George L. Harrison | |
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2nd President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York | |
In office November 24, 1928 – December 31, 1940 |
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Preceded by | Benjamin Strong Jr. |
Succeeded by | Allan Sproul |
Personal details | |
Born |
San Francisco, California |
January 26, 1887
Died | March 5, 1958 New York, New York |
(aged 71)
Nationality | United States |
Alma mater |
Yale University (1910) Harvard Law School |
Signature |
George Leslie Harrison (January 26, 1887 – March 5, 1958) was an American banker, insurance executive and advisor to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson during World War II.
He was born in San Francisco, California on January 26, 1887. In 1909, at Yale, he was elected to the Skull and Bones secret society. He was graduated from Yale University in 1910 and Harvard Law School in 1913. After earning his law degree, Harrison became law clerk for one year to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.
After serving as general counsel to the Federal Reserve Board, Harrison served as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for 13 years starting in 1928. He left in 1941 to become president of New York Life Insurance Company. During World War II, he was Secretary Henry L. Stimson's special assistant for matters relating to the development of the atomic bomb. He served with Stimson on the eight-member Interim Committee which examined problems expected to result from the bomb's creation and which recommended direct military use of the bomb against Japan without specific warning. Harrison chaired the committee when Stimson was absent.
He married the widow of Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson, who was the former Alice Gertrude Gordon.
Harrison returned to his position at New York Life after the war, becoming chairman of the company's board in 1948.