Dean Acheson American politician Date of Birth: 11.04.1893 Country: USA

1. Biography of Dean Acheson
2. Political Career
3. Secretary of State and Later Years

Biography of Dean Acheson

Dean G. Acheson (April 11, 1893, Middletown, Connecticut - October 12, 1971, Sandy Spring, Maryland) was an American political figure and statesman. He received his education at Yale University (1915) and Harvard Law School (1918). During World War I, he served in the Navy. From 1919, he worked as the secretary to Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. In 1921, he joined the influential law firm Covington & Burling in Washington, and in 1926, became a co-owner.

Political Career

Starting from the 1920s, Acheson actively participated in local and national politics, supporting the Democratic Party. In March 1933, he entered public service as the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, but soon resigned due to disagreements with President Franklin D. Roosevelt on financial policy issues. In 1941, as a reward for his active support of Roosevelt's foreign policy agenda, Acheson was appointed as the Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. He conducted negotiations with representatives of the Soviet Union on lend-lease, represented the State Department in the creation of the Bretton Woods system and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) for post-war aid and reconstruction.

After a brief period as Deputy Secretary of State for Congressional Relations (September 1944 - August 1945), Acheson served as the 1st Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs from August 16, 1945 to June 20, 1947. Due to the frequent absence of his superiors, James F. Byrnes and George C. Marshall, he directed the work of the State Department. In the spring of 1946, Acheson was one of the initiators of resistance to Soviet demands during the crisis in Iraq, stating that "the only way to stop the Russians is to convince them that the United States is ready to use military force if necessary." He insisted that the United States should take on the role of the main counterweight to "Soviet expansion." Acheson played a key role in formulating the "Truman Doctrine" and was one of the authors of the "Marshall Plan."

Secretary of State and Later Years

From 1949 to 1953, Acheson served as the Secretary of State of the United States. He was one of the initiators of the creation of NATO, the military and political integration of West Germany into the Western alliance system, and the diplomatic support of the US in the Korean War. He played a leading role in President Truman's decision to develop nuclear weapons, among other significant contributions. After his retirement, he served as an advisor to Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. Acheson was the author of several books, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for his memoir "Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department" in 1970.