Dean Acheson '15, '62LLDHon (1893-1971). As undersecretary and, later, secretary of state under President Truman, Acheson developed America’s military and aid plans and Cold War policies in the post-World War II era. He played key roles in the making of the Truman Doctrine and in establishing NATO and the Marshall Plan.

Acheson also served as adviser to presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon. His memoir, Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1970. From 1936 to 1961 he served on the Yale Corporation.

At the dedication of the commemorative stamp issued on the centennial of his birth, Secretary of State Warren Christopher said: “Mr. Acheson showed us that we can act in light of our constant values and vital interests without being knocked off our stride by the passions and burdens of the moment. He showed us that as a great nation, the United States can make judicious use of its great power on behalf of great principles.” The stamp was issued in 1993.