Henry T. Nicholas III

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Dr. Henry T. Nicholas, III, (b.1959) co-founded Broadcom Corporation, an American supplier of integrated circuits for broadband communications. He was its President and Chief Executive officer from its inception in 1991 until January, 2003.[1] He is currently under indictment for felony drug conspiracy. [2]

Nicholas is ranked number 195 on the 2007 list of Forbes' richest Americans, with a net worth of $2.3 billion. [3]

Contents

[edit] Early life and education

Nicholas was born in 1959 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Marcella and Henry T. Nicholas Jr. At birth, he was the tallest baby born on record at Christ Hospital. “Nick”, as he is known to his family and friends, stands 6 ft. 6 inches (1.98 m) today.

Nicholas lived in Glendale, Ohio until he was 4 years old. His father was an attorney with the IRS and his mother was a teacher and later an administrator at the Princeton School district in theatre. When his parents divorced, and he moved with his mother and sister Marsalee to Los Angeles, where his mother planned to get her Masters degree in drama from UCLA. At UCLA, she met Bob Leach, her second husband, and Nick’s “real dad.” Nicholas attended elementary schools in Malibu and Santa Monica High School.

Nicholas received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, after having attended the United States Air Force Academy previously and then both a Masters Degree and Ph.d. in Electrical Engineering from UCLA. It was at UCLA that Nicholas met Dr. Henry Samueli, his future partner.

[edit] Career

After graduating from UCLA in 1987, Nicholas worked at TRW in Redondo Beach, then went to PairGain Technologies in Cerritos, California, where he was director of Microelectronics. He left PairGain, which was later acquired by ADC Telecommunications, to co-found his own endeavor, Broadcom Corporation in 1991.

[edit] Broadcom

At Broadcom, Nicholas was President and Chief Executive Officer. [4]. He and his partner Dr. Henry Samueli made significant developments in wireless technology. Today, Broadcom makes semiconductors for wired and wireless communications enabling the networking of voice, video and data services.

He was known to enforce a dress code throughout the company, requiring employees to don business attire, unlike more relaxed Silicon Valley workplaces. [5]

Nicholas resigned as Broadcom's CEO in 2003, saying that his resignation "was driven entirely by personal issues related to family separation and divorce." [6]

In June 2008, both Nicholas and William Ruehle, the former chief financial officer of Broadcom, were charged with improperly backdating stock options, forcing Broadcom to take a $2.2 billion write-down. [7]

[edit] Current activities

Nicholas is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine. [8].

[edit] Business awards

Nicholas was the recipient of an Orange County Titan Award, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Electronics, was named as one of the Top 20 Entrepreneurs by Red Herring magazine and one of the World’s Top 50 Cyber Elite by Time Digital Magazine.

[edit] Other activities

[edit] Philanthropy

The Henry T. Nicholas, III, Foundation focuses on improving the quality of life through investments in education, youth sports, medicine, technology, law enforcement and national defense.[9]

[edit] Criminal justice

In 1983, while he was in graduate school, Nicholas' sister, Marsalee (“Marsy”) was brutally murdered.[10]. Since then, he has been an advocate for criminal justice and with a focus on the rights of victims.[9]. He was the 2005 recipient of the Ronald Reagan Award for Pioneering Achievement in Criminal Justice, and has been honored frequently by law enforcement organizations for his work supporting victims’ rights.

[edit] Education

Partnering with retired Judge Jack Mandel and the Episcopal Diocese, Nicholas announced that his education foundation will open “Academic Centers” in Orange and Los Angeles Counties to provide a safe and nurturing school environment to help high-potential, underprivileged students realize their educational goals. Nicholas pledged $10 million over 20 years for the first Nicholas Academic Center in Santa Ana, which opened in January.

In 2004, Nicholas announced a $10-million gift to St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in Orange County and the formation of a partnership with UC Irvine’s engineering school[11]. The partnership is currently developing initiatives to test new educational technologies in St. Margaret’s classrooms and eventually will make these available to underserved public schools.

