born Aug. 8, 1908, Chicago, Ill., U.S.
died Jan. 19, 1990, Washington, D.C.
U.S. jurist.
After passing the Illinois bar examination at the age of 20, he practiced law in Chicago from 1929 to 1948. He first gained national attention as counsel for the Chicago Newspaper Guild during its 1938 strike. In 1948 he went to Washington, D.C., as general counsel for the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the United Steelworkers of America. He was instrumental in merging the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the CIO in 1955. After serving as U.S. secretary of labour (196162), he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States (196265). At the request of Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson , he gave up his seat on the court to become U.S. ambassador to the UN (196568), a post he resigned in protest over Johnson's escalation of the Vietnam War. He twice served as ambassador-at-large for Pres. Jimmy Carter .