Image by Igor2008 on Pixabay · Pixabay License
W. Averell Harriman
Sign in to saveAlso known as Averell Harriman, William Averell Harriman
American businessman, politician and diplomat (1891–1986)
OverviewAI-generated
W. Averell Harriman was an American diplomat, politician, businessperson, and ambassador. Born William Averell Harriman in New York City in 1891, he was educated at Groton School and Yale University. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. His professional career included roles as Governor of New York, United States Secretary of Commerce, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. He also worked for the Union Pacific Corporation.
Harriman received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Order of the Patriotic War. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Skull and Bones. He was the son of Edward Henry Harriman and had siblings Mary Harriman Rumsey and E. Roland Harriman. He was married to Pamela Harriman. He died in Yorktown Heights in 1986.
Synthesized by Vinony from 24 facts across 2 sources: Wikidata, Vinony collections. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Key facts
- President
- John F. Kennedy , Lyndon B. Johnson
- Preceded by
- George C. McGhee
- Succeeded by
- Eugene V. Rostow
- Lieutenant
- George DeLuca
- Born
- William Averell Harriman , ( 1891-11-15 ) November 15, 1891, New York City , New York , U.S.
- Died
- July 26, 1986 (1986-07-26) (aged 94), Yorktown Heights, New York , U.S.
- Party
- Democratic
- Children
- 2, including Kathleen
- Parents
- E. H. Harriman (father) Mary Williamson (mother)
- Relatives
- Mary Harriman Rumsey (sister), E. Roland Harriman (brother)
- Education
- Yale University ( BA )
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- New York City
- Place of death
- Yorktown Heights
- Father
- Edward Henry Harriman
- Occupation
- businessperson
- Position held
- director
- Educated at
- Yale University
- Employer
- Union Pacific Corporation
- Political party
- Republican Party (United States)
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Academic degree
- Bachelor of Arts
- Sport
- polo
- Image
- W. Averell Harriman in front of a train, 1934.jpg
- Work location
- Washington, D.C.
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- W. Averell Harriman
- date of birth
- 1891-11-15
- date of death
- 1986-07-26
- birth name
- William Averell Harriman
- name in native language
- W. Averell Harriman
- affiliation
- Council on Foreign Relations
- writing language
- English language
- place of burial
- Arden
- Commons Creator page
- W. Averell Harriman
- National Governors Association biography URL
- www.nga.org/governor/william-averell-harriman
- P12749
- 250th Infantry Division
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891 – July 26, 1986) was an American politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was a founder of Harriman & Co. which merged with the older Brown Brothers to form the Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. investment bank, served as Secretary of Commerce under President Harry S. Truman, and was the 48th governor of New York. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for president in 1952 and 1956. 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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “W. Averell Harriman” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.