Born May 11, 1891 New York, New York

Died February 6, 1967 Poughkeepsie, New York

Secretary of the treasury

Henry Morgenthau. AP/Wide World Photo. Reproduced by permission.

"[A]lthough obviously bright, the boy [Morgenthau] suffered from what today would be called a learning disability.… Despite hard work, the boy developed an aversion to conventional schooling."

Henry Morgenthau III, in the 1991 book Mostly Morgenthaus: A Family History

Though a poor student throughout his school career and very awkward during public appearances later in life, Henry Morgenthau Jr. served as secretary of the treasury for eleven years during some of the most challenging economic times in U.S. history. From 1934 to 1940 he tried to maintain a stable monetary system in the face of the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis the United States had ever experienced. In the early 1940s Morgenthau was in charge of financing the massive U.S. war...