Herman Struve Hensel (August 22, 1901 – May 27, 1991) was an American

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

yer who served in several senior positions in the

Department of the Navy Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to: * United States Department of the Navy, * Navy Department (Ministry of Defence), in the United Kingdom, 1964-1997 * Confederate States Department of the Navy, 1861-1865 * Department of the ...

and the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

from 1941 to 1946 and from 1952 to 1955.

Biography

Hensel was born in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

. His father was president of a small bank and his mother was active in Republican politics. He was president of his class at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

and graduated in 1922.Princeton Alumni Weekly
"H. Struve Hensel '22," November 6, 1991
, accessed March 11, 2011 He attended Columbia University Law School. After graduation, Hensel worked at

Cravath, Swaine & Moore Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP (known as Cravath) is an American white-shoe law firm with its headquarters in New York City, and an additional office in London. The firm is known for its complex and high profile litigation and mergers & acquisiti ...

and later at Milbank, Tweed. In 1940 Hensel moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, to serve as the first chief of the

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DoN) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary o ...

's legal division for

procurement Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or serv ...

. The next year,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

named Hensel the first

General Counsel of the Navy The General Counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the U.S. Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice ...

. Hensel served as the Navy's General Counsel from July 10, 1941, until January 30, 1945. In early 1945, Roosevelt nominated him as

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depar ...

, and Hensel held that office from January 30, 1945, to February 28, 1946. In 1946, Hensel joined the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

law firm of Carter Ledyard & Milburn. He returned to public service in 1952, when he became

General Counsel of the Department of Defense The General Counsel of the Department of Defense is the chief legal officer of the Department of Defense (DoD), advising both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on all legal matters and services, and providing legal advice to Office of the Secr ...

. He was named

Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs In the United States, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs or ASD (ISA) is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USD (P)) and the United States Secretary of Defense on internation ...

in March 1954.''New York Times''
"Hensel Resigns as Defense Aide," May 28, 1955
accessed March 11, 2011 In 1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy said Hensel "masterminded" the U.S. Army's list of charges against McCarthy and his investigators." in order to stop McCarthy's investigation of allegations into Hensel's private business dealings while in government service, specifically that Hensel, while working in procurement for the U.S. Navy during World War II, improperly aided in the formation of a company to supply private shipping companies. Hensel called these accusations "barefaced lies." McCarthy did not present testimony about Hensel before the

Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), stood up in March 1941 as the "Truman Committee," is the oldest subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (formerly the Committee on Governme ...

and refused to withdraw his charges, claiming that President Eisenhower's orders on secrecy made it impossible to present his case. The President's order prohibited public discussion of "confidential discussions within the executive branch. Hensel was not allowed to testify since no charges against him were presented to the subcommittee. Over the objections of the subcommittee's three Democrats, its four Republicans voted to dismiss the misconduct charges on May 26. Joseph Welch, special counsel for the U.S. Army in its dispute with McCarthy, called the action "a stab in the heart."''New York Times''
W.H. Lawrence, "M'Carthy Inquiry Dismisses Cass of Hensel, Carr," May 27, 1954
accessed March 11, 2011 In June, journalists reported that McCarthy had told other senators in May that he had assumed that Hensel was behind the Army's charges against him because his name appeared on the letter of transmittal when the Army sent its response to the committee, but by May 17 he was uncertain of Hensel's role.''New York Times''

accessed March 11, 2011; Committee member Senator Charles Potter confirmed their accounts years later. Charles E. Potter, ''Days of Shame'' (NY: Coward McCann, 1965), ch. 27 "Why Struve Hensel?", 223-30 Hensel swore an affidavit on June 16, 1954, denying McCarthy's charges, sent it to the subcommittee's chairman, Senator Karl Mundt, and made it public.''New York Times''
"Text of Letter and Affidavit by Hensel Denying McCarthy Charges on Role in Army Case," June 21, 1954
accessed March 11, 2011 Hensel left the Defense Department on June 30, 1955, citing the financial hardship of government service. He joined

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is an international white shoe law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm specializes in litigation and corporate practices, particularly mergers and acquisitions, with over 1,000 attorneys in 11 offices w ...

and practiced

From 1966 to 1977, he was a partner with

Coudert Brothers Coudert Brothers LLP was a New York City, New York-based law firm with a strong international outlook that practiced from 1853 until its dissolution in 2006. History The firm was established in 1853 in New York by three sons of Charles Coudert Sr ...

. He remained active in corporate and legal affairs until he moved to

Deerfield Beach, Florida Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, just south of the Palm Beach County line. The city is named for the numerous deer that once roamed the area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,859. It is a principal ...

, in 1990. Hensel died May 27, 1991, of heart failure at

Boca Raton Community Hospital Boca Raton Regional Hospital is a 400-bed, not-for-profit health care organization located in Boca Raton, Florida. It was established in 1967 and provides patient care in areas such as cardiovascular, oncology, women's health, orthopedics, emergen ...

in Boca Raton, Florida.

References

External links

Struve Hensel Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensel, H. Struve 1901 births 1991 deaths General Counsels of the United States Navy Princeton University alumni Columbia Law School alumni McCarthyism People from Hoboken, New Jersey People from Deerfield Beach, Florida Lawyers from New York City 20th-century American lawyers United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy United States Assistant Secretaries of Defense Simpson Thacher & Bartlett people Cravath, Swaine & Moore people