[edit] Politics

In 2004, California voters were considering Proposition 66, which would have weakened California’s Three Strikes Law. Ten days before the election, polls indicated it was going to pass by as much as 75% of the vote. Nicholas became involved, supporting a bipartisan coalition of elected officials including past California Governors, celebrities and grass roots organizations, and personally speaking in television and radio spots, recounting the tragedy in his own family. The ballot measure narrowly lost. [12] [13].

[edit] Personal

Nicholas married in 1987; he and his wife Stacey, a former electrical engineer, had three children. [14]

[edit] Drugs and alcohol

Nicholas has been linked to drugs and alcohol abuse in the last decade. In April 2008, he voluntarily checked himself into a Betty Ford clinic for alcohol abuse, as he struggled with a divorce and the passing away of his stepfather.[15]

He is currently under indictment for felony drug conspiracy (SA CR 08 - 00140, Central District of California, Southern Division) [16]

He lives in Newport Coast, California.

[edit] Alleged sex cave plans

In 2007, a construction team sued Nicholas, alleging he had failed to pay them for a proposed underground sex cave, where he could indulge his "manic obsession with prostitutes" and "addiction to cocaine and Ecstasy."[17]

[edit] Indictment

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0605082nicholas1.html

[edit] References

  1. ^ Broadcom Corporation - Broadcom Company Timeline
  2. ^ Broadcom co-founder faces drug, conspiracy charges
  3. ^ The 400 Richest Americans. Forbes. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
  4. ^ Broadcom Announces Resignation of Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III as President and CEO
  5. ^ Dunn, Julie. "HENRY T. NICHOLAS III; Of Metallica And the Business Suit - New York Times", The New York Times, June 2, 2002. Retrieved on 2008-04-25. 
  6. ^ Richtel, Matt. "Head of Broadcom Quits to Tend to Divorce", The New York Times, January 24, 2003. Retrieved on 2008-04-25. 
  7. ^ Laura M. Holson, "Former Chief of Broadcom Is Indicted", New York Times, June 6, 2008
  8. ^ Broadcom Co-Founder Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III Establishes $300,000 Research Competition at UC Irvine; The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology Will Administer The Nicholas Foundation Prize | Business Wire | Find Articles at BNET.com
  9. ^ a b Money: Billionaire plans to give away $100 million | nicholas, million, school, irvine, henry - OCRegister.com
  10. ^ News: Marriage of convenience | nicholas, spitzer, victims, law, rights - OCRegister.com
  11. ^ Broadcom Co-Founder Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III Announces $10 Million Gift to St. Margaret's Episcopal School and A Collaboration With UC Irvine; Teachers and Students at St. Margaret's Will Get Early Access To, and Influence Over, New Technologies Developed by UCI Researchers and Aimed at Improving Pre-K - 12 Learning. - PR Newswire - HighBeam Research
  12. ^ Three Strikes - News Articles
  13. ^ Broadcom Co-Founder Henry T. Nicholas, III, Donates Additional $1.5 Million for Final Media Campaign to Defeat Proposition 66; Nicholas Finances Bi-Partisan Effort to Prevent the Release of Dangerous Felons Across California. - PR Newswire - HighBeam Research
  14. ^ Holson, Laura M.. "Networking in Southern California; 'Anti-Silicon Valley' Broadcom Chief Rules in the Wired World", The New York Times, June 26, 2000. Retrieved on 2008-04-25. 
  15. ^ Christensen, Kim. "Broadcom co-founder in alcohol rehab", Los Angeles Times, April 19, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-02. 
  16. ^ http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gIvQsxm6Sd4_rJP67ES_aVe9fd7gD9141UDG0
  17. ^ Christensen, Kim. "Billionaire sought secret lair for sex, drugs, complaint says", Los Angeles Times, July 18, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.