New Delhi, June 21 -- Dean Gooderham Acheson (1893-1971) was an influential American lawyer, diplomat, and statesman who served as the 51st U.S. Secretary of State during President Harry S. Truman's administration from 1949 to 1953. He played a central role in shaping American foreign policy during the formative years of the Cold War.

Born in Middletown, Connecticut, Acheson was educated at Groton School and Yale University before studying law. He later clerked for Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and joined the prominent Washington law firm Covington & Burling. His public service career began under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, serving briefly as Under Secretary of the Treasury in 1933. After returning to private legal practice, ...