Bernard Baruch was an adviser to two presidents, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt. He owned a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. A college in the state system of New York is named after him.
On his 94th birthday, he was interviewed by a journalist who wanted to discuss his perspective on the changes he had seen in his lifetime. The reporter asked, “Who do you consider the greatest man of this age?” That’s a great question to ask a man who has floated in the highest circles of business and government, not too mention one who has lived 94 years.
His answer? “Who is the greatest man of this age? The fellow that does his job every day. The mother who has children and gets breakfast and keeps them clean and sends them off to school. The fellow who keeps the streets clean–without him we wouldn’t have any sanitation. The Unknown Soldier.”