Henry Paulson
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| Henry M. Paulson | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office July 3, 2006 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | John W. Snow |
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| Born | March 28, 1946 Palm Beach, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Profession | investment banker |
| Religion | Christian Scientist |
Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson Jr. (born March 28, 1946) is the United States Treasury Secretary and member of the International Monetary Fund Board of Governors. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs, one of the world's largest and most successful investment banks.
Paulson was nominated by U.S. President George W. Bush to succeed John Snow as the Treasury Secretary on May 30, 2006.[1] On June 28, 2006, he was confirmed by the United States Senate to serve in the position.[2] Paulson was officially sworn in at a ceremony held at the Treasury Department on the morning of July 10, 2006.
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[edit] Early life and family
Born in Palm Beach, Florida, to Marianna Gallaeur and Henry Merritt Paulson, a wholesale jeweler,[3] he was raised in Barrington Hills, Illinois. Paulson attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.[4][5] Paulson received his Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Dartmouth College in 1968;[6] at Dartmouth he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was an All Ivy, All East, and honorable mention All American as an offensive lineman.[7] He was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, played intramural sports and lacrosse, and president of the Christian Science Organization.[citation needed]
He met his wife Wendy during his senior year. The couple have two adult children, Henry Merritt III and Amanda Clark, and became grandparents in June of 2007. They maintain homes in Washington, DC and Barrington Hills, Illinois
In 1970 Paulson received a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.
[edit] Career highlights
Paulson was Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense at The Pentagon from 1970 to 1972.[7] He then worked for the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon, serving as assistant to John Ehrlichman from 1972 to 1973.
He joined Goldman Sachs in 1974, working in the firm's Chicago office. He became a partner in 1982. From 1983 until 1988, Paulson led the Investment Banking group for the Midwest Region, and became managing partner of the Chicago office in 1988. From 1990 to November 1994, he was co-head of Investment Banking, then, Chief Operating Officer from December 1994 to June 1998;[8] eventually succeeding Jon Corzine (now Governor of New Jersey) as its chief executive. His compensation package, according to reports, was US$37 million in 2005, and US$16.4 million projected for 2006.[9] His net worth has been estimated at over $700 million.[9]
[edit] Civic activities
Paulson has been described as an avid nature lover.[10] He has been a member of The Nature Conservancy for decades and was the organization's board chairman and co-chair of its Asia-Pacific Council.[7] In that capacity, Paulson worked with former President of the People's Republic of China Jiang Zemin to preserve the Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan province.
Paulson is also on the Board of Directors of the Peregrine Fund; was the founding Chairman of the Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University in Beijing; and, previously served as chairman of the influential trade group, the Financial Services Forum.
Notable among the members of President Bush's cabinet, Paulson has said he is a strong believer in the effect of human activity on global warming and advocates immediate action to decrease this effect. [11]
[edit] Treasury Secretary nomination
On May 30, 2006, Treasury Secretary John W. Snow resigned. Bush immediately nominated Paulson to head the Treasury department. On June 28, 2006, the United States Senate confirmed Paulson to serve in this position.
Paulson's three immediate predecessors as CEO of Goldman Sachs — Jon Corzine, Stephen Friedman, and Robert Rubin — each left the company to serve in government: Corzine as a U.S. Senator (later Governor of New Jersey), Friedman as chairman of the National Economic Council (later chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board), and Rubin as both chairman of the NEC and later Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton.[12]
[edit] Acts as Treasury Secretary
Paulson has quickly distinguished himself from his two predecessors in the Bush administration by formally identifying the wide gap between the richest and poorest Americans as an issue on his list of the country's four major long-term economic issues to be addressed, highlighting the issue in one of his first public appearances as Secretary of Treasury.[13]
Paulson's former Goldman Sachs co-worker, Bob Steel, has been nominated as Undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance.
Paulson has conceded that chances were slim for agreeing on a method to reform Social Security financing, but said he would keep trying to find bipartisan support for it. [14]
He also helped to create the Hope Now Alliance to help struggling homeowners during the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis. [15]
[edit] References
- ^ White House (2006). President Bush Nominates Henry Paulson as Treasury Secretary. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
- ^ Associated Press (2006). Senate Approves Paulson as Treasury Secretary.
- ^ 1
- ^ Townley, Alvin [2006-12-26]. Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts. New York: St. Martin's Press, pp. 178-188, 196. ISBN 0-312-36653-1. Retrieved on 2006-12-29.
- ^ Ray, Mark (2007). What It Means to Be an Eagle Scout. Scouting Magazine. Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
- ^ Belser, Alex. "Paulson '68 to lead Treasury", The Dartmouth, 31 May 2006.
- ^ a b c The Nature Conservancy (2006). Henry M. Paulson, Jr..
- ^ Goldman Sachs (2006). Goldman Sachs Group, Inc - Management.
- ^ a b Forbes (2006). Henry M. Paulson, Jr..
- ^ Somerville, Glenn. "Paulson brings Wall Street luster to Treasury", Yahoo! News, 30 May 2006.
- ^ Heilprin, John. "A global warming believer in Bush Cabinet", Associated Press, 02 Jun 2006.
- ^ White House (2006). President Commends Senate for Confirming Henry Paulson as Treasury Secretary. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
- ^ The Christian Science Monitor August 3, 2006 New Treasury head eyes rising inequality. Retrieved August 3, 2006.
- ^ "Paulson: Social Security Reform Hopes Slim". Reuters, February 3, 2007.
- ^ http://www.fsround.org/media/pdfs/AllianceRelease.pdf.
[edit] Further reading
[edit] External links
- Paulson's biography from the Treasury Department
- Paulson on China: October 2007, November 2007
- Project Vote Smart - Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.
- Henry Paulson's federal campaign contributions
| Preceded by Jon Corzine |
Chairman and CEO, Goldman Sachs June, 1998 – July 3, 2006 |
Succeeded by Lloyd Blankfein |
| Preceded by John W. Snow |
United States Secretary of the Treasury Served Under: George W. Bush July 10, 2006 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State |
United States Presidential Line of Succession 5th in line |
Succeeded by Robert Gates Secretary of Defense |
| Preceded by Sandra Day O'Connor Former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice |
United States order of precedence as of 2007 |
Succeeded by Robert Gates Secretary of Defense |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Paulson, Henry Merritt "Hank" |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 28, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Palm Beach, Florida, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
