Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend - Hardcover

Joseph B. Treaster

3.5

38 ratings by Goodreads

9780471428121: Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471428124 ISBN 13: 9780471428121

Publisher: Wiley, 2004

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

As the Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1982, Paul Volcker established himself as one of the most influential economic thinkers. Currently a major advocate for corporate governance and accounting reforms, Volcker’s reputation as a great business leader with uncompromising ethics continues to this day. Written by award-winning New York Times journalist Joseph Treaster, Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend takes readers through the most compelling moments of this legend’s life in private and public service. From his early days as a young Treasury Department official through his appointments to the New York Federal Reserve Bank, the Federal Reserve, and James D. Wolfensohn, Inc., this inspiring book captures the significant moments in Volcker life and explores the ethical, economic, and moral dilemmas he faced at every turn.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Back Cover:

Praise for Paul Volcker
The making of a financial legend

"Paul Volcker may be the most important figure of our time on the U.S. economic scene. In his book, Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend, Joseph Treaster has captured the man, his time, and his influence with exceptional insight, clarity, and readability. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the American economy."
–Myron Kandel, CNN Financial Editor

"Only a truly great chairman of the Federal Reserve could stay the course, keep interest rates at an all-time high to lower inflation, and save the economy in the face of near unanimous denunciation and derision. That drumbeat was summed up in a congressman’s shout, ‘Your course of action is wrong. There isn’t anybody who says you’re right.’ That chairman was Paul Volcker. Events, of course, proved Volcker right."
–Ed Koch, former Mayor, New York City and current Partner, Bryan Cave LLP

"Paul Volcker is a true American hero. His courage as a central banker in leading the assault on the Great Inflation of the 1970s was the single most important step on the road to economic renewal in the United States. Treaster’s probing look inside the man reveals a strength of character that made it easy for Volcker to do the toughest job in America."
–Stephen S. Roach, Chief Global Economist, Morgan Stanley

"At a time when a number of business leaders have betrayed the public trust upon which their power, position, and, ultimately, the prosperity of their companies depend, Paul Volcker stands out as a financial leader of unusual competence, unquestionable diligence, and uncompromising integrity. Joseph Treaster has vividly captured the essential greatness of the man in his excellent book."
–David Rockefeller III, former Chairman and CEO of The Chase Manhattan Bank

"Joseph Treaster has written a splendidly useful book that reveals how one courageous banker broke the back of double-digit inflation in America. There are up-to-the-minute lessons here for everyone who wants to learn from history rather than be condemned to repeat it.’’
–Marshall Loeb, columnist for CBS MarketWatch and former Managing Editor of Fortune and Money

From the Inside Flap:

Paul Volcker is a living legend of finance. He has established himself as one of the world’s most influential economic thinkers and is regarded as both a figure of integrity and an instinctive leader who–throughout his career–has invariably done what he has thought was right, regardless of the consequences. Volcker is that rare financial titan who never sought to amass great personal wealth. Throughout his career, it is evident that he had no greater goal than doing the best job he could in the public interest, leading organizations from both the public and private sector to seek out his advice when crises of confidence arose.

Written by award-winning New York Times journalist Joseph B. Treaster, Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend takes you through the most compelling moments of Volcker’s fifty years in finance and public service–documenting his days as one of the most powerful voices in America as chairman of the Federal Reserve, as well as his more recent endeavors, including a mission to revive the Arthur Andersen accounting firm and efforts to recover billions in lost savings of Holocaust victims from Swiss banks.

From public politics to private business, this masterful book examines the ethical, economic, and moral dilemmas Volcker faced at every turn. Compelling moments captured within these pages include Volcker’s:

Early days as a young Treasury Department official during the Nixon years and his leading role as Treasury Department undersecretary in ending the Bretton Woods system
Appointment as president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank
Tenure as chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987–through the Carter and Reagan administrations
Role as chairman of the investment firm James D. Wolfensohn, Inc.
Campaigns for change in corporate governance and accounting

Weaving together anecdotes and analysis in an action-oriented narrative, Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend is an engaging account of how one man achieved results that ultimately improved the lives of millions of Americans and continues to influence the worlds of business and finance.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.