Oscar M. Ruebhausen
Encyclopedia
Oscar M. Ruebhausen was a prominent New York City
lawyer
, and adviser to Governor
Nelson A. Rockefeller, and a president of the New York City Bar Association.
on August 28, 1912, and was raised in Vermont
. He attended Dartmouth College
, where he graduated summa cum laude, and Yale Law School
, where he was notes editor of the Yale Law Journal
.
.
Ruebhausen was exempted from military service during World War II
for health reasons, but in 1941 he moved to Washington, D.C.
to work for the Lend-Lease Administration financing material aid for the Allied war effort in Europe
. In 1944, he became general counsel to the Office of Scientific Research and Development
(OSRD), headed by the engineer Vannevar Bush
. That year, at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
, Ruebhausen helped Bush draft a letter on how scientific research could be useful to the United States
in peace time. The letter became the blueprint for the establishment of the National Science Foundation
in 1950.
After the war, Ruebhausen returned to practice at Debevoise & Plimpton, where he remained until his retirement in 1987. From 1950 to 1951, he also served as counsel to the International Development Advisory Board, where he began a life-long relationship with Nelson A. Rockefeller, the organization’s chairman, as a friend and political adviser. When Rockefeller became Governor of New York
, Ruebhausen served him in a number of capacities, including as chairman of a Task Force on Protection from Radioactive Fallout, as Special Adviser on Atomic Energy, and as chairman of a panel on Insurance Holding Companies.
Ruebhausen also maintained a long relationship with the New York City Bar Association, where he served as president from 1980 to 1982. In keeping with his professional interest in science, he served as chair of the Association’s Special Committee on Atomic Energy from 1949 to 1959 and as chair of the Committee on Science and the Law from 1959 to 1967.
. He was 92 years old.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and adviser to Governor
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
Nelson A. Rockefeller, and a president of the New York City Bar Association.
Early life and education
Oscar Ruebhausen was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
on August 28, 1912, and was raised in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. He attended Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, where he graduated summa cum laude, and Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, where he was notes editor of the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
.
Career
In 1937, Ruebhausen joined the law firm Debevoise, Stevenson, Plimpton & Page, a precursor to the modern firm of Debevoise & PlimptonDebevoise & Plimpton
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a prominent international law firm based in New York City. Founded in 1931 by Eli Whitney Debevoise and William Stevenson, Debevoise has been a long established leader in corporate litigation and large financial transactions. In recent years, its practice has taken on an...
.
Ruebhausen was exempted from military service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for health reasons, but in 1941 he moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to work for the Lend-Lease Administration financing material aid for the Allied war effort in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1944, he became general counsel to the Office of Scientific Research and Development
Office of Scientific Research and Development
The Office of Scientific Research and Development was an agency of the United States federal government created to coordinate scientific research for military purposes during World War II. Arrangements were made for its creation during May 1941, and it was created formally by on June 28, 1941...
(OSRD), headed by the engineer Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush was an American engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computing, his political role in the development of the atomic bomb as a primary organizer of the Manhattan Project, the founding of Raytheon, and the idea of the memex, an adjustable microfilm viewer...
. That year, at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, Ruebhausen helped Bush draft a letter on how scientific research could be useful to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in peace time. The letter became the blueprint for the establishment of the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
in 1950.
After the war, Ruebhausen returned to practice at Debevoise & Plimpton, where he remained until his retirement in 1987. From 1950 to 1951, he also served as counsel to the International Development Advisory Board, where he began a life-long relationship with Nelson A. Rockefeller, the organization’s chairman, as a friend and political adviser. When Rockefeller became Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
, Ruebhausen served him in a number of capacities, including as chairman of a Task Force on Protection from Radioactive Fallout, as Special Adviser on Atomic Energy, and as chairman of a panel on Insurance Holding Companies.
Ruebhausen also maintained a long relationship with the New York City Bar Association, where he served as president from 1980 to 1982. In keeping with his professional interest in science, he served as chair of the Association’s Special Committee on Atomic Energy from 1949 to 1959 and as chair of the Committee on Science and the Law from 1959 to 1967.
Death
Ruebhausen died on October 8, 1994 at New York Presbyterian Hospital in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He was 92 years old.
Sources
- Morris, Jeffrey B. “Making Sure We are True to Our Founders”: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 1980-1995. New York, NY: Fordham University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8232-1738-8
- “Oscar M. Ruebhausen, 92, Former Rockefeller Adviser, is Dead.” The New York Times. December 12, 2004.
- Oscar M. Ruebhausen Biography, Yale Law School