Eugene Isaac Meyer (Oct. 31, 1875 – July 17, 1959) was an American financial whiz, public official, and newspaper publisher.
A successful speculator, he purchased a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. By the time he was 40, Meyer was worth $40 million.
He went to Washington, D.C., during the World War I as a "dollar-a-year man" for President Woodrow Wilson, becoming the head of the War Finance Corporation. President Calvin Coolidge named him as chairman of the Federal Farm Loan Board in 1927 and President Herbert Hoover promoted him to chairman of the Federal Reserve in 1930. He served in that capacity from Sept. 16, 1930, to May 10, 1933.
Months later he purchased the bankrupt Washington Post at auction and made it a success.
After World War II, Harry Truman named Meyer head of the World Bank in June 1946, and he appointed his son-in-law, Philip S. Graham publisher. Meyer returned to the Post, however, after only six months and served as its chairman until his death.
His daughter, Katharine Graham, headed the Washington Post for more than two decades.
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