born Aug. 17, 1890, Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
died Jan. 29, 1946, New York, N.Y.
U.S. New Deal official.
He was a social worker in New York City through the 1920s. From 1931 to 1933 he directed the state's emergency relief agency. After WPA ). After serving as U.S. commerce secretary (1938–40), he made several trips for Roosevelt to London and later to Moscow to discuss economic assistance and military strategy. In 1941 he was put in charge of the lend-lease program. He was regarded as Roosevelt's closest personal adviser during World War II.