What were Dean Acheson’s key roles in U.S. government?

Acheson served as Secretary of State (1949–1953), Under Secretary of State (1945–1947), and Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Affairs (1941–1943). He was a central figure in postwar foreign policy.

How did Acheson influence Cold War strategy?

He designed the containment policy to curb Soviet influence, advocated for NATO’s formation, and supported the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, all of which defined U.S. Cold War engagement.

What legal and diplomatic achievements marked his career?

Acheson co-founded NATO, implemented the Marshall Plan, and practiced international law at Covington & Burling. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963.

Where did Acheson receive his education?

He graduated from Yale College (1915) and Harvard Law School (1919), institutions that shaped his intellectual and professional foundation.

Dean Acheson

American statesman and lawyer (1893-1971)

Person Human Q214758

Dean Acheson — U.S. Department of State from United States · Public Domain · Wikimedia

Facts

30 properties

Instance of: human
Sex or gender: male^[25]
Date of birth: April 11, 1893
Date of death: October 12, 1971
Place of birth: Middletown
Place of death: Sandy Spring
Country of citizenship: United States^[13]
Occupation: politician, diplomat, lawyer
Position held: United States Secretary of State^[14]
Educated at: Yale College, Harvard Law School, Yale University, Harvard University^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18]
Religion or worldview: Episcopal Church^[24]
Member of political party: Democratic Party^[26]
Award received: Pulitzer Prize for History, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Medal for Merit^[19]^[20]^[21]^[22]
Father: Edward Campion Acheson^[9]
Mother: Eleanor Gertrude Acheson^[10]
Spouse: Alice Acheson^[11]
Child: David Campion Acheson^[12]
Cause of death: stroke^[29]
Languages spoken, written or signed: English^[34]
Archives at: National Library of Wales^[28]
Birth name: Dean Gooderham Acheson^[35]
Clerked for: Louis Brandeis
Family name: Acheson^[30]
Given name: Dean, Gooderham^[31]^[32]

Show all 30 facts +6

Manner of death: natural causes^[33]
Member of: American Academy of Arts and Sciences^[23]
Military branch: National Militia^[27]
Name in native language: Dean Gooderham Acheson
Place of burial: Oak Hill Cemetery^[8]
Writing language: English

🏷️ Also known as

en Dean Gooderham Acheson en Dean Acheson ar دين جودرهام آتشيسون ar دين جودرهام أتشيسون ar دين آتشيسون ar دين أتشيسون cs Dean Gooderham Acheson da Dean Gooderham Acheson de Dean Gooderham Acheson el Ντιν Άτσεσον es Dean Gooderham Acheson fa رادین آچسون fi Dean Gooderham Acheson he דין אצ'יסון he דין אצ'סון it Dean Gooderham Acheson ja ディーン・G・アチソン ja ディーン・アチソン ja ディーン・グッダーハム・アチソン ko 딘 애치슨

🔖 Identifiers · 121

ISNI: 0000000110715083
VIAF cluster ID: 76361317
Library of Congress Authorities ID: n79043447
GND ID: 118643665
ARAE ID: acheson-dean-gooderham-1893-1971
Academy of Athens authority ID: 3241
American National Biography ID: 0700002
Arabic Ontology lexical concept ID: 151058756
Archive Site Trinity College Cambridge ID: acheson-dean-1893-1971-us-statesman
Archives at Yale agent ID: people/84466
Article ID in the Lithuanian Universal Encyclopedia Online: dean-gooderham-acheson
Awards & Winners artist ID: 0krz_

