text: William Gates III is a Democrat? I and II must be spinning in their graves. II was a big deal in the Republican Fund Raising machine. In any case "Trey" has given cash to both Republicans and Democrats. Republican Party connections may have come in handy when Microsoft was facing that Anti-Trust Federal Law Suit under Dubbya.
  
  "Trey" likes to say that he never used his own trust fund (millions) or family money to found Microsoft. Pull the other one. His father was a big deal in Corporate Law and invited a number of his Venture Capitalist buddies and clients to lunch at the Puget Sound Club when Trey was trying to drum up cash for M$.
  
  Trey's mother just happened to be on the board of United Way of America at the same time as IBM chairman John Opel. Small country the USA, eh!
  
  http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/11/obituaries/mary-gates-64-helped-her-son-start-microsoft.html