Leslie H. Gelb

Leslie H. Gelb (1937-2019) was an American academic, correspondent, and columnist for The New York Times. He served as a senior Defense and State Department official and later became the President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. Born in New Rochelle, New York, Gelb received his B.A. from Tufts University in 1959, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. He worked as an Assistant Professor of Government at Wesleyan University from 1964 to 1967. Gelb married Judith Cohen in 1959 and they had three children. Throughout his career, Gelb held various positions in government and received accolades such as the American Father of the Year award in 1993.