James Wolfensohn
President of the World Bank (1933-2020) · United States · On the map · Politicians · Died at 86
Sir James David Wolfensohn was an Australian-American lawyer, investment banker, and economist who served as the ninth president of the World Bank Group (1995-2005).
James Wolfensohn is read about 57 times a day, in 24 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
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Wolfensohn at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1990
Wolfensohn (left) with U.S. President George W. Bush in the Oval Office, 2005.
Nigerian artist Ibiyinka Alao and James D. Wolfensohn in Washington, D.C. in 2004.
Wolfensohn speaking at a press conference with Condoleezza Rice in 2006.
Wolfensohn in 2000Awards
About this person
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.
