[Ted Cruz]], [[Mitt Romney]], [[Donald Trump]], and Greg Abbott. Moreover, he has been a generous donor to conservative [[think tank]]s such as the [[American Enterprise Institute (AEI)]], the [[Heritage Foundation]], and the [[Federalist Society]], which promote [right-wing](https://doctorparadox.net/tag/right-wing/) values and policies. Crow's philanthropic endeavors also extend to the realm of preserving historical artifacts and landmarks. He founded the Crow Family Foundation, which focuses on the preservation of American and European historical sites and artifacts. He also maintains a personal collection of historical items, including memorabilia from the [[Nazis]] and sculptures of major leaders of [[Communism]], which he has displayed in the garden of his Dallas home. ## Crow controversies Crow has been involved in various controversies. One of the most notable incidents occurred in 2009 when he hosted a fundraiser for the controversial British historian David Irving, who has been widely criticized for denial of [[The Holocaust]]. Crow later claimed that he hosted the event to facilitate intellectual debate rather than endorse Irving's views. In 2023, a series of investigative reports from ProPublica revealed not only that [[The Supreme Court]] justice [[Clarence Thomas]] had accepted more than [2 decades' worth of lavish trips from Crow](https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow), including numerous trips aboard his luxury yacht, but also that Thomas had failed to disclose several real estate transactions with Crow as the buyer, including the [purchase of the house still lived-in by his mother](https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-real-estate-scotus). The revelations ignited heated debate about corruption on the extreme right-leaning SCOTUS, whether Clarence Thomas broke the law in concealing gifts and transactions from his benefactor, and shone another glaring spotlight on the efforts of the right-wing political machine to wield undue influence on the levers of power. Recently, [Americans for Tax Fairness](https://twitter.com/4TaxFairness) uncovered that the [Crow family's average political contributions went up a whopping 862%](https://twitter.com/4TaxFairness/status/1653054386782756865?t=zU1mAXwdfkUKvfJR_t4-CA&s=09) after the decision of the [[Citizens United v. FEC]] case in 2010. The pivotal deciding vote in the case? [[Clarence Thomas]], the "family friend" lavished with luxury travel and gifts for over 20 years. ![[_2__Americans_For_Tax_Fairness_on_Twitter___BREAKING__Harlan_Crow_and_his_family_s_average_yearly_political_contributions_went_up_862__after_Citizens_United_was_decided_in_2010__Who_provided_a_deciding_vote_for_that_case__Justice_Clarence_T.jpg]]