The American lawyer Robert Brandt von Mehren (born 1922) was instrumental in creating the legal structure of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Robert B. von Mehren was born in Albert Lea, MN, on August 10, 1922. His twin brother, Arthur T. von Mehren, was the Story Professor of Law at Harvard University. He also had a younger brother who was killed in World War II. His father, a civil engineer, was born in Denmark, and his mother was American. An educated and cultured man with a keen interest in art, history, and literature, von Mehren's father had a strong influence on him.

Von Mehren attended Sidney Pratt Elementary School and John Marshall High School in Minneapolis, MN. He won a scholarship to Yale University, where he majored in comparative government, with a minor in economics and politics. He graduated summa cum laude in December 1942.

In 1943 he was awarded a scholarship to...