Brien McMahon

Brien McMahon
McMahon in 1945
Chair of the Joint Atomic Energy Committee
In office January 3, 1949 – July 28, 1952
Preceded by	Bourke B. Hickenlooper
Succeeded by	Carl T. Durham (Acting)
In office August 1, 1946 – January 3, 1947
Preceded by	Himself (Senate Atomic Energy Committee)
Succeeded by	Bourke B. Hickenlooper
Chair of the Senate Atomic Energy Committee
In office October 22, 1945 – August 1, 1946
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Himself (Joint Atomic Energy Committee)
Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus
In office January 3, 1945 – July 28, 1952
Leader	Alben W. Barkley Scott W. Lucas Ernest McFarland
Preceded by	Francis T. Maloney
Succeeded by	Thomas C. Hennings Jr.
United States Senator from Connecticut
In office January 3, 1945 – July 28, 1952
Preceded by	John A. Danaher
Succeeded by	William A. Purtell
Personal details
Born	James O'Brien McMahon (1903-10-06)October 6, 1903 Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	July 28, 1952(1952-07-28) (aged 48) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Fordham University (BA) Yale University (LLB)
Signature

Brien McMahon (born James O'Brien McMahon) (October 6, 1903 – July 28, 1952) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States Senate (as a Democrat from Connecticut) from 1945 to 1952. McMahon was a major figure in the establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission, through his authorship of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 (the McMahon Act).

McMahon served as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Atomic Energy, and the first chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. McMahon was a key figure in the early years of atomic weapons development and an advocate for the civilian (rather than military) control of nuclear development in the USA. Also, in 1952, McMahon proposed an "army" of young Americans to act as "missionaries of democracy", which sowed the seeds for what later became the Peace Corps.