Why Famous:One of the most powerful men in American domestic and foreign policy in the mid-1940s.
Byrnes was United States Secretary of State during the Iran crisis of 1946, taking an increasingly hardline position in opposition to Joseph Stalin.
His speech, "Restatement of Policy on Germany", set the tone of future US policy, repudiated the Morgenthau Plan economic policies and gave Germans hope for the future.
He also served as a Supreme Court justice, making Byrnes one of the very few politicians to serve in all three branches of the federal government.
Born: May 2, 1879 Birthplace:Charleston, South Carolina, USA Star Sign: Taurus
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