Hank Paulson | |
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74th United States Secretary of the Treasury | |
In office July 10, 2006 – January 20, 2009 |
|
President | George W. Bush |
Deputy | Robert Kimmitt |
Preceded by | John Snow |
Succeeded by | Tim Geithner |
Personal details | |
Born |
Henry Merritt Paulson, Jr. March 28, 1946 Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Wendy Judge |
Children |
Merritt Amanda |
Alma mater |
Dartmouth College (BA) Harvard University (MBA) |
Signature |
Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson, Jr. (born March 28, 1946) is an American banker who subsequently served as the 74th Secretary of the Treasury. Prior to his role in the SEC, Paulson was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs. He is now a fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies and the chairman of the Paulson Institute at the University of Chicago, which he founded in 2011 to promote sustainable economic growth and a cleaner environment around the world, with an initial focus on the United States and China.
Paulson was born in Palm Beach, Florida, the son of Marianne (née Gallauer) and Henry Merritt Paulson, a wholesale jeweler. He was raised as a Christian Scientist on a farm in Barrington, Illinois. He has Norwegian, German, and English Canadian ancestry. Paulson attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
A star athlete at Barrington High School, Paulson was a champion wrestler and stand-out football player, graduating in 1964. Paulson received his A.B. in English from Dartmouth College in 1968; at Dartmouth he was a member of Zeta Psi and he was an All-Ivy, All-East, and honorable mention All-American as an offensive lineman.
He met his wife, Wendy Judge, a Wellesley College graduate, during his senior year. The couple have two adult children, sports-team owner Henry Merritt Paulson III, more commonly known as Merritt Paulson, and journalist Amanda Paulson. The Paulsons became grandparents in June 2007. They maintain homes in both Barrington Hills and Chicago.