History of Tom Steyer in Timeline

Tom Steyer is an American billionaire, entrepreneur, and environmentalist. He founded Farallon Capital, a hedge fund, and later became heavily involved in political activism, particularly regarding climate change. As a prominent member of the Democratic Party, Steyer has financially supported various political campaigns and initiatives aimed at addressing environmental issues. He also ran for president in the 2020 election, focusing his platform on climate action and economic inequality. Steyer's wealth has enabled him to become a significant force in environmental advocacy and Democratic politics.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

June 27, 1957: Tom Steyer's Birth

On June 27, 1957, Thomas Fahr Steyer, an American billionaire, entrepreneur, and environmentalist, was born.

1979: Started at Morgan Stanley

In 1979, Tom Steyer began his professional career at Morgan Stanley.

1983: Joined Goldman Sachs

In 1983, Tom Steyer worked at Goldman Sachs as an associate in the risk arbitrage division.

1985: Left Goldman Sachs

In 1985, Tom Steyer left Goldman Sachs after working as an associate in the risk arbitrage division.

January 1986: Founded Farallon Capital

In January 1986, Tom Steyer founded Farallon Capital, a hedge fund firm headquartered in San Francisco.

August 1986: Marriage to Kathryn Ann Taylor

In August 1986, Tom Steyer married Kathryn Ann Taylor.

2006: California's Global Warming Solutions Act

In 2006, California's Global Warming Solutions Act was enacted, which Proposition 23 aimed to overturn.

2008: Creation of the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy

In 2008, Tom Steyer and Taylor gave $41 million to create the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy at Stanford University to develop affordable renewable energy technologies.

2010: Co-Chaired No on Prop. 23 Campaign

In 2010, Tom Steyer joined George Shultz to co-chair the No on Prop. 23 campaign, opposing an initiative to overturn California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Steyer donated $5 million to the successful campaign.

October 2012: Stepping Down from Farallon Capital

In October 2012, Tom Steyer stepped down from his position at Farallon Capital to focus on advocating for alternative energy.

2012: Speech at the Democratic National Convention

In 2012, Tom Steyer gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention, highlighting the choice between moving forward and backward on energy policies and criticizing Mitt Romney's stance on fossil fuels.

2012: Hosted Fundraiser for President Obama and Pressed Him on Keystone Pipeline

In 2012, Tom Steyer hosted a fundraiser at his home for President Obama and pressed him, along with other donors, regarding the Keystone pipeline, which Steyer opposed.

2012: Sponsored California's Proposition 39

In 2012, Tom Steyer was the leading sponsor of Proposition 39 in California, closing a tax loophole for multi-state corporations and directing funds to clean energy projects and the state's general fund. Steyer contributed $29.6 million to the successful campaign.

2012: Retirement from Farallon and Founding of NextGen America

In 2012, after retiring from Farallon Capital, Tom Steyer founded NextGen America, a political action committee.

February 2013: Spoke at Anti-Keystone XL Pipeline Rally

In February 2013, Tom Steyer spoke at an anti-Keystone XL Pipeline rally on the Washington Mall. He was asked to join the protest by tying himself to the White House gate, but was dissuaded by his brother.

September 2013: Commercials Opposing the Keystone Pipeline

In September 2013, Tom Steyer appeared in a series of commercials opposing the proposed Keystone pipeline.

October 2013: Launch of the Risky Business Project

In October 2013, Tom Steyer launched the bipartisan Risky Business Project with Michael Bloomberg and Henry Paulson, focusing on the economic risks of climate change in the United States.

2013: Founded NextGen Climate

In 2013, Tom Steyer founded NextGen Climate (now NextGen America), an environmental advocacy nonprofit and political action committee.

2013: Helped Elect Ed Markey to the Senate

In 2013, Tom Steyer helped elect Ed Markey of Massachusetts to the Senate in a special election. He reportedly spent $1.8 million attacking Stephen Lynch, including money for a plane to fly over a Boston Red Sox game with a banner.

2013: Supported Terry McAuliffe's Campaign for Governor of Virginia

In 2013, Tom Steyer supported Democrat Terry McAuliffe's successful campaign for governor of Virginia through his NextGen Climate Action.

June 2014: Planned Involvement in California Legislative Races

In June 2014, Tom Steyer said he planned to get involved in California legislative races to affect climate change policy.

November 2014: Reason for Investing in Elections

In a November 2014 interview, Tom Steyer explained that he invests in elections due to the high cost of inaction and stated that he opposes Citizens United v. FEC.

2014: New York Times Article on Farallon's Coal Production

A 2014 New York Times article reported that coal-mining companies invested in by Farallon under Steyer had increased coal production by 70 million tons annually since receiving money from Farallon.

2014: Funded Political Campaigns

In 2014, Tom Steyer funded political campaigns to advocate for the election of at least nine candidates and to influence climate change policy through NextGen Climate.

2014: Spent $67 Million in the 2014 Midterm Elections

In 2014, Tom Steyer spent about $67 million of his personal fortune in the midterm elections and had a 40% success rate.

January 2015: Publication of Midwest Report

In January 2015, the Risky Business Project published the Midwest Report, focusing on quantifying and publicizing the economic risks of climate change in the Midwest United States.

April 2015: Testimony before California Legislature

In April 2015, Tom Steyer testified before the California Legislature in support of a bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

April 2015: Publication of California Report

In April 2015, the Risky Business Project published the California Report, focusing on quantifying and publicizing the economic risks of climate change in California.

July 2015: Call for Clean Energy Plans

In July 2015, Tom Steyer urged 2016 presidential candidates to create strategic plans ensuring the United States obtains at least 50% of its energy from clean sources by 2030, seemingly targeting Hillary Clinton.

