Adrian W. DeWind
Encyclopedia
Adrian W. DeWind was a tax attorney, political adviser, and founder of Human Rights Watch
.
, Illinois
on December 1, 1913 to Norman and Ethel DeWind. His father was a mechanical engineer. DeWind attended Grinnell College
, where he graduated in 1934. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School
in 1937.
.
In 1942, at the behest of the prominent tax attorney Randolph E. Paul
, DeWind joined the Department of the Treasury
to help draft legislation financing the United States
participation in World War II
. From 1947 to 1948, he served as Tax Legislative Counsel for the Department of the Treasury, before joining Paul’s firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
, in 1948. DeWind worked at Paul Weiss for 35 years, eventually heading the firm’s tax law department.
He served on tax policy commissions for Presidents
John F. Kennedy
and Lyndon Johnson, and New York State Governors
Hugh Carey
and Mario M. Cuomo, and served as an adviser to the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service
and as Chief Counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on the Administration of the Internal Revenue Service. DeWind also served as a political adviser to Samuel Silverman
in his campaign for Manhattan Surrogate and to United States Senator Eugene McCarthy
’s 1968 campaign for President.
, advising the organization on tax law. He served on the board of both the Legal Defense Fund and the NAACP Educational Fund.
From 1976 to 1978, he served as president of the New York City Bar Association, where he chaired a Special Task Force on taxation for the Municipal Assistance Corporation and made controversial recommendations on the revision of New York tax codes to prevent the exodus of businesses and individuals from the city. The Bar under his presidency also recommended stricter and more transparent mechanisms for the oversight of the city’s budget and finances,
From 1980 to 1992, he served as chairman of the Natural Resources Defense Council
. In 1986, he brokered an agreement between the Council and the Soviet Academy of Sciences under which American and Soviet scientists agreed to on-site monitoring of the conditions of underground nuclear testing
in both countries. He also served on the board of the Lawyers Alliance for Nuclear Arms Control.
Dewind was also a founder of Human Rights Watch
, and monitored the treatment of dissidents in a number of countries, including the Soviet Union
, South Korea
, and Guatemala
, where he wrote a report on government-sponsored violence against Mayan villagers.
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
.
Early life and education
Adrian DeWind was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
on December 1, 1913 to Norman and Ethel DeWind. His father was a mechanical engineer. DeWind attended Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
, where he graduated in 1934. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1937.
Private Practice
After graduating from Harvard, DeWind joined the firm of Sage Gray Todd & Sims, where he began his practice in tax lawTax law
Tax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...
.
In 1942, at the behest of the prominent tax attorney Randolph E. Paul
Randolph E. Paul
Randolph Evernghim Paul was a lawyer specializing in tax law. His is credited as "an architect of the modern tax system."-Biography:...
, DeWind joined the Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
to help draft legislation financing the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
participation in 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...
. From 1947 to 1948, he served as Tax Legislative Counsel for the Department of the Treasury, before joining Paul’s firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is a law firm headquartered on Sixth Avenue in New York City. The firm has well-noted expertise in its corporate, personal representation, entertainment law and litigation practices, having long been a leader among national litigation firms...
, in 1948. DeWind worked at Paul Weiss for 35 years, eventually heading the firm’s tax law department.
Government Service
DeWind was well-known for his roles in government as a tax expert and policy adviser.He served on tax policy commissions for Presidents
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Lyndon Johnson, and New York State Governors
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...
Hugh Carey
Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey was an American attorney, the 51st Governor of New York from 1975 to 1982, and a seven-term United States Representative .- Early life :...
and Mario M. Cuomo, and served as an adviser to the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
and as Chief Counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on the Administration of the Internal Revenue Service. DeWind also served as a political adviser to Samuel Silverman
Samuel Silverman
Samuel Joshua Silverman was a two-time New York State Supreme Court Justice and career litigator who was involved in several high-profile cases.-Background and early career:...
in his campaign for Manhattan Surrogate and to United States Senator Eugene McCarthy
Eugene McCarthy
Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a long-time member of the United States Congress from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.In the 1968 presidential election, McCarthy was the first...
’s 1968 campaign for President.
Advocacy
Throughout his career, DeWind was a prominent supporter of liberal causes. In 1950, he began a long association with NAACP Legal Defense Fund, then under the leadership of Thurgood MarshallThurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
, advising the organization on tax law. He served on the board of both the Legal Defense Fund and the NAACP Educational Fund.
From 1976 to 1978, he served as president of the New York City Bar Association, where he chaired a Special Task Force on taxation for the Municipal Assistance Corporation and made controversial recommendations on the revision of New York tax codes to prevent the exodus of businesses and individuals from the city. The Bar under his presidency also recommended stricter and more transparent mechanisms for the oversight of the city’s budget and finances,
From 1980 to 1992, he served as chairman of the Natural Resources Defense Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
. In 1986, he brokered an agreement between the Council and the Soviet Academy of Sciences under which American and Soviet scientists agreed to on-site monitoring of the conditions of underground nuclear testing
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...
in both countries. He also served on the board of the Lawyers Alliance for Nuclear Arms Control.
Dewind was also a founder of Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, and monitored the treatment of dissidents in a number of countries, including the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, where he wrote a report on government-sponsored violence against Mayan villagers.
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
- Hevesi, Dennis. “Adrian DeWind, Tax Adviser to Presidents, Dies.” The New York Times. August 19, 2009.