William H. Simon Jr., known as Bill Simon, is the son of William E. Simon Sr., who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Born March 20, 1950, in New Jersey, he graduated from Stanford University with a BA in 1972 and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1976. Early in his career, he worked as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers before joining the family firm, William E. Simon & Sons, a private equity and investment management company, where he serves as co-chairman. Simon entered politics as a Republican, winning election as California's 30th State Treasurer in 1998 and serving from January 1999 to January 2003. In 2002, he secured the Republican nomination for Governor of California but lost the general election to incumbent Gray Davis amid controversies over his business dealings and campaign finance. A conservative philanthropist, he has supported various causes through board roles in donor-advised fund organizations. He resides in California and remains active in business and conservative networks.