Even at a young age, he had traveled the world to explore new markets for his family’s cognac business. During the First World War, he worked closely with the Americans to coordinate the food supply of the allied troops in France.
During the Second World War, he served in Washington as a liaison between the British and American governments on economic support to the UK. He was one of the architects of the land-lease act and of President Roosevelt’s famous ‘Arsenal-for-democracy’ speech.