Shipley was the son of a Wall Street investment banker who regularly surrounded his wife and five children with visitors from overseas.
He attended Williams College to study economics and political science, and at 6’8”, was named captain of the basketball team.
He referred to this as a wake-up call that made him determined to prove to his family and friends that "I was better than I had demonstrated up until that time."
[4] From 1996 through 1999, Shipley was CEO and chairman of the board of directors at Chase Manhattan, after its merger with Chemical Bank in 1996.
However, Texas Commerce was viewed as a "star-jewel" for Chemical Bank by the mid-1990s, according to New York Times journalist Michael Quint.
[4] Throughout his career, Shipley served on the board of directors at several corporations, including; Exxon Mobil, Wyeth, and Verizon.
[5] Shipley participated in several political campaigns, including; Bill Bradley's run to be Democratic nominee for the United States President in 2000.