Herbert H. Lehman
Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 - December 5, 1963) was a Governor and a Senator from New York.
Biographical
Lehman was born in New York City in 1878. A graduate of Williams College (Class of 1899), he helped found the investment bank Lehman Brothers with his brother, Arthur, in 1908. Lehman married Edith Louise Altschul in 1910.
Military and Foreign Affairs
He became a colonel in the U.S. Army during World War I. Lehman was the director of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations for the State Department in 1943. He served as Director-General of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration from 1943 to 1946.
Politics
Lehman became active in politics in 1920, and became chairman of the finance committee of the Democratic Party in 1928, as a reward for being a strong supporter of Alfred E. Smith. He became the lieutenant governor of New York in 1929, then served as the Governor of New York between 1933 and 1942, serving four terms. Afterwards, he was a Senator from New York from 1949 - 1957. Lehman filled the remainder of Robert F. Wagner's term after Wagner resigned following a special election, before winning a full term of his own in 1951. He was defeated in the Democratic primaries in 1946 for reelection to the Senate.
Other facts
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1963. He was a Democrat and was Jewish.