Show all 121 identifiers +109

BIBSYS ID: 90179911
BabelNet ID: 00000864n
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID: 12186760h
Brockhaus Enzyklopädie online ID: acheson-dean-gooderham
Bundestag Group Minutes ID: AchesonDeanG
CANTIC ID: 981058526646006706
CONOR.SI ID: 73471331
Cabinet minutes of the German Government ID: register/person/b289ce0c-f4e2-4f60-9e3e-6e3ec6704c87
Canadiana Name Authority ID: ncf10251600
Carnegie Hall agent ID: 110974
Center for Jewish History person ID: 116638
CiNii Research ID: 1140845216527289088
Cyprus University of Technology ID: 98063
DDB person (GND) ID: 118643665
DIZIE ID: acheson-dean-gooderham
DPLA subject term: Acheson, Dean, 1893-1971
De Agostini ID: Acheson,+Dean+Gooderham
Deutsche Biographie (GND) ID: 118643665
Dodis ID: P5580
ELNET ID: a11180237
Enciclopedia Galega Universal ID: 67648
Encyclopaedia Beliana ID: acheson-dean-gooderham
Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition) ID (2026): 21DW43
Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition) old ID (2021): 137426
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID: biography/Dean-Acheson
Encyclopædia Universalis ID: dean-acheson
FAST ID: 34126
FES digital collections entity ID: 408722
Find a Grave memorial ID: 6661729
Freebase ID: /m/0krz_
GTAA ID: 75294
GeneaStar person ID: achesond
Genealogics.org person ID: I00241042
Geni profile ID: 6000000014381850540
Goodreads author ID: 170776
Google Arts & Culture entity ID: m0krz_
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID: dean-gooderham-acheson
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID (former scheme): 0000572
Great Norwegian Encyclopedia ID: Dean_Acheson
Great Russian Encyclopedia Online ID (2017): 1843146
Harper's tag: dean-acheson
Hrvatska enciklopedija ID: 279
ICPSR Personal Names Authority List ID: 13735
IdRef ID: 032680023
Interlingual Index ID: i94242
J9U entity ID: 987007257470705171
JRC Names ID: 130210
KBR person ID: 13969780
Kalliope-Verbund (GND) ID: 118643665
Lex ID: Dean_Acheson
Libraries Australia ID: 35000733
Libris-URI: 64jlmfsq2pq30q0
MMB ID: 122404
Modern History Database person ID: atjeelerrdleyhr
Munzinger person ID: 00000000850
NACSIS-CAT author ID: DA00540143
NDL Authority ID: 00430929
NE.se ID: dean-acheson
NL CR AUT ID: jn20011211228
NLA Trove people ID: 784640
NLP ID: a0000002075828
NNDB people ID: 425/000054263
NSK (VIAF) ID: 000295733
NSK ID: 981005757135809366
NUKAT ID: n99026846
National Library of Chile ID: 000161460
National Library of Ireland ID: vtls001229476
National Library of Israel ID (old): 000006695
National Library of Korea ID: KAC2018O2855
National Library of Latvia ID: 000116337
National Library of Lithuania ID: LNB:V*2704;=1A
National Library of Poland MMS ID: 9810564736105606
National Library of Portugal ID: 103416
National Library of Spain SpMaBN ID: XX1171640
National Library of Wales Authority ID: acheson-dean-1893-1971
National Portrait Gallery (London) person ID: mp75931
National Virtual Library of India ID: 790120, 217693
Nationale Thesaurus voor Auteursnamen ID: 06824696X
Obálky knih ID: jn20011211228
Online PWN Encyclopedia ID: 3865488
Open Library ID: OL17223A
Our Campaigns candidate ID: 19805
Oxford Reference overview ID: 20110803095347863
PM20 folder ID: pe/000075
PUG authority ID: 73399
Parsifal cluster ID: 423633
Polignosi ID: 1429
Political Graveyard politician ID: acampora-adamowski.html#561.19.64
Prabook ID: 3211201
Proleksis enciklopedija ID: 47271
RERO ID (legacy): A002906634
SBN author ID: SBLV280701
SELIBR ID: 207982
SNAC ARK ID: w6jm27mq
SNARC ID: Gedeon Burkhard
Topic's main category: Category:Dean Acheson
Trading Card Database name ID: 42258
Treccani ID: dean-gooderham-acheson
U.S. National Archives Identifier: 10580590
UK National Archives ID: F33763
UOM ID: 52256
University of Barcelona authority ID: 981058526646006706
University of Barcelona authority ID (former scheme): a1321661
Unz Review author ID: AchesonDean
WeRelate person ID: Dean_Acheson_(1)
WikiTree person ID: Acheson-383
WordNet 3.1 Synset ID: 10827462-n
WorldCat Entities ID: E39PBJvcXj9RtRHbG4hRxCk4bd
Yale LUX ID: person/0c178491-4bcc-4f56-8ee3-e960c4be88e8

