Henry Paulson
Born 1946 · Age 79
American investment banker and financier; Goldman Sachs CEO (1999–2006); 74th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (2006–2009); founder/chairman of the Paulson Institute; conservationist and author.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Palm Beach, Florida
Henry Merritt Paulson Jr. is born in Palm Beach, Florida to Marianne (Gallauer) and Henry M. Paulson, a wholesale jeweler.
Attained Eagle Scout rank
Attained rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America (date approximate during youth); later received Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
Graduated Barrington High School
Graduated from Barrington High School; varsity athlete in wrestling and football.
Met future wife Wendy Judge
Met Wendy (née Judge) during his senior year at Dartmouth; they later married and had two children.
Graduated Dartmouth College (BA English)
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College with a BA in English; All‑Ivy, All‑East and honorable mention All‑American as offensive lineman.
Graduated Harvard Business School (MBA)
Received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Joined Pentagon as Staff Assistant
Served as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Analysis Group) at the Pentagon, 1970–1972.
Served in Nixon White House
Assistant to John Ehrlichman on the White House Domestic Council and liaison to Treasury (1972–1973).
Joined Goldman Sachs
Joined Goldman Sachs in the Chicago office, covering large Midwestern industrial companies under James P. Gorter.
Became Partner at Goldman Sachs
Joined the partnership at Goldman Sachs, marking a major career milestone within the firm.
Led Investment Banking—Midwest Region
From 1983 until 1988, led Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking group for the Midwest Region.
Named Managing Partner, Chicago office
Became managing partner of Goldman Sachs' Chicago office.
Became Co‑Head, Investment Banking
Served as co-head of Goldman Sachs' Investment Banking division from 1990 to November 1994.
Named Chief Operating Officer, Goldman Sachs
Appointed Chief Operating Officer of Goldman Sachs in December 1994; served until June 1998.
Co‑chair / Co‑CEO of Goldman Sachs
Promoted to co‑chairman and co‑CEO in 1998 (leadership transition period prior to becoming sole CEO).
Became Chairman & CEO, Goldman Sachs
Succeeded Jon Corzine as chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs; led the firm through its IPO period.
Goldman Sachs IPO and NYSE opening
Goldman Sachs went public; Paulson opened trading at the New York Stock Exchange on May 4, 1999.
Published chapter on China banking reform
Co‑authored 'Banking Reform in China: Mission Critical' in an edited volume on China economic change.
Oversaw Tierra del Fuego land donation
As Goldman CEO oversaw corporate donation of 680,000 acres on Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego for conservation; later drew shareholder criticism.
Announced personal conservancy pledge
Reported to have donated $100 million of assets to conservation causes and publicly pledged to leave his fortune to conservation on death (reported/pledged publicly in 2004).
Reported Goldman compensation of $37M
Reported compensation package of roughly $37 million in 2005 while CEO of Goldman Sachs.
Initiated U.S.–China Strategic Economic Dialogue
Pressed to lead U.S.–China relations, Paulson initiated and led the Strategic Economic Dialogue to address long‑term bilateral economic issues.
Liquidated Goldman Sachs stock to avoid conflict
Prior to taking office, Paulson liquidated Goldman Sachs stock holdings (reported > $600M) and used a tax deferral provision that reportedly saved him an estimated $50M in capital gains tax.
Nominated as U.S. Treasury Secretary
President George W. Bush nominates Paulson to succeed John Snow as the 74th Secretary of the Treasury.
Confirmed unanimously by Senate
Confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate to be Treasury Secretary.
Sworn in as Secretary of the Treasury
Paulson is sworn in at the Treasury Department as the 74th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
Spoke in Shanghai urging market liberalization
In spring 2007 addressed the Shanghai Futures Exchange urging China to liberalize and open capital markets.
Helped create HOPE NOW Alliance
Supported creation of HOPE NOW Alliance to help struggling homeowners during the subprime mortgage crisis.
Time runner‑up, Person of the Year
Named a runner‑up by Time magazine for Person of the Year for his role during the 2008 financial crisis.
Facilitated Bear Stearns rescue
Worked with the Federal Reserve to arrange support and JPMorgan acquisition of Bear Stearns; government provided financing (roughly $29B facilitated financing for the deal).
Released 'Blueprint for a Modernized Financial Regulatory Structure'
Treasury report proposing overhaul of the U.S. financial regulatory system to reflect globalization and financial innovation.
