Charles Spofford References Navigation menuBiography0000 0000 4729 4094no2009013701w6j13cmw1844635216630480666304806
1902 births1991 deathsDavis Polk & Wardwell lawyersNATO officialsUnited States Army generalsRecipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)Yale University alumniHarvard Law School alumniRecipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)Legion of Honour recipientsCommanders of the Order of the British Empire20th-century American lawyers
NATOSaint Louis, MissouriPhi Beta KappaYale UniversitySkull and BonesHarvard Law SchoolDavis Polk & WardwellUS ArmyWorld War IIBrigadier GeneralPurple HeartDistinguished Service MedalLegion of HonorCroix de GuerreOrder of the British EmpireNorth Atlantic CouncilJohn D. Rockefeller IIILincoln Center for the Performing ArtsMetropolitan Opera
Charles Merville Spofford (November 17, 1902 – March 23, 1991) was an American lawyer who held posts in NATO and on the boards of numerous arts organizations.
Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, he was graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University in 1924, where he was a member of Skull and Bones,[1] and Harvard Law School in 1928. He joined the New York law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell in 1930 and became a partner in 1940, retiring in 1973 after 33 years. He served in the US Army during World War II, rising to the rank of Brigadier General and earning the Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre and Order of the British Empire. From 1950 to 1952 he served in NATO as deputy US representative to the North Atlantic Council and later chair of the Council of Deputies and chair of the European Coordinating Committee. He proposed to John D. Rockefeller III what would become the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1956 and served as president of the Metropolitan Opera Association from 1946-1950.
References
^ "YALE 'TAP DAY' BRINGS HONORS TO JUNIORS: Many New Yorkers Among Those Chosen for Membership in Senior Societies". New York Times. 18 May 1923. p. 27. Missing or empty|url=(help);|access-date=requires|url=(help).mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
Pace, Eric (March 25, 1991). "Charles M. Spofford is Dead at 88; Furnished Idea for Lincoln Center". New York Times.
Biography at Munzinger Archive (German)