David E. Lilienthal
| David E. Lilienthal | |
|---|---|
David E. Lilienthal before a Senate committee in 1937.
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| Member, Wisconsin Public Service Commission | |
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In office 1931–1933 |
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| Governor | Philip La Follette |
| Co-Director, Tennessee Valley Authority | |
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In office 1933–1941 |
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| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Chairman, Tennessee Valley Authority | |
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In office 1941–1946 |
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| President |
Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | No predecessor |
| Succeeded by | Gordon R. Clapp |
| Chairman, United States Atomic Energy Commission | |
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In office 1946–1950 |
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| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | No predecessor |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Dean |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Eli Lilienthal July 8, 1899 Morton, Illinois |
| Died | January 15, 1981 (aged 81) New York City |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Marian Lamb |
| Alma mater |
DePauw University Harvard Law School |
| Signature |  |
David Eli Lilienthal (July 8, 1899 – January 15, 1981) was an American attorney and public administrator, best known for leading the Tennessee Valley Authority and later the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). He had practiced public utility law and led the Wisconsin Public Utilities Commission.
Later he was co-author with Dean Acheson (later Secretary of State) of the 1946 Report on the International Control of Atomic Energy, which outlined possible methods for international control of nuclear weapon. As chair of the AEC, he was one of the pioneers in civilian management of nuclear power resources.
Born in Morton, Illinois in 1899, David Lilienthal was the oldest son of Jewish immigrants from Austria-Hungary. His mother Minna Rosenak (1874–1956) came from Szomolány (now Smolenice) in Slovakia, emigrating to America at age 17. His father Leo Lilienthal (1868–1951) was from Hungary, serving several years in the Hungarian army before emigrating to the United States in 1893. Minna and Leo were married in Chicago in 1897, then moved to the town of Morton, where Leo briefly operated a dry goods store.
Leo's business ventures took the family several places. Young David was raised principally in the Indiana towns of Valparaiso and Michigan City. Although he spent part of his sophomore year in Gary, he graduated in 1916 from Elston High School in Michigan City.
Lilienthal attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1920. There he joined Delta Upsilon social fraternity and was elected president of the student body. He was active in forensics and won a state oratorical contest in 1918. He also gained distinction as a light heavyweight boxer.
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