Benevolence Define: Berle Means

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Berle Means

Berle was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He entered Harvard College at age 14, earning a bachelor's degree in 1913 and a master's in 1914. He then enrolled in Harvard Law School. In 1916, at age 21, he became the youngest graduate in the school's history.

Upon graduation Berle joined the military. His first assignment as an intelligence officer was to assist in increasing sugar production in the Dominican Republic by working out property and contractual conflicts among rural landowners. Immediately after World War I Berle became a member of the American Delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, advocating for smaller nations' rights of self-determination. In 1919 Berle moved to New York City and became a member of the law firm of Berle, Berle and Brunner.Berle became a professor of corporate law at Columbia Law School in 1927 and remained on the faculty until retiring in 1964. He is best known among economists and corporate law specialists for his groundbreaking work in corporate governance.