Charles Gasparino - King of the Club: Richard Grasso and the Survival of the New York Stock Exchange

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: Former U.S. Secretary of State, whom Grasso appointed to the NYSE board in 2003 to fulfill new mandates that called for more board members to be appointed from outside the securities industry. Albright ultimately voted to terminate Grasso as CEO of the exchange.

FRANK ASHEN: Former human resources director of the NYSE. A staunch Grasso loyalist who knew more about Grassos controversial pay package than any exchange official except Grasso himself. Eliot Spitzer regarded him as a key witness against Grasso and ultimately forced him into a settlement that included testifying in Spitzers civil case against Grasso over the $139.5 million pay package.

CHARLES BOCKLET: NYSE specialist and board member who was once a Grasso frienduntil he provided testimony to Eliot Spitzer for his case against Grasso.

ROBERT BRITZ: Served under Grasso as co-president of the NYSE, and like Catherine Kinney, was considered a likely successor before the pay package controversy.

JAMES JIMMY CAYNE: CEO of Bear Stearns and former NYSE compensation committee member who helped blow the whistle on Grassos large pay package but ultimately voted for Grasso to stay as chairman amid the pay scandal.

RICHARD BO DIETL: Former New York City cop, private investigator, and dinner partner with Grasso at Raos restaurant in East Harlem.

WILLIAM DONALDSON: Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange from 1991 to 1995 and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Grasso bristled under his leadership of the stock exchange, unseated him as chairman, and then took the job himself. Donaldson later got his revenge when as chairman of the SEC he started an inquiry into Grassos pay package.

LAURENCE LARRY FINK: CEO of BlackRock and former NYSE compensation committee member. A Grasso supporter who blew the whistle on his pay package.

STANLEY GAULT: Former head of Goodyear and the NYSE compensation committee who devised the various retirement accounts that years later would create so much controversy.

RUDY GIULIANI: Mayor of New York City, 19942001. One of the few friends to remain loyal to Grasso even after the pay scandal forced Grasso from his job.

JOSEPH GRANO: Former number two at PaineWebber and a close associate of Grasso who urged him not to appoint former Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill to the board after Weill and the firm were ensnarled in the research analyst investigation.

LORRAINE GRASSO: Richard Grassos former secretary, later his wife.

RICHARD GRASSO: Chairman, New York Stock Exchange, 19952003; resigned from the exchange after the longest tenure of any chairman and a thirty-five-year career at the exchange, amid a scandal over his $139.5 million pay package.

MAURICE HANK GREENBERG: Former CEO of American International Group and NYSE board member. Greenbergs constant badgering to get his specialist to bid up shares of AIG stock became legendary inside the exchange and later led to a probe into whether Grasso had improperly interfered with trading.

JOSEPH HARDIMAN: Former chairman and CEO of the National Association of Securities Brokers, which ran the Nasdaq Stock Market, helped the Nasdaq gain market share against Grasso but resigned following a trading scandal.

WILLIAM HARRISON: CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who ultimately voted to have Grasso removed as chairman of the exchange.

PATRICK HEALY: Former marketing executive for the Nasdaq Stock Market and later founder of the Issue Advisory Group helped Grasso bring new listings to the exchange.

MEL KARMAZIN: Former CEO of Viacom; a NYSE board member and Grasso supporter.

BERNARD KERIK: Former New York City police commissioner who worked closely with Grasso during the 9/11 crisis and remained close to Grasso even as Kerik faced his own bout with scandal.

CATHERINE KINNEY: Served under Grasso as co-president of the NYSE and was considered a likely successor before the pay package controversy.

DAVID KOMANSKY: Former chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch, NYSE board member and supporter, who approved many of Grassos biggest paychecks.

MICHAEL LABRANCHE: Chairman of LaBranche & Co., the largest independent specialist firm, and a key critic of Grasso among the floor trading community. Aside from Hank Paulson, there was no single person more responsible for rallying support against Grasso.

KENNETH LANGONE: Co-founder of Home Depot, Wall Street financier, and head of the NYSEs compensation committee from 1999 to 2003, who was instrumental in the creation of Grassos $139.5 million pay package.

SOOJEE LEE: Richard Grassos loyal secretary who later earned a degree of fame when her own salary was disclosed.

GERALD LEVIN: Former CEO of AOL Time Warner and NYSE board member who supported Grasso until the final days of the pay controversy.

MARTIN MARTY LIPTON: Partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; legal adviser to the NYSE and Grasso during the pay scandal.

BERNARD BERNIE MARCUS: Co-founder of Home Depot who preceded Langone as head of the NYSE compensation committee.

H. CARL MCCALL: Former chairman of the NYSEs compensation committee and former New York State comptroller. Criticized for handling the pay package scandal that led to Grassos ouster.

ROBERT MICHELS: Daniel Webbs top attorney, who handled many of the interviews that formed the basis of the Webb Report into Grassos pay package.

ROBERT BOBBY MURPHY: Longtime floor trader and friend of Grasso who became No. 2 at LaBranche & Co., only to be fired by Michael LaBranche amid the pay controversy.

LEON PANETTA: Former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and NYSE board member who urged Grasso not to take the money.

HENRY HANK PAULSON: Former chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs and U.S. Treasury secretary. Key opponent of Grasso on issues ranging from the need for more electronic trading at the exchange to Grassos pay package. Led the charge to depose Grasso and helped transform the NYSE in his own image.

JOHN PHELAN: Chairman of New York Stock Exchange from 1984 to 1990, and Grassos mentor through his early years at the exchange.

CHRIS QUICK: Former head of Fleet Specialists and former board member of the NYSE. Quick was a key Grasso supporter through the pay package scandal.

CHARLES RAMOS: New York State Supreme Court judge who presided over the Grasso case and, after more than a year of depositions, issued a summary judgment ordering Grasso to repay much of his compensation package. Grasso appealed and released documents showing that Ramos had applied twice to be on the board of the NYSE and been rejected by both Grasso and John Reed.

SUMNER REDSTONE: Chairman of Viacom and, like Hank Greenberg, a persistent thorn in Grassos side for demanding that his specialist bid up shares of his stock listed on the NYSE.

JOHN REED: Former CEO of Citicorp, co-CEO of Citigroup, and chairman of the NYSE. Took over for Grasso after his ouster, launched an investigation into the pay package, and convinced New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer to investigate.

AVI SCHICK: Former deputy counsel to the New York attorney general and lead counsel on Spitzers case against Grasso.

ELIOT SPITZER: New York State Attorney General, 19982006. Spitzer was regarded as Wall Streets enforcer for his high-profile cases involving mutual funds and Wall Street research. Once a friend and ally of Grasso, he ended up filing a case against Grasso to have him return most if not all of the $139.5 million pay package.