Category:
Richest Politicians › Republicans
Net Worth:
$5 Million
Salary:
$2 Million
Birthdate:
Oct 7, 1943 (81 years old)
Birthplace:
San Antonio
Gender:
Male
Profession:
Politician, Author, Military Officer, Consultant, Voice Actor, Presenter
Nationality:
United States of America
Oliver North is an American former United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, conservative political commentator, television host, military historian, and author who has a net worth of $5 million. Oliver North became nationally-known for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s which funneled profits sold to the Islamic Republic of Iran to Contra rebel groups in Nicaragua. He hosted a radio talk show for several years, became a Fox News personality and served as President of the NRA from May 2018 to April 2019.
Oliver North was born in San Antonio, Texas on October 7, 1943. He went on to attend the State University of New York Brockport. After two years at SUNY-Brockport, he was accepted to the United States Naval Academy and transferred. He then joined the United States Marine Corps, and served as an infantry officer in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, where he was awarded the Silver Star and a Purple Heart.
After returning from Vietnam, North became a counterintelligence officer and was later assigned to the National Security Council staff during the Reagan administration. In 1985, he was appointed to a staff position on the National Security Council, where he became involved in the Iran-Contra affair.
North’s involvement in the Iran-Contra affair began when he was tasked with helping to sell arms to Iran, which was under an arms embargo at the time. The proceeds from the sales were then used to fund the Contras, who were fighting the communist government in Nicaragua. North played a key role in these transactions, and was also involved in the destruction of documents related to the affair.
In 1987, North was indicted on sixteen counts of conspiracy, lying to Congress, and obstruction of justice. He admitted to being partially responsible for the multiple transactions and received limited immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying before Congress. He was found guilty of three charges, but the convictions were later overturned due to the fact that his testimony had been immunized by Congress. However, North’s reputation had been tarnished, and he was forced to retire from the Marine Corps in 1988.
The convictions were vacated and all charges dismissed in 1991 after an appeals court witnesses at his trial might have been impaired by his congressional testimony.
In 1994 Oliver ran for US Senate as a Republican. He lost. As part of his campaign, Oliver raised $20.3 million through a nation-wide direct-mail fundraising push. It was the most money raised through direct-mail up to that point.
Oliver began hosting a talk show on Radio America in 1995. He hosted the show until 2005. He also hosted a show on Fox News called “War Stories with Oliver North” from 2001 to 2016.
Oliver has written a number of best-selling books. He is an in-demand public speaker and was even a military consultant for the 2012 video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
In May 2018, Oliver was elected President of the National Rifle Association. He began his term a few months later in September. According to various media reports and legal inquiries that were released in 2020, technically being President of the NRA is a volunteer position and does not come with a salary. Again, according to reports, Oliver was making a decent salary and his family was receiving health benefits thanks to his employment at Fox News. In order to take the volunteer position as head of the NRA, the organization’s executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre allegedly came up with a plan where Oliver would be paid a salary of $2 million per year not by the NRA but by their ad agency Ackerman McQueen. The NRA would then allegedly be billed for his salary so Ackerman could be reimbursed.
Oliver has been married to Betsy Stuart since 1967. They have four children. They have lived for many years on a 100-acre property in Bluemont, Virgnia.
