Eugene Isaac Meyer (1875-1959)

He was born in Los Angeles, California, to the son of the German-born President of Lazard Frères in the United States, bankers. He grew up in San Francisco and was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and then Yale University. He joined Lazard Frères, but four years later purchased a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and set up on his own account. By his fortieth birthday, he was worth $40 million. During World War I, Woodrow Wilson appointed him head of the War Finance Corporation. In 1929, he purchased the Washington Post newspaper and it was his friendship with the UK Ambassador that gave the Post the scoop on the Duke of Windsor's relationship with Wallis Simpson. In 1930, Herbert Hoover appointed him Chairman of the Federal Reserve, resigning when Roosevelt took office. In 1946, Harry Truman appointed him the 1st President of the World Bank Group, a position he held for six months before resigning to chair the Washington Post Company, in which position he died. He married Agnes Ernest and was the father of five children including Katharine Graham, publisher of the Post, and photographer Florence Meyer. His brother, Edgar, went down with the Titanic. He lived at Seven Springs, now owned by Donald Trump.