Clay, Lucius Dubignon

Clay, Lucius Dubignon
(1898-1978)
   Born in Marietta, Georgia, Lucius Clay graduated from West Point in 1918 and was commissioned in the Engineers Corps. In the interwar years, he served at a number of schools and colleges and in the Rivers and Harbors Section of the Office of the Chief of Engineers. As the Chief of Engineers spokesman to congress, Clay assisted with several programs in the Works Progress Administration. From 1937 to 1938 he was chief of staff for General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines. After returning to the United States, he was assistant administrator with the Civil Aeronautic Authority and was responsible for improving and building airfields for military uses. He held a number of wartime posts involving production and procurement of military supplies and in 1944 took command of supplying the Allied forces in Normandy. At the end of the year, he became aide to James F. Byrnes in the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion before returning to Europe to assist in the military occupation of Germany. Clay was appointed deputy military governor of the American zone from 1945 to 1947 and military governor from 1947 to 1949. He advocated an element of German reconstruction prior to payment of reparations to the Soviet Union and in May 1946 broke off negotiations concerning reparations from the American zone. Clay also worked to unite the British and American zones with a common economic policy in the Bizone on 1 January 1947. Following the French entry into the agreement and the establishment of a common currency in January 1948, the Soviets imposed the Berlin blockade. Clay proposed smashing the blockade by force but was overruled by President Harry S. Truman. Instead, Clay directed the Berlin Airlift that eventually helped bring about the lifting of the blockade. He returned home to the United States and received a ticker-tape welcome in New York City. After his retirement in 1950, Clay was chair of the Continental Can Company until 1962 and a senior partner in Lehman Brothers investment bankers from 1963 to 1973. He also acted as a special advisor in Berlin from 1961 to 1962 following the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era . . 2015.

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  • Clay,Lucius DuBignon — Clay, Lucius DuBignon. 1897 1978. American army officer who commanded U.S. forces in Germany (1945 1949) and oversaw the Berlin airlift (1948). * * * …   Universalium

  • Lucius DuBignon Clay — noun United States general who commanded United States forces in Europe from 1945 to 1949 and who oversaw the Berlin airlift (1897 1978) • Syn: ↑Clay, ↑Lucius Clay • Instance Hypernyms: ↑general, ↑full general …   Useful english dictionary

  • Lucius Clay — Lucius Dubignon Clay (* 23. April 1897 in Marietta, Georgia; † 16. April 1978 in Chatham, Massachusetts) war ein General der US Army und von 1947 bis 1949 Militärgouverneur der US amerikanischen Besatzungszone in Deutschland. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Clay — /klay/, n. 1. Bertha M. (Charlotte Monica Braeme), 1836 84, English author: originator of a long series of romantic novels. 2. Cassius Marcellus, 1810 1903, U.S. antislavery leader and diplomat. 3. Cassius Marcellus, Jr., original name of… …   Universalium

  • Lucius — /looh sheuhs/, n. a male given name: from a Latin word meaning light. * * * (as used in expressions) Lucius Domitius Aurelianus Lucius Sergius Catilina Apuleius Lucius Clay Lucius DuBignon Crassus Lucius Licinius Lucullus Lucius Licinius… …   Universalium

  • clay — clay1 claylike, adj. /klay/, n. 1. a natural earthy material that is plastic when wet, consisting essentially of hydrated silicates of aluminum: used for making bricks, pottery, etc. 2. earth; mud. 3. earth, esp. regarded as the material from… …   Universalium

  • Lucius Clay — noun United States general who commanded United States forces in Europe from 1945 to 1949 and who oversaw the Berlin airlift (1897 1978) • Syn: ↑Clay, ↑Lucius DuBignon Clay • Instance Hypernyms: ↑general, ↑full general …   Useful english dictionary

  • Lucius D. Clay — Lucius D. Clay …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lucius Clay — Lucius D. Clay Pour les articles homonymes, voir Clay. Le général Lucius D. Clay …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lucius D. Clay, Jr. — Infobox Military Person name=Lucius D. Clay, Jr. born= birth date|1919|7|6 died= Death date and age|1994|2|7|1919|7|6 placeofburial= caption=General Lucius DuBignon Clay Jr. nickname= placeofbirth= Alexandria, Virginia placeofdeath= Fort Belvoir …   Wikipedia

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