Robert K. Wilmouth

Born in Worcester, Mass., Wilmouth graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester in 1949. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1950. Right after graduating from Notre Dame, Wilmouth took a job working in the mailroom at the First National Bank of Chicago. After serving in the Air Force from 1951 until 1953, Wilmouth returned to the bank. Wilmouth was responsible for the installation of the bank’s computer complex and then oversaw the planning and construction of its new office tower, which was completed in 1969. He also helped launch the bank’s credit card operation. In 1970, Wilmouth became general manager of First National’s office in London. The following year, he was named to oversee operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and he then took over the bank’s entire international banking department in 1973. In 1974, Wilmouth was named executive vice president and head of commercial banking. Eager to become a bank president, Wilmouth got his chance in 1975, when he was named president of the Crocker National Bank in San Francisco. In late 1977, Wilmouth left Crocker to become the Board of Trade’s president, despite lacking direct experience in commodities trading or administration. However, as a banker, he had a history of dealing with government regulations, and under his leadership of the futures exchange, he sought to expand into other futures contracts. In 1982, Wilmouth left the Board of Trade to oversee the newly created National Futures Association, a self-regulatory body for the futures industry. Wilmouth ran the National Futures Association for 20 years, stepping down in 2002 at age 73. However, he stayed on as a special policy adviser until 2008. Wilmouth served on the University of Notre Dame’s board of trustees from 1975 until his death, and chaired its investment committee. After retiring, Wilmouth divided his time between Barrington Hills and a home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Wilmouth’s wife, Ellen, died in 2014. In addition to his daughter Anne-Marie Kaiser, he is survived by four sons, Robert, James, John and Thomas; and seven grandchildren.