Berle, A. A.

Berle, A. A. (Adolph Augustus) (1895–1971) lawyer, economist, public official; born in Boston, Mass. Educated at Harvard, he practiced law in Boston and New York City before becoming a professor of corporate law at Columbia University in 1927. He joined Franklin D. Roosevelt's "brain trust" for the 1932 presidential campaign and served as an assistant secretary of state (1938–44) and ambassador to Brazil (1945–46). He published several important works on business organization and on Latin America. He retired from Columbia in 1963, but continued teaching as a professor emeritus until his death.