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W. Averell Harriman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Harriman in 1952 | |
| 4th Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs | |
| In office April 4, 1963 – March 17, 1965 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | George C. McGhee |
| Succeeded by | Eugene V. Rostow |
| 7th Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs | |
| In office December 4, 1961 – April 4, 1963 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | Walter P. McConaughy |
| Succeeded by | Roger Hilsman |
| 48th Governor of New York | |
| In office January 1, 1955 – December 31, 1958 | |
| Lieutenant | George DeLuca |
| Preceded by | Thomas E. Dewey |
| Succeeded by | Nelson Rockefeller |
| Director of the Mutual Security Agency | |
| In office October 31, 1951 – January 20, 1953 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Harold Stassen |
| 11th United States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office October 7, 1946 – April 22, 1948 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Henry A. Wallace |
| Succeeded by | Charles Sawyer |
| United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |
| In office April 30, 1946 – October 1, 1946 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | John Winant |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Douglas |
| United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union | |
| In office October 23, 1943 – January 24, 1946 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | William Standley |
| Succeeded by | Walter Bedell Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Averell Harriman November 15, 1891 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 26, 1986 (aged 94) Yorktown Heights, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Kitty Lanier Lawrance
(m. 1915; div. 1929) |
| Children |
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| Parents | |
| Relatives | Mary Harriman Rumsey (sister) E. Roland Harriman (brother) |
| Education | Yale University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891 – July 26, 1986) was an American politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was a founder of investment bank, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., served as Secretary of Commerce under President Harry S. Truman, and was the 48th governor of New York. He sought the Democratic Party nomination for president in 1952 and 1956 but was unsuccessful. Throughout his career, he was a key foreign policy advisor to Democratic presidents.
Harriman was born to a wealthy family as the son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman. While attending Groton School and Yale University, he made contacts that led to creation of a banking firm that eventually merged into Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. He owned parts of various other companies, including Union Pacific Railroad, Merchant Shipping Corporation, and Polaroid Corporation. During the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harriman served in the National Recovery Administration and on the Business Advisory Council before moving into foreign policy roles. After helping to coordinate the Lend-Lease program, Harriman served as Roosevelt's personal envoy to the United Kingdom, then as the ambassador to the Soviet Union, and attended the major World War II conferences. After the war, he became a prominent advocate of George F. Kennan's policy of containment. He also served as Secretary of Commerce, and coordinated the implementation of the Marshall Plan.
In 1954, Harriman defeated Republican Senator Irving Ives to become the Governor of New York. He served a single term before his defeat by Nelson Rockefeller in the 1958 election. Harriman unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination at the 1952 Democratic National Convention and the 1956 Democratic National Convention. Although Harriman had Truman's backing at the 1956 convention, the Democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson II in both elections.
After his gubernatorial defeat, Harriman became a widely respected foreign policy elder within the Democratic Party. He helped negotiate the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty during President John F. Kennedy's administration, and was deeply involved in the Vietnam War during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. After Johnson left office in 1969, Harriman became affiliated with various organizations, including the Club of Rome and the Council on Foreign Relations.