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections

Award received 4

Presidential Medal of Freedom, Pulitzer Prize for History, Medal for Merit, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Educated at 4

Harvard University, Yale University, Harvard Law School, Yale College

Occupation 3

politician, lawyer, diplomat

← Signatory 2

North Atlantic Treaty, ANZUS

Archives at 1

National Library of Wales

Cause of death 1

stroke

Clerked for 1

Louis Brandeis

Country of citizenship 1

United States

Edited works 1

Acheson–Lilienthal Report

Founded entities 1

NATO

Given name 1

Dean

Instance of 1

human

Languages spoken, written or signed 1

English

Manner of death 1

natural causes

Member of 1

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Member of political party 1

Democratic Party

Military branch 1

National Militia

Place of birth 1

Middletown

Place of burial 1

Oak Hill Cemetery

Place of death 1

Sandy Spring

Position held 1

United States Secretary of State

Religion or worldview 1

Episcopal Church

SNARC ID 1

Gedeon Burkhard

Sex or gender 1

male

Spouse 1

Alice Acheson

Spouses 1

Alice Acheson

Writing language 1

English

← Characters 1

Thirteen Days

← FactGrid item ID 1

Tamlaght

Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Summary

Dean Acheson was born on April 11, 1893^[1], in Middletown^[2]. He died on October 12, 1971^[3], in Sandy Spring^[4]. He worked as a politician^[5], diplomat^[6], and lawyer^[7].

FAQs

Where was Dean Acheson born?

Dean Acheson's place of birth was Middletown^[2].

Where did Dean Acheson die?

Dean Acheson passed away in Sandy Spring^[4].

Who were Dean Acheson's parents?

Dean Acheson's father was Edward Campion Acheson^[9]. Dean Acheson's mother was Eleanor Gertrude Acheson^[10].

Who was Dean Acheson married to?

Dean Acheson's spouses include Alice Acheson^[11].

What did Dean Acheson do for work?

Dean Acheson worked as a politician^[5], diplomat^[6], and lawyer^[7].

Where did Dean Acheson go to school?

Dean Acheson was educated at Yale College^[15], Harvard Law School^[16], Yale University^[17], and Harvard University^[18].

What awards did Dean Acheson receive?

Honors received include Pulitzer Prize for History^[19], Presidential Medal of Freedom^[20], Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences^[21], and Medal for Merit^[22].

🛰️ Living Edge · news-derived, source-cited

high ≥ 0.90 · emerging ≥ 0.65 · low below — calibrated against hand-rated truth (single-source .44 · two-source .62 · production-typical .70), so a band is a measurement, not a promise. High is rare by design: it needs both a supported assertion and an evidence sentence. A confirmed or contradicted chip is a Wikidata cross-check; no chip means Wikidata has no value for that property — the ordinary case here, and it says nothing either way. A confirm-only note marks a property whose check can never disagree (Wikidata's border and capital data is not exhaustive), so silence there is a limit of the check, not of the claim.

served-tier precision 80.7% [76.2, 84.5] · rated rows currently served n=342 · entailment-gated at 0.85 · measured 2026-09-29 · re-scored every 10 min, demoted at the half-hourly fold

Position held secretary of state emerging0.662 independent sources

evidence “He enlisted his former law clerk Dean Acheson, a renowned international lawyer who would later become secretary of state, to make the argument publicly.” cfr.org · read source

