# Wilbur Ross

_United States 39th Secretary of Commerce_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/wilbur-ross
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Wilbur Louis Ross Jr. (born November 28, 1937) is an American businessman who served as the 39th United States secretary of commerce from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Ross was previously chairman and chief executive officer of WL Ross & Co from 2000 to 2017.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 28 November 1937 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Weehawken ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233#P27))
- **Occupation:** financier; investor; politician; banker; art collector ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233#P106))
- **Political party:** Republican Party (since 2016); Democratic Party (until 2016) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233#P102))
- **Education:** Harvard Business School; Yale University; Xavier High School; Yale College; Jonathan Edwards College ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233#P69))
- **Spouse:** Betsy McCaughey; Hilary Geary Ross ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233#P26))
- **Positions held:** United States Secretary of Commerce (28 February 2017 – 20 January 2021) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233#P39))

## About

Ross ran the bankruptcy restructuring practice at N M Rothschild & Sons in New York beginning in the late 1970s. In the 1990s, Ross was an adviser to New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani on privatization, and was appointed by U.S. president Bill Clinton to the board of the U.S. Russia Investment Fund. In 2000, he left Rothschild to found WL Ross & Co. Ross was a banker known for acquiring and restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal, telecommunications and textiles, later selling them for a profit after operations improved, a record that had earned him the moniker "King of Bankruptcy". Ross has been chairman or lead director of more than 100 companies operating in more than 20 countries. In 2017, Ross became commerce secretary in the Donald Trump administration; at age 79, Ross was the oldest first-time Cabinet appointee in U.S. history.

## Questions

**When was Wilbur Ross born?**  
Wilbur Ross was born on 28 November 1937 in Weehawken.

**What positions has Wilbur Ross held?**  
Positions held by Wilbur Ross include: United States Secretary of Commerce (2017–2021).

**Where did Wilbur Ross study?**  
Wilbur Ross was educated at Harvard Business School, Yale University, Xavier High School, Yale College.

## Related

- [Herbert Hoover](https://diginpl.com/people/herbert-hoover)
- [Penny Pritzker](https://diginpl.com/people/penny-pritzker)
- [Bill Haslam](https://diginpl.com/people/bill-haslam)
- [David Koch](https://diginpl.com/people/david-koch)
- [JB Pritzker](https://diginpl.com/people/jb-pritzker)
- [Jeff Greene](https://diginpl.com/people/jeff-greene)
- [John Catsimatidis](https://diginpl.com/people/john-catsimatidis)
- [Mark Cuban](https://diginpl.com/people/mark-cuban)
- [Meg Whitman](https://diginpl.com/people/meg-whitman)
- [Ronald Lauder](https://diginpl.com/people/ronald-lauder)
- [Ross Perot](https://diginpl.com/people/ross-perot)
- [Tom Golisano](https://diginpl.com/people/tom-golisano)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Wilbur Ross](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Ross) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q8000233](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000233) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Wilbur Ross Official Portrait.jpg by US Department of Commerce (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilbur_Ross_Official_Portrait.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Wilbur Ross, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Wilbur Ross Official Portrait.jpg — US Department of Commerce, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Wilbur Ross". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/wilbur-ross. Retrieved 4 November 2026.