Henry Morgenthau Jr.
| Henry Morgenthau Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 52nd United States Secretary of the Treasury | |
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In office January 1, 1934 – July 22, 1945 |
|
| President |
Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | William H. Woodin |
| Succeeded by | Frederick M. Vinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 11, 1891 New York City, New York |
| Died | February 6, 1967 (aged 75) Poughkeepsie, New York |
| Spouse(s) | Elinor Fatman |
| Children | Joan Morgenthau Hirschhorn Henry Morgenthau III Robert M. Morgenthau |
| Education | Timothy Dwight School |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Signature |  |
Henry Morgenthau Jr. (/ˈmɔːrɡənθɔː/; May 11, 1891 – February 6, 1967) was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He played a major role in designing and financing the New Deal. After 1937, while still in charge of the Treasury, he played the central role in financing US participation in World War II. He also played an increasingly major role in shaping foreign policy, especially with respect to Lend Lease, support for China, helping Jewish refugees, and proposing (in the "Morgenthau Plan") to prevent Germany from again being a military threat by wrecking its industry and mines.
Morgenthau was the father of Robert M. Morgenthau, who was District Attorney of Manhattan for 35 years and Henry Morgenthau III, an American author and television producer.
Morgenthau was born into a prominent Jewish family in New York City, the son of Henry Morgenthau, Sr., a real estate mogul and diplomat, and Josephine Sykes. He had three sisters. He attended the Dwight School, then studied architecture and agriculture at Cornell University. In 1913, he met and became friends with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. He operated a farm named Fishkill Farms near the Roosevelt estate in upstate New York, specializing, like FDR, in growing Christmas trees. He was concerned about distress among farmers, who comprised over a fourth of the population. In 1922 he took over the American Agriculturalist magazine, making it a voice for reclamation, conservation, and scientific farming. In 1929, Roosevelt, as Governor of New York, appointed him chair of the New York State Agricultural Advisory Committee and to the state Conservation Commission.
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