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

[2] ↑ Dean Acheson — place of birth (P19): Middletown. Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2026-10-17. wikidata.org.
[4] ↑ Dean Acheson — place of death (P20): Sandy Spring. Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2026-10-17. wikidata.org.
[25] ↑ Dean Acheson — sex or gender (P21): male. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[9] ↑ Dean Acheson — father (P22): Edward Campion Acheson. wikidata.org.
[10] ↑ Dean Acheson — mother (P25): Eleanor Gertrude Acheson. Geni.com. wikidata.org.
[11] ↑ Dean Acheson — spouse (P26): Alice Acheson. wikidata.org.
[13] ↑ Dean Acheson — country of citizenship (P27): United States. wikidata.org.
[14] ↑ Dean Acheson — position held (P39): United States Secretary of State. wikidata.org.
[12] ↑ Dean Acheson — child (P40): David Campion Acheson. wikidata.org.
[15] ↑ Dean Acheson — educated at (P69): Yale College. wikidata.org.
[16] ↑ Dean Acheson — educated at (P69): Harvard Law School. wikidata.org.
[17] ↑ Dean Acheson — educated at (P69): Yale University. wikidata.org.
[18] ↑ Dean Acheson — educated at (P69): Harvard University. wikidata.org.
[26] ↑ Dean Acheson — member of political party (P102): Democratic Party. wikidata.org.
[5] ↑ Dean Acheson — occupation (P106): politician. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[6] ↑ Dean Acheson — occupation (P106): diplomat. wikidata.org.
[7] ↑ Dean Acheson — occupation (P106): lawyer. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[8] ↑ Dean Acheson — place of burial (P119): Oak Hill Cemetery. wikidata.org.
[24] ↑ Dean Acheson — religion or worldview (P140): Episcopal Church. wikidata.org.
[19] ↑ Dean Acheson — award received (P166): Pulitzer Prize for History. pulitzer.org. pulitzer.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[20] ↑ Dean Acheson — award received (P166): Presidential Medal of Freedom. crsreports.congress.gov. crsreports.congress.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[21] ↑ Dean Acheson — award received (P166): Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. wikidata.org.
[22] ↑ Dean Acheson — award received (P166): Medal for Merit. presidency.ucsb.edu. presidency.ucsb.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[27] ↑ Dean Acheson — military branch (P241): National Militia. wikidata.org.
[23] ↑ Dean Acheson — member of (P463): American Academy of Arts and Sciences. wikidata.org.
[28] ↑ Dean Acheson — archives at (P485): National Library of Wales. wikidata.org.
[29] ↑ Dean Acheson — cause of death (P509): stroke. wikidata.org.
[1] ↑ Dean Acheson — date of birth (P569): April 11, 1893. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[3] ↑ Dean Acheson — date of death (P570): October 12, 1971. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[30] ↑ Dean Acheson — family name (P734): Acheson. wikidata.org.
[31] ↑ Dean Acheson — given name (P735): Dean. wikidata.org.
[32] ↑ Dean Acheson — given name (P735): Gooderham. wikidata.org.
[33] ↑ Dean Acheson — manner of death (P1196): natural causes. wikidata.org.
[34] ↑ Dean Acheson — languages spoken, written or signed (P1412): English. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[35] ↑ Dean Acheson — birth name (P1477): Dean Gooderham Acheson. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Dean Acheson. Retrieved November 8, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/dean-acheson

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BibTeX

@misc{4ortxyz_dean-acheson_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Dean Acheson}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/dean-acheson}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-08}}

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

26d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗

"Changed [nb] labels, descriptions, aliases and claims: other names, source for place of birth, source for place of death, source for date of death from Store norske leksikon (…"
12w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗

BabelNet ID → 00000864n

Arabic Ontology lexical concept ID → 151058756

"added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
14w ago · Susmuffin · 2026-08-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Harper's tag → dean-acheson

"Created claim: Harper's tag: dean-acheson, Matched to dean acheson (#289919015) in Harper's tag…"
17w ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition) ID (2026) → 21DW43

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #40849: ZGBK ID"
18w ago · Sj1mor · 2026-07-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Plaque image → Dean Acheson plaque - geograph.org.uk - 3905921.jpg

"Created claim: Plaque image: Dean Acheson plaque - geograph.org.uk - 3905921.jpg"
19w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-25 view diff on Wikidata ↗

FES digital collections entity ID → 408722

"Created claim: FES digital collections entity ID: 408722, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782398664614"
26w ago · MarisDreshmanisBot bot · 2026-05-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗

"Changed labels, descriptions or aliases: Add multilingual descriptions (28 language"

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