Darla Moore
| Darla Moore | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Darla Dee Moore August 1, 1954 Lake City, South Carolina |
| Alma mater |
University of South Carolina George Washington University |
| Occupation | Financier, Philanthropist |
Darla Dee Moore (born August 1, 1954) is a partner of the private investment firm Rainwater, Inc, and was married to Richard Rainwater, who founded the firm.
Moore was born in Lake City, South Carolina, to Eugene and Loraine Moore. She was one of two daughters and was born on a farm that produced cotton, soybean, and tobacco. In 1972, Moore completed her high school education from Lake City High school. She graduated at the University of South Carolina in 1975 with a BA in political science. After school, she worked for the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C.
In 1981, Moore received an MBA from George Washington University, three years after graduating from the University of South Carolina, and joined other MBAs at the Chemical Bank’s training program. During the 1980s, Moore made a name for herself while providing debtor-in-possession financing for companies going through the bankruptcy process, specializing in bankruptcy takeovers for the company. In 1996 after running the company that he founded into deep financial trouble, T. Boone Pickens was removed by Moore as the head of Mesa Inc, which mainly dealt with the production of oil and natural gasses. Once in control, she then proceeded to make a profit off the company after investing a total of 66 million dollars. Moore was recognized in several media outlets including Forbes Fortune, Working Woman, Worth, Wall Street Journal, and CNN. Her cover on Fortune magazine called her “The Toughest Babe in Business”.
It was on a business trip to Texas that Moore met Richard Rainwater. In 1991, they were married in New York City in Park Avenue’s Brick Presbyterian Church. She was named president of Rainwater, Inc, in 1993. Before Moore was named president of the company, she served as vice president during the early stages of her marriage to Rainwater. Although already extremely wealthy and well established at the time of the marriage, Rainwater’s net worth was practically tripled due to his marriage to Moore, who at the time was already making more money than most other investors in the industry. Moore's net worth was estimated at $2.3 billion in 2012. Fortune Magazine named Moore one of the 50 Most Powerful Women In Business in 1998 and 1999. Moore is credited with dismissing future Florida Governor Rick Scott from Columbia/HCA when a medicare related scandal broke. Scott and Mr. Rainwater were partners in the Texas Rangers baseball team with Texas Governor George W. Bush. Additionally in 1998, Moore was presented with the Order of the Palmetto. A 1997 article in CNN Money by Patricia Sellers states: “To get a picture of Darla Moore, imagine, say, a cross between the Terminator and Kim Basinger, with a wicked South Carolina drawl. Upon first meeting, she can come across as a prima donna, tough and aloof. As she warms up she can turn fun and flirty, even girlish, though the shift is deceptive.”
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