AIG credit facility and intervention
Worked with Fed to create a credit facility (reported ~$85B) and other measures to prevent AIG from collapsing, averting broader systemic risk.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac conservatorship
Supported and oversaw the federal conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stabilize mortgage markets.
Lehman Brothers bankruptcy
Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy; Paulson and other officials tried to find a buyer and then worked to contain systemic fallout.
Called for massive Treasury support to clean up nonperforming mortgages
Publicly urged using hundreds of billions in Treasury funds to help clean up nonperforming mortgages and restore market confidence.
Led passage and execution of TARP / Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
Played leading role in passage and implementation of H.R.1424 / Emergency Economic Stabilization Act creating Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and $700B authorization to stabilize the financial system; became manager of the Emergency Economic Stabilization fund and member of the Financial Stability Oversight Board.
Testified before House Financial Services Committee
Gave testimony about unprecedented steps taken to stabilize the financial system amid an eventful fall of 2008.
Remarks at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Delivered remarks characterizing the crisis' causes and calling for U.S. leadership on global financial reform.
Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award
Received Harvard Business School's Alumni Achievement Award (recipient year listed as 2009).
Visiting fellow at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University
Spent a year as a distinguished visiting fellow at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and Bernard Schwartz Forum on Constructive Capitalism.
Left office as Treasury Secretary
Served through the end of the Bush administration; left office on inauguration day, January 20, 2009.
Published memoir 'On the Brink'
Published On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System (Hachette), recounting crisis decisions.
Founded Latin American Conservation Council
Founded the Latin American Conservation Council comprised of global business and political leaders; co‑chaired until 2017.
Announced formation of the Paulson Institute
Announced creation of the Paulson Institute, a nonpartisan think-and-do tank focused on U.S.–China economic ties, sustainable growth and the environment.
Named senior fellow at University of Chicago Harris School
Five‑year appointment as a senior fellow at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy took effect July 1, 2011.
Launched Paulson Prize for Sustainability (initiative)
Paulson Institute initiated the Paulson Prize for Sustainability awarding innovative scalable solutions in China; prize awards began in 2013.
Co‑chaired Risky Business Project (start)
Co‑chaired Risky Business (2013–2017), a non‑partisan initiative to quantify the economic risks of climate change in the U.S.
Testified in Starr v. United States
Testified in lawsuit alleging the government cheated AIG shareholders over the government's 79.9% stake demand during bailout.
Published 'Dealing with China'
Released Dealing with China: An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower, detailing his career working with Chinese leaders.
Awarded honorary doctorate (Washington College)
Received an honorary doctorate of laws and environmental policy from Washington College; Sheila Bair presented the honor.
Environmental Achievement Award (Environmental Law Institute)
Recipient of the Environmental Law Institute's Environmental Achievement Award.
Called for UK to remain in EU
Joined seven other former U.S. Treasury secretaries urging the UK to remain in the European Union ahead of the referendum.
Endorsed Hillary Clinton (Never Trump stance)
Publicly supported the Never Trump movement and endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in a Washington Post op‑ed.
Co‑authored 'The Conservative Case for Carbon Dividends'
Co‑authored a climate policy report with James A. Baker III, Greg Mankiw and others proposing a carbon fee-and-dividend approach.
Featured in documentaries and films
Portrayed or featured in multiple media: BBC (2009), HBO's Too Big to Fail (2011 portrayal), Netflix's Hank: Five Years From the Brink (2013), HBO's Panic (2018).
Wrote op‑ed: '7 principles for a post‑coronavirus economy'
Published a Washington Post op‑ed outlining principles to deal with the COVID‑19 economic fallout (March 11, 2020).
Executive Chairman, TPG Rise Climate (launch)
Helped launch and became executive chairman of TPG Rise Climate, the climate investing platform of TPG, to accelerate private financing for climate solutions.
Continued Paulson Institute leadership and conservation work
As chairman of the Paulson Institute, continued programs on U.S.–China relations, green growth, biodiversity and launched programs including CEO councils and mayors' training.
Spoke at Bloomberg New Economy Forum
Delivered remarks on navigating global challenges in an era of great power rivalry at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.
Op‑ed on China & AI race (Financial Times)
Published op‑ed arguing that clean energy will be critical to winning the AI race with China (Financial Times, Aug 21, 2023).
Op‑ed: 'There are only losers in a trade war between the U.S. and China'
Published Washington Post op‑ed warning about the economic costs of a U.S.–China trade war (May 6, 2025).
Key Achievement Ages
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