William Henry Draper, Jr.

William Henry Draper Jr. (August 10, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American army officer, banker, government official, and diplomat.

Early life William Henry Draper Jr., was born on August 10, 1894, in Harlem, New York City. His parents were Mary Emma (née Carey) Draper (1872–1960) and William Henry Draper (1859–1929).

Draper received a B.A. and M.A. in economics at New York University. He worked for Dillon Read until 1953.

After a promotion to major-general, Draper was asked by the new Secretary of War Kenneth C. Royall to become his Under Secretary of War. With the transition of the Department of War to the Department of the Army, Draper became the first under secretary of the Army from September 18, 1947, to February 28, 1949. According to the Annenberg CPB documentary "The Pacific Century, Ep.5 Reinventing Japan" Gen. Draper, referred to therein as the "Wall Street General" was instrumental in overturning some key progressive reforms sought by Colonel Charles Kades of the Supreme Command Allied Powers (SCAP) in occupied Japan.

Draper served as Long Island Rail Road trustee from 1950 to 1951. He served as the first US Ambassador to NATO in Paris.

Later career After retiring from public service a second time, he traveled to Mexico City to serve as chairman of the Mexican Light and Power Company. Returning to the U.S. in 1959, he formed the first West Coast venture capital firm Draper, Gaither and Anderson in California.

In 1967, he retired from Draper Gaither, moved to Washington, D.C., and joined Combustion Engineering in New York as chairman, retiring a few years later to become the U.S. delegate to the United Nations Population Commission, serving from 1969 to 1971. He also cofounded the Population Crisis Committee in 1965 and chaired the Draper Committee.

Personal life On September 7, 1918, Draper was married to Katherine Louise Baum, a daughter of George Baum of Yonkers, New York. Before her death in 1942, they were the parents of three children, including:

Dorothy Draper (1920–2017), a graduate of DePauw University who married Lt. James R. Wagner, USNR, who was killed In action in the European theatre of World War II. She joined WAVES and later married Phillips Hawkins in 1947. Katherine Louise Draper (1922–2021), also a graduate of DePauw University who married George Dow Haimbaugh Jr. in 1960. William Henry Draper III (b. 1928), a venture capitalist who was the founder of Sutter Hill Ventures.

On March 12, 1949, he remarried to Eunice Barzynski, a daughter of Brig.-Gen. Joseph E. Barzynski.

Draper died on December 26, 1974, of a heart attack in Naples, Florida. After a funeral in Fort Myer, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Descendants Through his son William, he was the grandfather of actress Polly Draper and venture capitalist Timothy C. Draper who founded Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Through his grandson Timothy, he was a great-grandfather of venture capitalist and television personality Jesse Draper. Through his granddaughter Polly, he was a great-grandfather of Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff, who are both actors and musicians.