Paul Robert Carey (October 18, 1962 – June 14, 2001) was a White House Special Assistant to U.S. President Bill Clinton and the 77th Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Youth and education

Carey was the 7th son of Governor Hugh Carey and Helen (Owen) Carey. He grew up in Brooklyn, Shelter Island, and the New York State Executive Mansion in Albany. As a boy, he cared for developmentally challenged people at Camp Shelter Island, and later as a young man he worked with physically challenged skiers. He graduated from the Doane Stuart School in Albany, and received a B.A. in economics from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.

Professional life

After college, Carey worked in the securities industry, focusing on equity investments for institutional clients. In 1992, he joined the Clinton-Gore Presidential Campaign, serving as Northeast finance director. He continued working in the Clinton White House in 1993, as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. Carey was an important liaison to the United States Senate for President Clinton, focusing on banking, financial services and securities law issues, among others. He also worked on judicial selection and handled Senate confirmation for many administration nominees. Carey was noteworthy for being President Clinton's main connection to New York Senators Alfonse D'Amato and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Serving as SEC Commissioner

In 1997, President Clinton nominated Carey to the Securities and Exchange Commission, to succeed outgoing commissioner, Steven Wallman. The Senate confirmed Carey on October 21, 1997, for a five-year term. As an SEC commissioner, Carey championed private accounts for the investment of government Social Security funds.

Death and foundation

Paul Carey died in 2001 from a rare endocrine cancer called Pheochromocytoma. After his death, his family established the Paul Robert Carey Foundation to provide quality of life funds for cancer patients and others facing physical, mental or emotional challenges.