Eugene R. Black, Sr.

Who was Eugene R. Black, Sr.?

Eugene "Gene" Robert Black, Sr. was President of the World Bank from 1949 to 1963. His father, a 1930s Chairman of the Federal Reserve, also named Eugene Robert Black, did not use the "Sr." suffix; Gene's son became Eugene Robert Black, Jr.

Black was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1898. He attended the University of Georgia where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity and the Phi Kappa Literary Society. Upon graduating with an A.B. in 1917, enlisted in the United States Navy. During World War I he was assigned to convoy duty in the North Atlantic.

Upon leaving the Navy after the War, he joined the investment firm of Harris, Forbes, & Co. He worked as a traveling salesperson for the firm selling bonds and meeting with bankers and investors. He opened the firm's first southern office in Atlanta and later became a partner in the firm.

In 1933, he was hired by the Chase National Bank to be their vice-president. He went on to become the senior vice-president of Chase National's investment portfolio.

He became the executive director of the World Bank in 1947. When the Bank's President, John J. McCloy, resigned in 1949, Black, against his will, became the President of the Bank.