1870-1965
Financier, Chairman of the War Industries Board

Elder Statesman.

Bernard M. Baruch began his career as a Wall Street gambler and evolved into one of the nation's most respected elder statesmen. His skill at predicting stock market fluctuations made him untold millions, but he transcended the financial world using his money and personality to gain political favor with a string of presidents. At the end of his career Baruch gained notoriety for setting up his "office" on a park bench in Lafayette Square across the street from the White House. Baruch's political reputation was solidified in the 1910s when President Woodrow Wilson named him chairman of the War Industries Board (WIB). The speculator's skill at organizing and coordinating the nation's businesses for the First World War won him national acclaim. He parlayed the early success into a cherished position among the country's political elite...