The content of this site was generated automatically using Claude Code and Mnemotron-R, based on OCR data from Spectator (1947–2025) and other college archival materials hosted at the Internet Archive. It it intended as a proof of concept for the Mnemotron-R project, and has not been reviewed for completeness or accuracy by a human reviewer.
Contact Hamilton College Archives for authoratiative access to College history.
Overview
Henry Merritt Paulson III (born c. 1973) is an American sports entrepreneur best known as the founder and owner of the Portland Timbers (Major League Soccer) and Portland Thorns FC (National Women’s Soccer League). He is the son of Henry M. Paulson Jr., the investment banker and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Paulson graduated from Hamilton College with the Class of 1995, having enrolled around 1991 from Barrington, Illinois. He later received a law degree from Columbia Law School and worked in the sports and entertainment industry before acquiring the Portland soccer franchises and transforming them into among the most successful brands in American soccer.
Relevance to Research
Paulson appears in five consecutive Hamilton College catalogs from 1991–92 through 1995–96, listed as a student from Barrington, IL. The 1991–92 catalog lists him as “Henry Merritt Paulson [1]” (freshman designation); the 1992–93 through 1994–95 catalogs list him as “H. Merritt Paulson III”; and the 1995–96 catalog records him as “Henry Merritt Paulson III” in the graduating class list. The catalog record documents his four-year enrollment at Hamilton but does not record specific student activities or academic distinctions. He is one of the more prominent alumni in professional sports from this era of the college’s history.
Notes
- Hamilton College alumnus, Class of 1995; hometown: Barrington, IL
- Enrolled fall 1991; appears in catalogs 1991–92 through 1995–96
- Son of Henry M. Paulson Jr. (Goldman Sachs CEO, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury 2006–09)
- Later received J.D. from Columbia Law School
- Purchased the Portland Beavers (baseball) and Portland Timbers (soccer) in 2007; founded Portland Thorns FC in 2012
- The Timbers won the MLS Cup in 2015; the Thorns won the NWSL championship multiple times
- No specific student activities or academic honors recorded in the corpus
- Listed with middle numeral “III” consistently in later years, confirming identity as the son of Hank Paulson
Related Sources
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1991-92 — first-year enrollment as “Henry Merritt Paulson [1]”
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1992-93 — listed as “H. Merritt Paulson III, Barrington, IL”
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1993-94 — continued enrollment listing
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1994-95 — senior year listing
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1995-96 — graduating class listing as “Henry Merritt Paulson III”
Related Topics
- course-catalogs-collection — primary source for enrollment record
- athletics-and-sports — Paulson’s later career in professional soccer ownership