William Dore put all his bets on Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, giving a total of $2.25 million to a super PAC that supports the former Pennsylvania senator.
The donations, which came in four installments, were made between January and March of this year, and stopped when it became clear that Mitt Romney would capture the Republican nomination.
Dore made his money in the energy sector. According to the Center for Public Integrity, Dore served as the president, CEO and chairman of the board of Global Industries, a firm that handles pipeline and infrastructure construction for oil and gas industries.
Dore announced his retirement from the firm in 2006.
According to a biography posted on the website of the Horatio Alger Association, which honored Dore in 2000, the energy executive climbed out of poverty before making his mark.
As a child, ten people shared his family's two-bedroom home in southern Louisiana, which had no hot running water.
