Jamie Dimon
The pugnacious and resilient CEO who steered America's largest bank through the financial crisis and into a position of dominant strength.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American banker and businessman·Birthday: March 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jamie Dimon operates in the world of high finance with the directness of a streetfighter and the strategic mind of a chess master. His rise was intertwined with Sandy Weill, helping to build the Citigroup empire before a famed fallout. After a period in the wilderness, he took the helm of a troubled Bank One, fixing it with such efficiency that it attracted a buyout from JPMorgan Chase. Installed as CEO, Dimon's relentless focus on risk management and a 'fortress balance sheet' proved prescient. When the 2008 crisis engulfed Wall Street, JPMorgan, under his command, emerged not just intact but as a pillar of stability, acquiring failing rivals like Bear Stearns. His tenure since has been marked by expansive growth, regulatory battles, and a blunt, often quotable, leadership style that makes him a constant figure in the narrative of modern capitalism.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jamie was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jamie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Jamie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Guided JPMorgan Chase through the 2008 financial crisis without reporting a quarterly loss.
- Oversaw the acquisition and integration of major firms including Bank One, Bear Stearns, and Washington Mutual.
- Built JPMorgan Chase into the largest bank in the United States by assets.
Did You Know?
Dimon is a longtime friend and former colleague of former Federal Reserve Chairman Hank Paulson.
He survived a bout with throat cancer in 2014.
His father and grandfather were both stockbrokers.
“In business, you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.”
