William Edward Simon

William E. Simon enjoyed legendary success in American business, public affairs, and government.

Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Mr. Simon served in the U.S. Army before graduating from Lafayette College in 1952. He joined Union Securities and Weeden & Company before becoming partner in charge of the Government and Municipal Bond Departments at Salomon Brothers, where he was a member of the firm’s seven-member executive committee.

Mr. Simon was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and the first Administrator of the Federal Energy Office in 1973. In 1974, President Nixon appointed him 63rd Secretary of the Treasury, a post to which he was re-appointed by President Ford.

Following government service, Mr. Simon co-founded Wesray Corporation, a pioneer in mergers and acquisitions, and WSGP International, which concentrated on investments in real estate and financial service organizations. In 1988, he established William E. Simon & Sons, a global merchant bank. Mr. Simon served on the boards of over 30 companies, including Xerox, Citibank, Halliburton, and United Technologies. In recognition of his visionary leadership in finance and public service, the business school at the University of Rochester was renamed the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration in 1986.

Mr. Simon served as Treasurer and later as President of the United States Olympic Committee for the four-year period, which included the 1984 games in Los Angeles. From 1985-1997, he chaired the U.S. Olympic Foundation, created with the profits from the Los Angeles games.

A man of faith and an active Knight of Malta, Mr. Simon considered the opportunity to serve the less fortunate a privilege and responsibility. In the last years of his life, he served as a Eucharistic minister to many destitute and terminally ill patients at several hospitals. In May 1999, he received the Ignatian Medal from Gregorian University in Rome, as well as an honorary doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Mr. Simon was a well-known philanthropist and provided hundreds of scholarships for underprivileged students. He served on the boards of numerous colleges and universities and received over 20 honorary degrees.

Mr. Simon was committed to the American heritage of constitutional government and private enterprise. He sought to strengthen this heritage during his 23-year tenure as President of the John M. Olin Foundation and as a trustee of several think tanks, including The Heritage Foundation and the Hoover Institution. He was the author of two best-selling books on the theme of freedom, A Time for Truth (1978) and A Time for Action (1980).

Mr. Simon was married for 45 years to Carol Girard Simon, who died in 1995. He is survived by their seven children and 26 grandchildren. His second wife, Tonia Adams Simon, passed away in 2020.

Mr. Simon’s impact on New Jersey continued long after his death through his eponymous foundation, which supported education, faith, and family programs with concentrations in Morristown and Jersey City. The Simon Foundation closed its doors in 2023 after disbursing nearly $290 million in grants since 1967.