Henry Paulson

Henry "Hank" Paulson served as CEO of Goldman Sachs from 1999 to 2006, when he became US Treasury Secretary under President George W. Bush. His tenure coincided almost exactly with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Paulson made emergency decisions including the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, organizing the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) bank bailout, overseeing the failed attempt to find a buyer for Lehman Brothers, and the controversial rescue of AIG. He wrote about this experience in "On the Brink." Paulson is also known for his work on US-China economic relations and for subsequent work on environmental issues through the Paulson Institute. Before Goldman, he served as a staff assistant in the Nixon White House and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1974 and spent his entire banking career there, rising through investment banking advisory roles before becoming CEO. His memoir remains one of the most detailed firsthand accounts of financial crisis decision-making at the senior government level.