John J. McCloy
John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and presidential advisor. He served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry Stimson, helping deal with issues such as German sabotage, political tensions in the North Africa Campaign, and opposing the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the war, he served as the president of the World Bank, U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank, chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Warren Commission, and a prominent United States adviser to all presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan.
John McCloy | |
|---|---|
McCloy in 1950 | |
| Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations | |
| In office 1954–1969 | |
| Preceded by | Russell Cornell Leffingwell |
| Succeeded by | David Rockefeller |
| American High Commissioner for Occupied Germany | |
| In office September 21, 1949 – August 1, 1952 | |
| President | Harry Truman |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Walter J. Donnelly |
| 2nd President of the World Bank Group | |
| In office March 17, 1947 – June 30, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | Eugene Meyer |
| Succeeded by | Gene Black |
| United States Assistant Secretary of War | |
| In office April 22, 1941 – November 24, 1945 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Robert P. Patterson |
| Succeeded by | Howard C. Petersen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Snader McCloy March 31, 1895 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 11, 1989 (aged 93) Cos Cob, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Ellen Zinsser
(m. 1930; died 1986) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Amherst College (BA) Harvard University (LLB) |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction (1963) |
McCloy is best remembered as a member of the foreign policy establishment group of elders called "The Wise Men", a group of statesmen marked by nonpartisanship, pragmatic internationalism, and aversion to ideological fervor.