Wriston, Walter Bigelow (1919– )

US banker. Born in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of a historian who later became president of Brown University, he graduated from Wesleyan College in 1941 and served four years in the Army before joining First National City Bank (later Citibank) in 1946. As president (1967–70) and chairman (1970–84) of Citibank, he held sway as one of the nation's most influential bankers. He led the move to expand Citibank's commercial operations, including home mortgages and credit card services, before retiring in 1984. He chaired President Ronald Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board (1982–89) and wrote Risk and Other Four Letter Words.