Ed Buck
Ed Buck
| Ed Buck | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Bernard Peter BuckmelterAugust 24/25, 1954, Steubenville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Residence | West Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Education | North High School |
| Alma mater | Phoenix College |
| Occupation | Political activist, donor |
Edward Bernard Peter Buck (born Edward Bernard Peter Buckmelter, August 24 or 25, 1954), known as Ed Buck, is an American political activist and donor to the Democratic Party. As the founder of the Mecham Watchdog Committee, he led the campaign to impeach Arizona Republican Governor Evan Mecham in 1987, and became a "household name" in Arizona according to The Arizona Republic . In 2007, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the city council of West Hollywood, California.
| Ed Buck | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Bernard Peter BuckmelterAugust 24/25, 1954, Steubenville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Residence | West Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Education | North High School |
| Alma mater | Phoenix College |
| Occupation | Political activist, donor |
Early life
Ed Buck was born as Edward Bernard Peter Buckmelter on August 24 or 25, 1954, in Steubenville, Ohio. [666666] [undefined] He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was educated at North High School and graduated from Phoenix College. [666666] [undefined]
Career
Buck began his career as a fashion model in Europe, [undefined] [undefined] where he also acted in television commercials and two movies. [666666] He purchased Gopher Courier, a company based on giving "driver's license information to insurance companies", for $250,000, and became a millionaire upon selling it. [undefined]
Buck led the campaign impeach Arizona Republican Governor Evan Mecham in 1987 by founding the "Mecham Watchdog Committee". [666666] [undefined] [666666] He announced the campaign on December 21, 1986, before Mecham had even been sworn in, [666666] and was the "leader" of a protest on the day he was sworn in. [666666] In particular, he highlighted "his opposition to a King holiday, his proposal for voluntary drug testing and his plan to reduce the state police force by up to 300 officers". [666666] Buck distributed bumper stickers that read "Mecham for Ex-Governor", and Arizona Attorney General Robert K. Corbin ruled that state employees were allowed to use them on their cars. [666666] The anti-Mecham campaign "made Buck a household name in Arizona" according to The Arizona Republic, [undefined] Arizona's largest newspaper by circulation. In retaliation, Buck was attacked by Julian Sanders, the chairman of Arizonans for Traditional Family Values, over his homosexuality. [666666] [666666] Buck switched his registration from Republican to Democrat because of homophobia in 1988. [undefined]
Buck ran for city council in 2007, but lost the race.
[undefined] He formerly served on the steering committee of the Stonewall Democratic Club. [undefined] [undefined] [undefined] He has donated "nearly $30,000" to Democratic candidates like Hillary Clinton, Ted Lieu, Pete Aguilar and Raja Krishnamoorthi as well as the Getting Things Done PAC. [undefined]
Personal life
Buck came out as a gay man at the age of 16.
[undefined] He changed his surname from Buckmelter to Buck in 1981 [666666] or 1983. [undefined] He was the Grand Marshal of the 1989 International Gay Rodeo. [undefined] He was influenced by Ayn Rand. [undefined] Buck formerly lived near Piestewa Peak in Phoenix, Arizona. [undefined] He has lived in West Hollywood, California, since 1991. [undefined]
Ed Bucks was a one-time Republican who was an early AIDS activitist and organized the first AIDS education program in the 90's.
After proneering electronic information services as a business man, Ed retired in 1991 to West Hollywood.
Since then, he as been a volunteer for animal rescue and fostered over 50 dogs and finding them homes.
On July 27, 2017, an escort named Gemmell Moore died in his apartment.
[undefined] [undefined] [undefined] Paramedics found Moore naked on a mattress in the living room with a "male pornography movie playing on the television," according to a Los Angeles County coroner's report. A spokesman for the coroner's office, Ed Winter, said Buck was inside his Laurel Avenue home at the time of Moore's death and that drug paraphernalia was recovered from the scene. [undefined] Police found sex toys, syringes and "clear plastic bags with suspected methamphetamine in a tool box roll-cabinet in the living room," 24 syringes with brown residue, five glass pipes with white residue and burn marks, a plastic straw with possible white residue, clear plastic bags with white powdery residue and a clear plastic bag with a "piece of crystal-like substance."