John C. Whitehead
Born in Evanston, Illinois, John C. Whitehead moved with his family to New Jersey in 1924. He grew up in Montclair, and is a 1939 graduate of Montclair High School. After graduating from Haverford College in 1943 with a degree in economics, Mr. Whitehead served in the U.S. Navy, participating in the invasions of Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa during World War II. He earned an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School in 1947.
Mr. Whitehead began his professional career at Goldman, Sachs & Company as a junior statistician. He stayed with the company for 38 years, becoming a partner in 1956 and senior partner and co-chairman in 1976.
During his tenure, Goldman Sachs became one of the world's preeminent banking and brokerage firms. Mr. Whitehead retired in 1984 and served as a director of the New York Stock Exchange and chairman of the Securities Industry Association.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan appointed Mr. Whitehead Deputy Secretary of State under George Schultz. During his four-year tenure, he was instrumental in major diplomatic initiatives, including NATO expansion into Central and Eastern Europe. Upon leaving office, Reagan presented him with the Presidential Citizen's Medal.
A dedicated philanthropist, Mr. Whitehead is active in many educational, civic and charitable organizations. He has served as chairman of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the International Rescue Committee, the Asia Society, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Harvard Board of Overseers and the Haverford College Board of Managers. He also is a former president of the International Rescue Committee and has traveled the world for the cause of political refugees.
Mr. Whitehead was honored by The Aspen Institute with the Institute's 2002 Corporate Leadership Award. The Institute lauded him for "developing a socially responsible private sector, building a well managed nonprofit world and championing a multilateral approach to resolving the world's most pressing problems," as well as "helping to redefine the private sector of the 21st century."
Mr. Whitehead is the former chairman of AEA Investors Inc., a private investment firm. He also served as chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, appointed by New York Governor George Pataki in November 2001, Mr. Whitehead presided over the largest and most challenging rebuilding project in Manhattan's history.
|
