Bernard Baruch was an American financier who became a trusted advisor to several U.S. presidents on economic and wartime matters, and who popularized the term "Cold War" in a 1947 speech. He was famous for holding informal meetings on a park bench across from the White House, where reporters and officials would come to hear his advice, earning it the nickname "Baruch's bench." He used his wealth and influence to shape American economic policy through both World Wars.