(Archived) James Breedlove Appointed To Vice President and General Counsel of Praxair

DANBURY, Conn., November 4, 2004 –– Dennis H. Reilley, chairman and chief executive officer of Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX), announced today that James T. Breedlove, formerly senior vice president and general counsel at GE Equipment Services, has been appointed to the position of vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Praxair.

Breedlove succeeds David H. Chaifetz who is retiring at the end of 2004 after 29 years with the company.

Announcing the appointment, Reilley said: “I am delighted that Jim is joining Praxair and know that his considerable experience in corporate, government and environmental legal affairs will be extremely valuable as Praxair continues to grow its businesses globally.”

Breedlove spent three years with Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York before joining Philip Morris Companies, Inc. in 1978, where he held several positions with responsibility for issues related to the SEC, corporate governance, financing, antitrust and litigation management. From 1990 to 1992, he served briefly as assistant to the Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington.

In 1992, he joined General Electric Capital Corp. in Philadelphia, Pa. as senior vice president and chief general counsel with global responsibility for legal and environmental affairs. He was also responsible for acquisitions, litigation management, antitrust compliance and employment law. He was appointed to his most recent position at GE Equipment Services in Stamford, Conn. in 2002.

A native of Danville, Va., Breedlove holds a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard College, a law degree from Harvard Law School, and a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School.