Eli Whitney Debevoise II
Encyclopedia
Eli Whitney Debevoise II (born February 8, 1953) is U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank Group (April 6, 2007–present). He was previously a partner at Arnold & Porter LLP and served as Commissioner of the Maryland Port Commission in Baltimore.
President George W. Bush
nominated Debevoise to be U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank Group on February 16, 2007 to fill the vacancy left by Robert Holland. On November 16, 2009 it was announced that he would be replaced by Ian Hoddy Solomon after his term was finished.
in Washington, D.C. in 1970. He graduated summa cum laude in 1974 from Yale University
, with departmental honors in History and Latin American Studies, and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School
in 1977. Debevoise is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
, the American Society of International Law, the International Law Section of the American Bar Association
, and the International Bar Association. He speaks Portuguese
, Spanish
, and French
fluently, and holds an honorary law degree from Vermont Law School
.
He is the great, great grandson of Eli Whitney
.
, Debevoise clerked for the Hon. William J. Holloway, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
and the Inter-American Development Bank
. Debevoise has been involved in transactions ranging from Brazil's $49 billion Brady Plan exercise to numerous Yankee bond, Samurai bond, and Eurobond issuances in ten different currencies. He has also been involved with billion dollar equity placements of shares in firms, such as Telfonica Argentina, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce
(CVRD), Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), and Unibanco-Uniao de Bancos Brasileiros. For his comprehensive efforts Brazil awarded Eli Whitney Debevoise II the Order of Rio Branco in 1997, one of the country's highest honors that recognizes Brazilian and "foreign individuals" who have significantly contributed to the promotion of Brazil's international relations.
Debevoise also handled important cases in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT) and World Trade Organization
dispute settlement mechanism and at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, including cases establishing important rulings on the allocation of arbital expenses and attorney's fees.
since April 6, 2007. During this time he has served the United States on a 24-member board representing 186 member countries that considers all loans, investments, country assistance strategies, budgets, audits and business plans of the World Bank Group entities. Borrowers include more than 125 countries and 300 companies and funds worldwide.
President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
nominated Debevoise to be U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank Group on February 16, 2007 to fill the vacancy left by Robert Holland. On November 16, 2009 it was announced that he would be replaced by Ian Hoddy Solomon after his term was finished.
Background
Eli Whitney Debevoise II, commonly known as “Whitney Debevoise,” was born in Morristown, New Jersey in 1953 and graduated from the St. Albans SchoolSt. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)
St. Albans School is an independent college preparatory school for boys in grades 4–12, located in Washington, D.C. The school is named after Saint Alban, traditionally regarded as the first British martyr. Within the St...
in Washington, D.C. in 1970. He graduated summa cum laude in 1974 from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, with departmental honors in History and Latin American Studies, and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1977. Debevoise is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, the American Society of International Law, the International Law Section of the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, and the International Bar Association. He speaks Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
fluently, and holds an honorary law degree from Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School is a private, American Bar Association accredited law school located in South Royalton, Vermont . The Law School has one of the United States' leading programs in environmental law, and the Law School is currently ranked #1 in Environmental Law by U.S...
.
He is the great, great grandson of Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney was an American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum South...
.
Judicial clerkship (1978-1979)
After graduating from Harvard Law SchoolHarvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, Debevoise clerked for the Hon. William J. Holloway, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Private practice (1979-2007)
Debevoise started at Arnold & Porter, LLP as an associate in 1979 and practiced as a partner from 1986 to 2007. During this time, he increasingly specialized in international financial transactions, banking and international trade. While in private practice, Whitney Debevoise represented the central banks and finance ministries of many countries, as well as the Bank for International Settlements, the World Bank, the African Development BankAfrican Development Bank
The African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...
and the Inter-American Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
. Debevoise has been involved in transactions ranging from Brazil's $49 billion Brady Plan exercise to numerous Yankee bond, Samurai bond, and Eurobond issuances in ten different currencies. He has also been involved with billion dollar equity placements of shares in firms, such as Telfonica Argentina, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce
Companhia Vale do Rio Doce
Vale S.A. Vale S.A. Vale S.A. (BM&F Bovespa: / , / , / , / , is an Brazilian diversified mining multinational corporation and one of the largest logistics operators in Brazil. In addition to being the second-largest mining company in the world, Vale is also the largest producer of iron ore,...
(CVRD), Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), and Unibanco-Uniao de Bancos Brasileiros. For his comprehensive efforts Brazil awarded Eli Whitney Debevoise II the Order of Rio Branco in 1997, one of the country's highest honors that recognizes Brazilian and "foreign individuals" who have significantly contributed to the promotion of Brazil's international relations.
Debevoise also handled important cases in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was negotiated during the UN Conference on Trade and Employment and was the outcome of the failure of negotiating governments to create the International Trade Organization . GATT was signed in 1947 and lasted until 1993, when it was replaced by the World...
(GATT) and World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
dispute settlement mechanism and at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, including cases establishing important rulings on the allocation of arbital expenses and attorney's fees.
U.S. Executive Director, the World Bank Group (2007-present)
Eli Whitney Debevoise has served as U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank GroupWorld Bank Group
The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...
since April 6, 2007. During this time he has served the United States on a 24-member board representing 186 member countries that considers all loans, investments, country assistance strategies, budgets, audits and business plans of the World Bank Group entities. Borrowers include more than 125 countries and 300 companies and funds worldwide.