Samuel Rosenman

From Grokipedia

Samuel Irving Rosenman (February 13, 1896 – June 24, 1973) was an American lawyer, judge, and Democratic political advisor who served as special counsel to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1943 to 1945 and Harry S. Truman from April 1945 to February 1946, becoming the first to hold the position of White House Counsel. Born in San Antonio, Texas, to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Rosenman graduated from Columbia Law School and entered New York politics, serving as counsel to Governors Alfred E. Smith and Roosevelt while also sitting on the New York Supreme Court.

As a principal speechwriter and legal advisor to Roosevelt, Rosenman originated the term "New Deal" in a 1932 speech and helped organize the Brains Trust group of experts that shaped early administration policies, including key addresses outlining economic recovery efforts. He drafted numerous presidential messages during World War II, advised on manpower and housing issues, and later edited the multi-volume Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, preserving primary documentation of the era's legislative and rhetorical strategies. Rosenman's influence extended through his role in transitioning executive operations upon Roosevelt's death, ensuring continuity under Truman amid wartime challenges.

In brief

Samuel Rosenman came out of Tammany-era New York law and became Roosevelt’s phrase-maker. “New Deal” was his coinage; the counsel’s office as a standing job was his invention.

He stayed through war speeches and into the Truman years. Few lawyers have left more words in the country’s political dictionary.