George L. Harrison

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George L. Harrison

George L. Harrison (January 26, 1887 - March 5, 1958) was an American banker, insurance executive and advisor to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson during World War II.

Born in San Francisco, California, he was educated at Yale University and Harvard Law School. In 1909, at Yale, he was elected to the Skull and Bones secret society.^[1] He served as clerk to US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr..

After serving as general counsel to the Federal Reserve Board, Harrison served as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for 13 years, leaving in 1941 to become president of New York Life Insurance Company. During World War II, he was Secretary Stimson's special assistant for matters relating to the development of the atomic bomb. He served with Stimson on the eight-member Interim Committee which examined problems expected to result from the bomb's creation and which recommended direct military use of the bomb against Japan without specific warning. Harrison chaired the committee when Stimson was absent.

Harrison returned to his position at New York Life after the war, becoming chairman of the company's board in 1948. He died in 1958 and is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, DC.