William Averell Harriman was a noted American statesman, diplomat and businessman, known for his association with the ‘Democratic Party.’ He served as the governor of New York and held imminent positions throughout his career. His diplomatic achievements include serving as the US ambassador to the Soviet Union during the presidencies of Franklin D Roosevelt and Harry S Truman and attending major Second World War conferences. He was the US ambassador to the UK, the 11th US secretary of commerce, and the director of the ‘Mutual Security Agency’ at different points in time during Truman’s presidency. He became the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and helped in negotiating the ‘Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty’ during John F Kennedy’s presidency. He served as the under secretary of state for political affairs during the Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson administrations and became greatly involved in the Vietnam War. He served as the 48th governor of New York for a term and unsuccessfully contested twice for a ‘Democratic’ presidential nomination. He remained a core member of the foreign policy elders group called ‘The Wise Men’. He co-owned companies such as ‘Union Pacific Railroad’ and the ‘Merchant Shipping Corporation’ and was a senior partner of ‘Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’