Economic Club of New York
Professional services
UnclaimedA nonpartisan New York membership organization that convenes business, economic and political leaders for public discussion of major issues.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Economic Club of New York is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization founded in 1907 to encourage informed discussion of social, economic and political questions. Based in New York City, it brings together individual members drawn largely from senior leadership in the metropolitan area's corporate, financial, professional and public institutions. Its central activity is the organization of formal dinners and luncheons featuring a guest of honor with national or international standing. The Club's events are private in the sense that attendance is generally limited to members and their guests, but its speaker presentations are made available to the news media. This arrangement gives the organization a dual character: it is both a membership forum and a platform through which arguments and observations from prominent public and private-sector figures enter broader public debate. Programs typically take place in the ballroom of a major Manhattan hotel and are intentionally structured around the principal speaker. There is generally no entertainment or unrelated business on the program. A question period follows the address, with selected members asking questions from the dais. The institution describes itself as nonpolitical and nonpartisan. It does not formally endorse a policy agenda or take positions on the issues discussed. Instead, it seeks to create a setting in which speakers and members can address matters of practical importance, including public policy, economic regulation, international affairs, technological change, energy, social transformation and the future of business. This emphasis reflects the founders' preference for issues of immediate and practical interest and for speakers of national reputation. Across more than a century, the Club has hosted over 1,200 speakers. Its guest list has included U.S. presidents such as Woodrow Wilson, William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump. Foreign leaders and statesmen who have addressed the organization include Winston Churchill, Mikhail Gorbachev, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Yitzhak Rabin, Corazon Aquino and Zhu Rongji. Other speakers have included central bankers, Supreme Court justices, United Nations officials, cabinet members, military leaders, ambassadors, scientists and chief executives of major international enterprises. The Club's historical record mirrors the changing concerns of American and international public life. Early twentieth-century programs addressed proposals for a U.S. income tax and the movement for women's suffrage. During the interwar period, speakers considered post-World War I Europe, free speech and the civic role of business. The 1930s and 1940s brought discussion of events in Europe, the approach and aftermath of World War II, and the prospects for European recovery and continued American prosperity. Later decades focused on the Atomic Age, social change, the space race and the energy crisis. In the contemporary period, the organization has continued to convene speakers on regulation, geopolitical risk, technology and other forces affecting New York, the United States and the wider world. Governance is led by a chair of the board, who serves as the Club's chief executive officer, presides over meetings and has general responsibility for its affairs. A separate president serves as chief operating officer. The organization remains an active forum rather than a commercial product brand, with its reputation resting primarily on the caliber of its membership, speakers and discussions.
History
The Economic Club of New York was established in 1907 as a forum for serious examination of economic, social and political questions. From the beginning, its model differed from that of a conventional social club or commercial conference organizer. The founders emphasized issues with immediate practical relevance and sought speakers of national reputation. The organization developed a membership drawn from influential business and financial circles while preserving a formally nonpartisan and nonpolitical character. In its early decades, the Club's programs reflected the major policy controversies of the United States. During the 1910s, speakers addressed the proposed federal income tax and women's suffrage, two subjects that connected constitutional questions with the changing structure of American society and government. The 1920s brought attention to the reorganization of Europe after World War I, free speech and the responsibilities of business in civic life. As the international situation deteriorated in the 1930s, the Club became a venue for discussion of developments in Europe and the implications of America's eventual involvement in the conflict that became World War II. Programs during the 1940s examined the economic future of Europe and the prospects for preserving American prosperity after the war. In subsequent decades, the organization continued to use its speaker platform to explore broad transformations rather than limit itself to narrowly financial topics. The Atomic Age and its economic consequences were prominent themes