John Cunningham Whitehead (April 2, 1922 – February 7, 2015) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leader ...

, a board member of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation (WTC Memorial Foundation), and, until his resignation in May 2006, chairman of the

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was formed in November 2001, following the September 11 attacks, to plan the reconstruction of Lower Manhattan and distribute nearly $10 billion in federal funds aimed at rebuilding downtown Manhattan. ...

Early life and education

Whitehead was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Winifred K. and Eugene Cunningham Whitehead. His family moved to

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. ...

, when he was two years old. While in Montclair he earned his Eagle Scout rank from Troop 12 of Montclair NJ.''"John Whitehead"''
interview @

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

by Amy Blitz, Director of Media Development for Entrepreneurial Management, July 2002. Whitehead graduated from Haverford College in 1943 and served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

during World War II, where he commanded one of the LCDP landing crafts at

Omaha Beach Omaha Beach was one of five beach landing sectors designated for the amphibious assault component of operation Overlord during the Second World War. On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded German-occupied France with the Normandy landings. "Omaha ...

, in the D-Day landing invasion of Normandy.''A Life In Leadership''
@ Basic Books In 1947, he received an MBA degree from

Career

Whitehead started his career at the New York investment bank of Goldman Sachs as an associate in the investment banking division. He quickly became a partner in the firm. He rose to become Chairman over a total of 38 years at the firm and retired in 1984 as Co-Chairman and Co-Senior Partner. Whitehead served as

United States Deputy Secretary of State The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the secretary of state. The current deputy secretary of state is Wendy Ruth Sherman, serving since April 2021 under secretary of state Antony Blinken. If the secreta ...

in Ronald Reagan's

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...

from 1985 to 1989 under George Shultz, and was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Reagan. In 1996, he was the Campaign Chairman for Michael Benjamin who ran for a seat in

New York's 8th congressional district New York's 8th congressional district for the US House of Representatives is in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. Its current representative is Hakeem Jeffries. From 1993 to 2013, the district covered much of the west side of ...

. In 1986, he received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

. He was later elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

in 1988. He was Chairman at different times of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the United Nations Association, the

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City in the United States, simply known as Mellon Foundation, is a private foundation with five core areas of interest, and endowed with wealth accumulated by Andrew Mellon of the Mellon family of Pitts ...

and the

Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Ha ...

. He was a director of the New York Stock Exchange and Chairman Emeritus of The

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in ...

. He was a member of

Kappa Beta Phi Kappa Beta Phi () is a secret society, best known for its surviving Wall Street chapter that is made up of high-ranking financial executives. The purpose of the organization today is largely social and honorific. The current honor society meets o ...

. He had a long association with the Rockefeller family, having held positions at various times with family-created institutions such as Rockefeller University, the

Asia Society The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and around the world (Hong Kong, Ma ...

(where he was Chairman Emeritus and Honorary Life Trustee), the Lincoln Center Theater and the WTC Memorial Foundation. In these organisations, and previously when he was for a time on the family's powerful Trust Committee, overseeing the family fortune and investments of the

Rockefeller Group Rockefeller Group is an American private company based in New York City, primarily involved in real estate operations in the United States and it is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Estate Co. The company began with the development of Rockefeller Cent ...

, the real estate firm that previously owned and managed Rockefeller Center, he became closely associated with David Rockefeller. As an alumnus of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, he has had the campus center and the chair of the philosophy department named after him. "In 1995, he donated $10 million to Harvard Business School to start the John C. Whitehead Fund for Not-for-Profit Management. In 1997, Seton Hall University in New Jersey, with Mr. Whitehead's financing, the

School of Diplomacy and International Relations The School of Diplomacy and International Relations (SODIR), is a post-secondary, degree-granting institution concentrating on international affairs within Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in collaboration with the Un ...

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan u ...

was also named after him. He received an honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the Campus of Bates College, campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of th ...

in 2004, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from

The City University of New York , mottoeng = The education of free people is the hope of Mankind , budget = $3.6 billion , established = , type = Public university system , chancellor = Fél ...

upon the recommendation of

Macaulay Honors College William E. Macaulay Honors College, commonly referred to as Macaulay Honors College or Macaulay, is a highly selective honors college for students at the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. The college awards full-tuition ...

in 2009. In 1997, Whitehead was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. Whitehead was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

and recipient of the

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is awarded to an Eagle Scout for distinguished service in his profession and to his community for a period of at least 25 years aft ...

. He was longstanding Co-Chairman of the Board of the Greater New York Councils, Boy Scouts of America. The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America recognized his service with the

Silver Buffalo Award The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting pro ...

in 2015. He was the Chairman of the Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) from July, 2005 into his death in February 2015. He was also an Advisory Board member for the Partnership for a Secure America, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy. Whitehead sat on the Advisory Board of the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

-based think-tank

Global Financial Integrity Raymond W. Baker (born October 30, 1935) is an American businessman, scholar, author, and "authority on financial crime." He is the founder and president of Global Financial Integrity, a research and advocacy organization in Washington, DC workin ...

