Hall of Fame

William E. Simon was an immensely successful American businessman and philanthropist who served as treasurer and president of the United States Olympic Committee. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Simon enlisted in the U.S. Army following high school and later attended Lafayette College, where he developed an interest in economics. Simon then moved to New York City, where he traded municipal bonds for Union Securities and joined the investment firm Salomon Brothers. He was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in 1973 and was later selected to be the 63rd Secretary of the Treasury by President Richard Nixon. After departing from government service, Simon launched several successful businesses and served on the boards of more than 30 companies. He was an active member of the USOC for more than three decades, and presided over the USOC as president during the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984. Simon was the first chairman of the U.S. Olympic Foundation, which was created from the profits of the 1984 Games. He was a prominent philanthropist as well, providing hundreds of scholarships for students in high school and college while serving on various college and university boards. He authored two best-selling books, “A Time for Truth” and “A Time for Action,” and served as a Eucharistic minister to terminally-ill patients near the end of his life. Simon passed away on June 3, 2000 in Santa Barbara, California.