William Henry Draper Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1stUnited States Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization | |
| In office April 8, 1953 – June 13, 1953 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | John Chambers Hughes |
| United States Under Secretary of the Army | |
| In office September 18, 1947 – February 28, 1949 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Gray |
| United States Under Secretary of War | |
| In office August 29, 1947 – September 17, 1947 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Royall |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1894-08-10)August 10, 1894 |
| Died | December 26, 1974(1974-12-26) (aged 80) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Katherine Baum |
| Education | New York University(BA,MA) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1918–1949 |
| Rank |  Major General |
William Henry Draper Jr. (August 10, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American army officer, banker, government official, and diplomat.
William Henry Draper Jr., was born on August 10, 1894, inHarlem, New York City. His parents were Mary Emma (née Carey) Draper (1872–1960)[1] and William Henry Draper (1859–1929).
Draper received aB.A. andM.A. in economics atNew York University.[2]
Draper joined the U.S. Army soon after finishing college and served during World War I as a major in the infantry. After the war, he stayed in theOrganized Reserve and worked his way up to chief of staff of the77th Division from 1936 to 1940.[2]
From 1919 to 1921, he worked forNational City Bank in New York City. He later worked forBankers Trust from 1923 to 1927, and thenDillon, Read & Co. from 1927. In 1937, he was made a vice president of Dillon Read. Dillon Read promoted bonds of the Soviet Union after its recognition by the U.S. government in 1933. Dillon Read also underwrote millions of dollars' worth of German industrial bonds in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s.[3] He worked for Dillon Read until 1953.[2]
At the invitation ofGeorge Marshall, he moved to Washington, D.C., to serve on the President's Advisory Committee forSelective Service, and he was promoted to colonel in 1940. At the start of World War II, he took command of the 136th Infantry,33rd Division, National Guard.[3]
At the end of the war, he was promoted to brigadier general and was posted to Berlin to serve as chief of the Economics Division,Allied Control Council for Germany from 1945 to 1947. He opposed theMorgenthau Plan, which was designed to prevent a resurgence of German economic and military power by deindustrializing it and turning into a pastoral country. Instead, he strongly supported measures to expedite Germany's economic recovery along liberal free-market and democratic lines followed byKonrad Adenauer andLudwig Erhard. There was some criticism of him by the Chief of theDecartelization Branch for Military Government in Germany after World War II,James Stewart Martin for leaving some former Nazis in their positions in industry, in particularAlexander Kreuter.[4]
After a promotion to major-general, Draper was asked by the newSecretary of WarKenneth C. Royall to become hisUnder Secretary of War. With the transition of theDepartment of War to theDepartment of the Army, Draper became the first under secretary of the Army from September 18, 1947, to February 28, 1949.[3] Later in 1949, he rejoined Dillon Read as a senior partner.[5]According to the Annenberg CPB documentary "The Pacific Century, Ep.5 Reinventing Japan" Gen. Draper, referred to therein as the "Wall Street General" was instrumental in overturning some key progressive reforms sought by Colonel Charles Kades of the Supreme Command Allied Powers (SCAP) in occupied Japan.
Draper served asLong Island Rail Road trustee from 1950 to 1951. He served as the firstUS Ambassador to NATO in Paris.[2]
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On August 7, 1948, Draper, then Undersecretary of War, requested thatWilliam L. Marbury Jr. fly to Geneva, Switzerland, and spend a month there to help the U.S. negotiate theGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Marbury was a close friend ofAlger Hiss. Draper's request came days afterWhittaker Chambers had included Hiss's name among those of government spies in theWare Group during Chambers' testimony under subpoena before theHouse Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). In effect, the request prevented Marbury from helping during Hiss's further HUAC testimony in August and into September, when Hiss was considering a libel suit against Chambers for statements made August 27 on NBC Radio's nationwideMeet the Press broadcast.[6][7]
After retiring from public service a second time, he traveled toMexico City to serve as chairman of theMexican Light and Power Company. Returning to the U.S. in 1959,[8] he formed the first West Coastventure capital firm Draper, Gaither and Anderson inCalifornia.[9]
In 1967, he retired from Draper Gaither, moved to Washington, D.C., and joinedCombustion Engineering in New York as chairman,[10] retiring a few years later to become the U.S. delegate to theUnited Nations Population Commission, serving from 1969 to 1971. He also cofounded thePopulation Crisis Committee in 1965 and chaired theDraper Committee.[11]
On September 7, 1918, Draper was married to Katherine Louise Baum, a daughter of George Baum ofYonkers, New York. Before her death in 1942,[12] they were the parents of three children, including:
On March 12, 1949, he remarried to Eunice Barzynski, a daughter of Brig.-Gen. Joseph E. Barzynski.[18][19]
Draper died on December 26, 1974, of a heart attack inNaples, Florida. After a funeral in Fort Myer, he was buried atArlington National Cemetery.[2][20]
Through his son William, he was the grandfather of actressPolly Draper and venture capitalistTimothy C. Draper who foundedDraper Fisher Jurvetson. Through his grandson Timothy, he was a great-grandfather of venture capitalist and television personalityJesse Draper. Through his granddaughter Polly, he was a great-grandfather ofNat Wolff andAlex Wolff, who are both actors and musicians.
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Under Secretary of War August 29, 1947–September 17, 1947 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by New Office | United States Under Secretary of the Army September 18, 1947–February 28, 1949 | Succeeded by |
| Business positions | ||
| Preceded by | President ofLong Island Rail Road 1950–1951 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by New Office | United States Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization April 8, 1953–June 13, 1953 | Succeeded by |