, which conducts research on

illicit financial flows Illicit financial flows, in economics, are a form of illegal capital flight that occurs when money is illegally earned, transferred, or spent. This money is intended to disappear from any record in the country of origin, and earnings on the stock o ...

and the damaging effects they have on developing countries, as well as the advisory board for DC-based nonprofit America Abroad Media. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of

Eisenhower Fellowships Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit organization created in 1953 by a group of prominent American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman, and world leader. The organiza ...

. Whitehead was a board member and head of the investment committee of the

Getty Trust The J. Paul Getty Trust is the world's wealthiest art institution, with an estimated endowment of US$7.7 billion in 2020. Based in Los Angeles, California, it operates the J. Paul Getty Museum, which has two locations—the Getty Center in the B ...

. He retired from that position in 1996 following a substantial portfolio loss from the use of stock options for a so-called "

collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

". In 2004, he received the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award from Synergos. Whitehead was Co-Chairman o
AMDeC Foundation
a 28-member organization of leaders in biomedical research and technology in New York State. Whitehead, along with Academic Medicine Development Company (AMDeC) President, Dr. Maria K. Mitchell, secured funding and infrastructure support for next-generation research for New York's renowned academic medical centers. In 2006, Whitehead was one of the most notable Republican donors to the campaign of Joe Lieberman during his independent re-election campaign for the United States Senate. In 2006, John Whitehead joined hands with late actor Paul Newman and Josh Weston, former chairman of ADP, to co-found Safe Water Network, to improve access to safe water to underserved communities around the world. On November 12, 2008, Whitehead said at the Reuters Global Finance Summit that the United States economy faces an economic slump deeper than the Great Depression and that a growing deficit threatens the credit of the country.Giannone, Joseph A.
"Whitehead Sees Slump Worse Than Depression"
Reuters, November 12, 2008. In 2011, John C. Whitehead was awarded the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom. In 2012, Whitehead was awarded the Freedom Prize for the second time. He was also a member of the Steering Committee of the

Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg meeting (also known as the Bilderberg Group) is an annual off-the-record conference established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defi ...

Publications

In 2005, Whitehead published a memoir, ''A Life In Leadership: From D-Day to Ground Zero''.

Select publications

* Whitehead, John C
"Towards a Stronger International Economy."
Bissell Paper No. 7. Toronto: University of Toronto, Centre for International Studies, 1988.

Personal life

Whitehead married television newswoman

Nancy Dickerson Nancy Dickerson (January 19, 1927 – October 18, 1997) was an American radio and television journalist and researcher for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As famous as a celebrity and socialite as she was for her journalism, she later b ...

in 1989, by which marriage he gained five stepchildren. She died in 1997. Her son, John Dickerson, the writer, is one of his stepchildren. In 2003, Whitehead dedicated the Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Community Service Center for Homeless Youth in

Southeast Washington, D.C. Southeast (SE or S.E.) is the southeastern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of East Capitol Street and east of South Capitol Street. It includes the Capitol Hill and Anacostia neighborhoods, th ...

, with a private donation to

Covenant House Covenant House is a large, Catholic, privately funded agency in the Americas, whose primary purpose is to promote Catholicism. It provides shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and other services to homeless and runaway young people. Covenant Ho ...

. Whitehead died on February 7, 2015, of cancer at his New York home, at age 92. Earlier marriages to the former Helene Shannon, known as Sandy, and the former Jaan Chartener ended in divorce. Whitehead was survived by his wife, the former Cynthia Matthews; his three children: Anne, Sarah and J. Gregory Whitehead; two granddaughters; seven stepchildren; and 18 step-grandchildren.

References

External links

Goldman Sachs biography
gs.com; accessed February 14, 2015.

clarke.edu; accessed February 14, 2015.
AMDeC Foundation
*
John C. Whitehead papers
at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School. {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, John C. 1922 births 2015 deaths American investment bankers United States Navy personnel of World War II Businesspeople from Illinois Businesspeople from New York City Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Chairmen of Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Officers of Goldman Sachs Harvard Business School alumni Haverford College alumni Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group New York (state) Republicans Seton Hall University People from Essex Fells, New Jersey People from Evanston, Illinois People from Montclair, New Jersey People from Manhattan Place of death missing Presidential Citizens Medal recipients United States Deputy Secretaries of State Writers from Evanston, Illinois Writers from New Jersey United States Navy officers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Episcopalians Members of the American Philosophical Society Military personnel from Illinois Military personnel from New Jersey