Dean, Arthur H.

Dean, Arthur H. (Hobson) (1898–1987) lawyer, government official; born in Ithaca, N.Y. He interrupted his undergraduate studies at Cornell to serve with the U.S. Navy in World War I, and then went on to take a law degree from Cornell Law School (1923). He joined the New York City law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell in 1923 and would remain with them—with many years off for government service—until 1976. From the beginning he was involved in international law, particularly financial transactions, but he was also directly involved in drafting federal legislation involving the securities and financial markets. During World War II he served with the Coast Guard Reserve, and in 1953, as special deputy secretary of state, he was the chief U.S. negotiator to end the Korean War. He served on other U.S. delegations to conferences on international sea law, a nuclear test ban, and disarmament. He is credited with helping persuade President Lyndon Johnson to stop the bombing of North Vietnam in 1968.