Who was Bill Martin? -- A family of substance: the early years -- Into the Maelstrom: Wall Street in the 1930s -- Cleaning the Augean Stables of capitalism: The New York Stock Exchange Presidency -- From President to private and back again: World War II and the export-import bank years -- From crisis to crisis: the Truman Administration and the Fed -- By fits and starts: the early Eisenhower years -- Trying to manage prosperity: the late Eisenhower years -- Gunfight on the new frontier: The Kennedy years -- Sowing the wind: the early Johnson years -- Reaping the whirlwind: the late Johnson years -- Passing the torch: The Nixon Administration
Summary
This is the first biography of William McChesney Martin, Jr. (1906-1998), the first paid president of the New York Stock Exchange and the chairman of the Federal Reserve System under Presidents Truman to Nixon. The extent of Martin's influence on the course of American economic history was significant: arguably he has done more to strengthen and reform the nation's most important financial institutions than has any other individual. Chairman of the Fed tells Martin's fascinating lifre story and explains his lasting impact on the NYSE and the Fed, both troubled institutions that Martin transformed. The book provides an inside look into the economic deliberations of five presidential administrations and describes Martin's battles to bring about ethical and intelligent regulation of U.S. financial markets. His experiences shed light not only on the evolution of the American financial system but also on critical issues that confront the system today
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-344) and index