Seymour Parker Gilbert

Who was Seymour Parker Gilbert?

Seymour Parker Gilbert was an American lawyer, banker, politician and diplomat. He is chiefly known for being Agent General for Reparations to Germany, from October 1924 to May 1930. Afterwards, in 1931, he became an associate at J. P. Morgan. He died at age 45, from a heart attack. His son S. Parker Gilbert, born 1934, was chairman of Morgan Stanley during the 1980s.

Parker Gilbert was educated at Rutgers College, and received a L.L.B. from Harvard Law School. At age 27, he was offered a cabinet post in the Wilson Administration, as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and continued to serve in the Harding Administration. In 1924, he was appointed Agent General for Reparations by the Allied Reparations Commission, succeeding the temporary Owen D. Young. In that capacity, he was responsible for the execution of the Dawes Plan. Under the Young Plan, the Bank for International Settlements was created, nullifying the position of Parker Gilbert.