Mark Middleton (businessman)

Last updated
Mark Middleton
Born
Mark Middleton

October 12, 1962
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedMay 7, 2022(2022-05-07) (aged 59)
Perryville, Arkansas, U.S.
Education University of Arkansas
Occupation(s)Lawyer, Businessman

Mark Middleton was an American businessman and lawyer who served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton in the White House during the 1990s. He died in 2022 in an alleged suicide.

Contents

Early life

Middleton was born in 1961 and raised in Arkansas. He studied law at the University of Arkansas [1] and later worked as a lawyer in Little Rock, Arkansas. With his family, he helped to build the air conditioning company Middleton Heat & Air. [2]

Work for Bill Clinton

In Little Rock, he met the then-governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton. He became involved in Bill Clinton’s political career during Clinton's 1992 campaign for the presidency, playing a key role in fundraising efforts, helping to raise $4 million for Clinton’s campaign. [3]

During the first Clinton administration, Middleton served as a special assistant to the President and as an aide to Chief of Staff Mack McLarty. His main task at the White House was to maintain contact with Clinton's various donors. He was involved in facilitating access to the White House for various visitors, including financier Jeffrey Epstein. Records indicate that Epstein visited the White House at least 17 times between 1993 and 1995, with many of those visits authorized by Middleton. [4] He also flew with Epstein on his private jet in May 1994. [5]

Middleton was implicated in the Chinagate controversy. Middleton had contact to Charlie Trie, John Huang and the Indonesian Riady family, playing a key role in the affair. [6] In congressional hearings, testimonies indicated that Liu Chao-Ying, a colonel in the People's Liberation Army, had mentioned that Middleton received $500,000 to "do good things for China." [7] He was called to testify before the House Committee on Government Reform in 1999 but invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, refusing to answer questions to avoid self-incrimination. [6]

Post-White House Activities

After leaving the White House in February 1995, Middleton returned to Arkansas, where he became the president of MidCorp Capital, a business venture, and became again involved in his family’s air conditioning company, Middleton Heat & Air. He also served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the UAMS Foundation Fund and the CHI St. Vincent Foundation. [1]

Middleton remained active in charitable activities, chairing events such as the Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Miracle Ball in 2019, which raised $1 million for the hospital. [8]

Death

On May 7, 2022, Middleton was found dead at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas, approximately 30 miles from his home. His death was ruled a suicide; authorities reported that he was found hanging from a tree with an extension cord around his neck and a shotgun wound to his chest. The circumstances of his death prompted public speculation. [9] [10]

Following his death, Middleton’s family sought to block the release of photographs and other media related to the death scene to protect their privacy and to prevent the spread of conspiracy theories. [10] [9] In June 2022, a judge sealed photos, video and other visual content in the investigation of his apparent suicide, to protect the privacy of his family. [11]

Further reading

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References

  1. 1 2 Staff, A. M. P. (2022-05-09). "Mark Middleton of Central Arkansas' Middleton Heat & Air Dies at Age 59". AMP. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  2. ↑ "HIGH PROFILE: Larry Middleton knows his family's story must be about more than its success, but also its struggle | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  3. ↑ Webb (2022) p. 854
  4. ↑ Webb (2022) p. 852
  5. ↑ Webb (2022) p. 882
  6. 1 2 "- WHITE HOUSE INSIDER MARK MIDDLETON: HIS TIES TO JOHN HUANG, CHARLIE TRIE, AND OTHER CAMPAIGN FINANCE FIGURES". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  7. ↑ Webb (2022) p. 872
  8. ↑ Staff, Little Rock Soirée (2020-03-04). "Arkansas Children's Miracle Ball". Little Rock Soirée. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  9. 1 2 "Judge will weigh role of photos in suicide of former Clinton aide | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  10. 1 2 "Family of former Clinton aide seek order sealing images from scene of his death | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  11. ↑ Brantley, Max (2022-06-22). "Judge seals photos of Mark Middleton suicide". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
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