George H.W. Bush Lifetime of Leadership Award
Richard P. Cooley fashioned an inspiring business career on the west coast. A letter-winning varsity competitor in football, squash, and tennis, he left Yale in 1943 for military service during World War II. A plane crash cost him his right arm and all further Yale athletic competition, but did not prevent him from becoming a national squash champion - left handed - in the mid 1950s.
Cooley joined the San Francisco - based on Wells Fargo Bank in 1949. He rose to president and CEO of the firm in 1966, became chairman and CEO in 1978, and retired from Wells Fargo after 33 years in 1982. Almost immediately he was elected president, chairman, and CEO of Seafirst Bank in Seattle, positions he held until his retirement in 1990.
In addition to his banking career, Cooley held directorships in such firms as United Airlines, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Egghead Software. In both San Francisco and Seattle he chaired the United Way; he has served on boards for opera and symphony orchestra organizations, museums, and hospitals. He also assisted educational institutions as an instructor, director, trustee, or member of the board of governors.Â
