James Wolfensohn
President of the World Bank (1933–2020)
James David Wolfensohn · 詹姆斯·沃尔芬森 · ジェームズ・ウォルフェンソン · 제임스 울펀슨 경
- Born
- 1 December 1933, Sydney
- Died
- 25 November 2020, Manhattan
- Citizenship
- United States, Australia
- Sport
- fencing
- Occupation
- economist, banker, fencer, politician, lawyer
Sir James David Wolfensohn (1 December 1933 – 25 November 2020) was an Australian-American lawyer, investment banker, and economist who served as the ninth president of the World Bank Group (1995–2005). During his tenure at the World Bank, he is credited with the focus on poverty alleviation and a rethink on development financing, earning him recognition as a banker to the world's poor. In his other roles, he is credited with actions that brought Chrysler Corporation back from the brink of bankruptcy, and also improving the finances of major United States cultural institutions, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. He served two terms as president of the World Bank on the nomination of U.S. president Bill Clinton, and thereafter held various positions with charitable organizations and policy think-tanks including the Brookings Institution.
Competitions
| Competition | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2004 | ||
| 1956 Summer Olympics | 1956 |
Awards and honours
- Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia 1987
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1995
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun 2006
- Great Immigrants Award 2006
- Leo-Baeck-Medal 2006
- Theodor Heuss Award 2006
- Honorary doctor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2011
- Honorary doctor of Ben-Gurion University
- Order of Friendship
- Order of the Golden Fleece
Teachers
- Jacqueline du Pré
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q504387 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.