August 2015: Guest of Honor at California Democratic Party Headquarters

In August 2015, Tom Steyer was the guest of honor at the California Democratic Party headquarters. The discussion revolved around bills designed to cut gasoline use in half by the year 2030, but Steyer did not commit to financially supporting the bills.

2015: Signing on to the Breakthrough Energy Coalition

In 2015, Tom Steyer joined the Bill Gates Breakthrough Energy Coalition, which aims to boost the availability of green energy sources.

2015: Equality California's Humanitarian Award

In 2015, Tom Steyer received Equality California's Humanitarian Award for his work advancing progressive causes that benefit the LGBT community.

2015: Land Conservation Award

In 2015, Tom Steyer received the Land Conservation Award of the Open Space Institute for his environmental work.

2016: Cited Florida's Pivotal Role

In 2016, Steyer cited Florida's pivotal role in the presidential election and its geographic position, making it highly vulnerable to climate change.

2016: Co-chaired campaign in support of California's Proposition 56

In 2016, Tom Steyer co-chaired the campaign in support of California's Proposition 56, which raised the state's tobacco tax by $2 per pack to fund healthcare programs. He contributed more than $11 million to the effort and appeared in campaign ads.

2016: Fundraising and Contributions to Democratic Party

In 2016, Tom Steyer raised money and hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton at his home in Burlingame, contributing $87,057,853 exclusively to Democratic Party candidates during the election cycle.

2016: Criticism of Farallon's Investment in Private Prisons

In 2016, critics noted that Farallon had also invested in private prisons while Steyer was leading the hedge fund.

October 2017: Television Ad Campaign Advocating for Trump's Impeachment

Beginning in October 2017, Tom Steyer initiated a television and digital ad campaign, spending approximately $10 million, advocating for the impeachment of Donald Trump, alleging misconduct and constitutional violations, which led to Trump calling Steyer "wacky and totally unhinged."

October 2017: NextGen America Donated Grants to Immigration Law Organizations

In October 2017, NextGen America donated grants totaling $2.3 million to eight national immigration law service organizations.

October 2017: Favoring Increased Personal Taxes

In an October 2017 interview, Tom Steyer expressed support for raising personal taxes, arguing that upper-income individuals had benefited disproportionately at the expense of working families and called a 2017 Republican tax reform proposal a "thinly veiled reverse Robin Hood".

January 2018: Decision Not to Run for Governor of California

In January 2018, Tom Steyer announced that he would not be running for governor of California, despite considering it.

March 2018: Launch of Town Hall Tour

In March 2018, Tom Steyer launched a 30-city town hall tour related to the Need to Impeach campaign, which had amassed close to 6 million petition signatures by the fall election season.

November 2018: USA Today Ad Outlining Democratic Campaign Issues

In November 2018, Tom Steyer outlined five non-partisan issue areas for Democrats to campaign on in a full-page USA Today ad, emphasizing voting rights, a clean environment, education, a living wage, and good health.

July 9, 2019: Launch of Presidential Campaign

On July 9, 2019, Tom Steyer launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in an online campaign video posted to Twitter, committing to spend millions of dollars in campaign advertising as a self-funded candidate.

July 2019: Stepping down from Need to Impeach

In July 2019, Tom Steyer stepped down from his role as president of Need to Impeach, an effort in which he reportedly spent over $70 million, when he announced his presidential campaign. Nathaly Arriola was named as the new executive director.

2019: Resignation from NextGen for Presidential Bid

In 2019, Tom Steyer resigned from NextGen America after announcing his presidential bid.

2019: Coronavirus Pandemic

The 2019 Coronavirus Pandemic created the conditions for the California Economic Recovery Task Force in 2020.

February 29, 2020: Suspension of Presidential Campaign

On February 29, 2020, after finishing third in the South Carolina primary with 11% of the vote and no pledged delegates, Tom Steyer suspended his presidential campaign.

April 17, 2020: Steyer Chairs California Economic Recovery Task Force

On April 17, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom selected Tom Steyer to chair a task force focused on the state's economic recovery after the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.

2020: Opposition to Medicare for All

During his 2020 Democratic presidential primary campaign, Tom Steyer opposed Medicare for All and ran ads against Bernie Sanders' single-payer healthcare plan.

2020: Steyer Drops Out of Presidential Race

In 2020, Tom Steyer sought the Democratic nomination for president but dropped out of the race after the first four state contests.

2021: Co-founded Galvanize Climate Solutions

In 2021, Tom Steyer co-founded Galvanize Climate Solutions with Katie Hall, his longtime friend and business partner. Galvanize is a climate-focused investment firm.

2023: Fundraiser for President Joe Biden

In 2023, Tom Steyer held a fundraiser for President Joe Biden's re-election bid for the White House in his San Francisco home.

May 28, 2024: Publication of "Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We'll Win the Climate War"

On May 28, 2024, Spiegel & Grau published Tom Steyer's book, "Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We'll Win the Climate War", which became a New York Times bestseller.

November 2025: Steyer Announces Candidacy for Governor

In November 2025, Tom Steyer announced his candidacy in the 2026 California gubernatorial election.

November 2025: Entering the 2026 California Governor Race

In November 2025, Tom Steyer entered the 2026 race to succeed Gavin Newsom as Governor of California, positioning himself as an outsider focused on affordability.

December 2025: Reversal on Single-Payer Healthcare Stance

In December 2025, Tom Steyer reversed his position on single-payer healthcare, stating in a video that he was "wrong" to oppose it and that Bernie Sanders was right, after reviewing data.

2025: Donated to California's Proposition 50 Campaign

In 2025, Tom Steyer donated $12 million to become the largest contributor to the campaign for California's Proposition 50, which redrew California's congressional districts.