in the 1950s. The 1960s brought discussion of social change and the space race, while the energy crisis shaped debate in the 1970s. Across these periods, the Club's agenda followed issues affecting New York City, the United States and international affairs. The organization's format became an important part of its identity. Its principal programs are formal dinners, with occasional luncheons, held in major Manhattan hotels. Attendance is generally restricted to members and their guests, but the presentations are open to news coverage. The events focus on a single guest of honor and a speaking program, without entertainment or unrelated presentations. After the address, selected members ask questions from the dais. The stated absence of restrictions on the speaker's remarks and on the questions supports the Club's role as a venue for direct, high-level exchange rather than advocacy by the institution itself. Over more than a century, the Club has hosted more than 1,200 speakers. Its roster has included U.S. presidents, foreign heads of government, central bankers, Supreme Court justices, United Nations officials, cabinet members, military leaders, ambassadors, scientists and executives of major international businesses. The appearance of such figures has reinforced the Club's reputation as a meeting point between public leadership and the New York business community. Governance is divided between the chair of the board and the president. The chair is the Club's chief executive officer, presides over meetings of the Club and board, and oversees the organization's business and affairs. A president acts as chief operating officer. The first chair, A. Barton Hepburn, served from 1907 to 1909. Later chairs included business, financial, public-policy and communications leaders such as James P. Warburg, Wendell L. Willkie, David Sarnoff, Edmund T. Pratt Jr., Rand V. Araskog, Barbara H. Franklin, William C. Dudley and Terry J. Lundgren. The presidency has been held by only six individuals since the Club's creation, according to the cited reference, with Barbara M. Van Allen identified as the current president and chief executive officer. The organization continues to operate as a nonprofit membership forum centered on public discussion rather than the sale of conventional consumer products.
- 2026
Baroness Dambisa Moyo named chair
[1]The cited reference states that Baroness Dambisa Moyo succeeded John C. Williams as chair in June 2026.
- 2016
Terry J. Lundgren becomes chair
[1]Terry J. Lundgren, the retired president and chairman of Macy's, served as chair from 2016 to 2018.
- 2010
William C. Dudley begins chairmanship
[1]William C. Dudley, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, served as chair from 2010 to 2016.
- 1970
Energy crisis shapes discussion
[1]The energy crisis became a prominent subject of Club programs in the 1970s.
- 1960
Social change and the space race enter the agenda
[1]During the 1960s, speakers explored major societal changes and the implications of the space race.
- 1950
Atomic Age becomes a central theme
[1]Programs considered the economic consequences of nuclear technology and the broader Atomic Age.
- 1940
Postwar prosperity and Europe's economic future discussed
[1]The Club's 1940s agenda included European economic reconstruction and the continuation of American prosperity.
- 1930
Programs examine Europe and the approach of World War II
[1]Speakers in the 1930s addressed events in Europe and the prospective role of the United States in the emerging global conflict.
- 1920
Interwar policy debates broaden the program
[1]The Club's 1920s discussions included postwar Europe, freedom of speech and the civic role of business.
- 1910
Early programs address income tax and women's suffrage
[1]During the 1910s, the Club's platform hosted discussion of federal income-tax proposals and the movement for women's suffrage.
Products and positioning
An elite but nonpartisan civic and business forum whose value proposition is access to prominent speakers, informed peer discussion and public exposure for consequential economic, political and social questions.
Membership events · 1907
Member dinners
Formal dinner meetings are the Club's principal operating format. Members and their guests gather at major Manhattan hotels to hear a guest of honor address a consequential economic, political or social issue. The program is deliberately concentrated on the speaker and is followed by questions from selected members. The events are not entertainment-oriented and are intended to support serious exchange.
Membership events · 1907
Speaker luncheons
The Club occasionally holds luncheon programs using the same basic model as its dinners: a prominent public- or private-sector figure speaks to members and guests, after which selected members participate in a question period. Media access to the presentation helps extend the discussion beyond the membership.
Leadership and policy discussions · 1907
Public-affairs forums
The Club's speaker platform covers public policy, economic regulation, international affairs, technology, energy, social change and business leadership. It does not present these programs as institutional advocacy; rather, the Club positions itself as a neutral setting in which prominent guests can articulate their own views and answer questions.
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