Robert E. Rubin

Co-Chairman; Former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
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Mr. Rubin began his career in finance at Goldman, Sachs & Company in New York City in 1966. Mr. Rubin served as Vice-Chairman and Co-Chief Operating Officer from 1987-1990 and as Co-Senior Partner and Co-Chairman from 1990-1992. Before joining Goldman, he was an attorney at the firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York City from 1964-1966.
Long active in public affairs, Mr. Rubin joined the Clinton Administration in 1993 as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and as Director of the newly-created National Economic Council. At the NEC, he coordinated economic policy recommendations to the President and monitored the implementation of the President's economic policy goals.
In January 1995, Mr. Rubin was appointed as our nation's 70th Secretary of the Treasury. He served for 4-1/2 years until July 1999, where he was involved in balancing the federal budget; opening trade policy to further globalization; acting to stem financial crises in Mexico, Asia and Russia; helping to resolve the impasse over the public debt limit; and guiding sensible reforms at the Internal Revenue Service.
From 1999 to 2009, Mr. Rubin served as a member of the Board of Directors at Citigroup and as a senior advisor to the company. In that capacity, he worked extensively with the firm's clients around the world.
Mr. Rubin is one of the founders of The Hamilton Project, an economic policy project housed at the Brookings Institution that offers a strategic vision and innovative policy proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans.
Mr. Rubin is the author of In An Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington [Random House, 2003, with Jacob Weisberg], which was a New York Times bestseller as well as being named one of Business Week's ten best business books of the year.
Mr. Rubin is Co-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Boards of Trustees at the Mount Sinai Health System, and Chairman of the Board of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), which is the nation's leading community development support organization with 38 offices nationwide. He recently completed a 12-year term as a member of the Harvard Corporation. Mr. Rubin joined Centerview Partners in 2010 as a counselor of the firm. In his role at Centerview, he serves as a sounding board and advisor to clients across the firm's various activities, bringing years of experience in finance and public policy.
Mr. Rubin graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1960 with an A.B. in economics. He received a L.L.B. from Yale Law School in 1964 and attended the London School of Economics. He has received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Columbia and other universities. He was born in New York City in 1938 and is married to Judith Oxenberg Rubin, who served as the New York City Commissioner of Protocol for four years under Mayor David Dinkins. The Rubins have two adult sons, James and Philip.
Past Research Project
Publications
Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity today. To avoid catastrophe, we must dramatically reduce the carbon intensity of our modern energy systems, which have set us on a collision course with our planetary boundaries.
See more in Africa (sub-Saharan); Energy and Environment
Why the U.S. Needs to Listen to China. And why China needs to listen to the U.S. The importance of the mutual economic criticisms between two major world powers.
See more in United States; China; Economics
Relying on central bankers to solve the world’s economic woes reduces public pressure on elected officials to act.
See more in Global; Monetary Policy
The U.S. rate of incarceration is five to ten times higher than the rates in Western Europe and other democracies. These long sentences have had at best a marginal impact on crime reduction—and impose a significant drag on economic growth.
See more in United States; Economics
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto joins CFR Co-Chairman Robert E. Rubin to discuss Mexico's reform progress.
See more in Mexico; Politics and Strategy; Economics
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto joins CFR Co-Chairman Robert E. Rubin to discuss Mexico's reform progress.
See more in Mexico; Politics and Strategy
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto joins CFR Co-Chairman Robert E. Rubin to discuss Mexico's reform progress.
See more in Mexico; Politics and Strategy
Using 'macroprudential' tools means recognizing the breadth of the potential trouble in the financial system.
See more in United States; Economics
In making interest-rate decisions, the Fed should have a realistic view of the broad range of the existing systemic risks and of the limits of the government's currently extant macroprudential tools, write Martin Feldstein and Robert Rubin.
See more in United States; Monetary Policy
We face a choice between protecting our economy by protecting our environment — or allowing environmental havoc to create economic havoc, writes CFR's Robert Rubin.
See more in United States; Climate Change
Sound fiscal policy, based not on sequestration but on revenue increases and entitlement reform, is the key to a strong economic recovery and to smoothing the unwinding of unconventional monetary policy, argues CFR Co-Chairman Robert E. Rubin.
See more in Global; Economics
It has been a generation since our country last had a robust conversation about combatting poverty. Now is the time to reinvigorate that conversation, not cut needed benefits, write Robert E. Rubin, Roger C. Altman, and Melissa Kearney.
See more in United States; Budget, Debt, and Deficits
By helping themselves economically, both countries can help each other, writes CFR's Robert E. Rubin.
See more in China; United States; Economics
Watch this meeting live on Monday, September 23, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. (ET).
Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto discusses current developments in Mexico.
See more in Mexico; Economics; Energy and Environment
Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper discusses trade and the economy, current and future energy issues, and security concerns.
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Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper discusses trade and the economy, current and future energy issues, and security concerns.
See more in Canada; Trade
Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper discusses trade and the economy, current and future energy issues, and security concerns.
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Kevin Rudd, former prime minister and foreign minister of Australia, discusses the refocusing of U.S. interests in Asia, particularly looking at the future of U.S.-Chinese relations.
See more in Asia and Pacific; Presidents and Chiefs of State
Kevin Rudd, former prime minister and foreign minister of Australia, discusses the refocusing of U.S. interests in Asia, particularly looking at the future of U.S.-China relations.
See more in China; United States; Politics and Strategy
Kevin Rudd, who returned as Australia's prime minister, reviewed U.S. interests in Asia with CFR back in April.
See more in Australia; Presidents and Chiefs of State