Raymond Moley
Born September 27, 1886
Berea, Ohio

Died February 18, 1975
Phoenix, Arizona

Rexford Tugwell
Born July 10, 1891
Sinclairville, New York

Died July 21, 1979
Santa Barbara, California

Adolf Berle Jr.
Born January 29, 1895
Brighton, Massachusetts

Died February 17, 1971
New York, New York

Scholars, presidential advisers

Adolph Berle Jr. AP/Wide World Photo. Reproduced by permission.

"Tugwell wanted everyone to share in America's abundance.… As a result, he was often frustrated, and in those moments of frustration, his so-called radicalism appeared."

Michael V. Namorato in the 1988 book Rexford Tugwell: A Biography

Raymond Moley, Rexford Tugwell, and Adolf Berle were selected to advise Democratic candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945; served 1933–45; see entry) during his presidential campaign of 1932. These three experts were the core of Roosevelt's advisory group, which came to be known as the "Brain Trust." They offered major new ideas that shaped Roosevelt's campaign and the first years of his presidency as he...