W. Averell Harriman

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "W. Averell Harriman" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

W. Averell Harriman
Harriman in 1952
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
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific 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 (1891-11-15)November 15, 1891 New York City, U.S.
Died	July 26, 1986(1986-07-26) (aged 94) Yorktown Heights, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Kitty Lanier Lawrance ​ ​ (m. 1915; div. 1929)​ Marie Norton Whitney ​ ​ (m. 1930; died 1970)​ Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward ​ ​ (m. 1971)​
Children	Mary Kathleen
Parents	E. H. Harriman Mary Williamson
Relatives	Mary Harriman Rumsey (sister) E. Roland Harriman (brother)
Education	Yale University (BA)
Signature

William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891 – July 26, 1986), better known as Averell Harriman, was an American Democratic politician, businessman, and diplomat. He founded Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., served as Secretary of Commerce under President Harry S. Truman, and was the 48th governor of New York, as well as a candidate for 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 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.