“Two weeks ago, Harvey L. Pitt was telling friends that he intended to project a considerably lower profile than his predecessor as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and that he would go out of his way to avoid making news in public appearances,” writes Stephen Labaton in today’s Wall Street Journal.

“This week, as the world changed after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, so did Mr. Pitt.”

“With most top economic and market policy makers in Washington — from the Fed chairman, Alan Greenspan, and the Treasury secretary, Paul H. O’Neill, to the White House economic adviser Lawrence B. Lindsey — hunkered down and invisible from a public craving reassurances, Mr. Pitt has quickly emerged as the calming public presence.”

“He said today that he found it imperative to have New York demonstrate the vital role the government could play in helping the markets return to their feet.”

” ‘My first concerns are with the lives that were lost and the people left behind to deal with their loss,’ Mr. Pitt said in an interview on Tuesday afternoon, casting aside a question about the implications for investors. ‘To my way of thinking, we have very strong financial markets and they operate under incredibly able leadership as I have reaffirmed today. But the loss of lives as a human being is so thoroughly unsettling. I knew many people there.’ “

“Like his predecessor, Arthur Levitt, who once ran the American Stock Exchange, Mr. Pitt is intimately familiar with Wall Street. In a Republican administration with remarkably few senior officials from Wall Street, he was acquainted with more people in the World Trade Center than most of his colleagues were. Compounding the tragedy, one of the buildings that collapsed after the attacks had housed the New York regional office of the S.E.C. On Wednesday morning, Mr. Pitt took a train to Manhattan with other officials, becoming the first team of senior officials to make it to New York.”

” ‘These markets are remarkably strong and remarkably resilient,’ he said before leaving. ‘They will be back functioning quite quickly.’ “

“As he traveled by train back to Washington this evening, Mr. Pitt said it was crucial for America’s confidence in the markets and the economy that the exchanges open as soon as possible.”

” ‘People need to know that the marketplace they’ve been used to is still going to be there for them,’ he said.”

“He said early reports had indicated that no members of the agency’s staff had been killed in the attacks.”