Albert G. Milbank had been a partner in the firm of Masten & Nichols. When that firm merged with Murray, Aldrich & Webb, he became the senior partner of the newly formed Milbank, Tweed, Hope & Webb. While a partner of the Firm, Mr. Milbank was also a member of the board of directors of the Welfare Board of New York City and Greater New York, as well as of the New York War Fund and the National Institute of Social Science. He was a trustee emeritus of Princeton University and a trustee of the Pierpont Morgan Library. Among the many honors he received was that of Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire - Civil Division. In 1946, he received the first annual Award Medal of the Welfare Council for Distinguished Service to the Community.  Mr. Milbank was instrumental in terms of establishing the Milbank Memorial Fund (formerly named the Memorial Fund Association.  He served as secretary and treasurer of the Fund (established by his cousin, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson, in 1905) and was often called upon by Mrs. Anderson (23 years his senior) for advice on a number of issues, including investments and charitable activities. The Fund, one of the oldest of its kind in the country, was renamed the Milbank Memorial Fund and was given increased money bequeathed by Mrs. Anderson after her death in 1921. Albert Milbank and Mrs. Anderson were considered pioneers when the Fund was created because only a handful of foundations existed at that time (e.g., the Carnegie Institution of Washington; the General Education Board (supported by the Rockefeller family); the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching). The Milbank Memorial Fund was considered a benchmark for other funds that were later established (e.g., The Russell Sage Foundation; the Carnegie Corporation of New York; the Rockefeller Foundation; the Ford Foundation; and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). 

Harrison Tweed became a member of Murray, Prentice & Aldrich, a predecessor of Murray, Aldrich & Webb, in 1920. During his tenure as president of the American Law Institute, he organized and promoted the program for continuing education for lawyers. He went on to chair the American Law Institute's Committee on Continuing Legal Education in collaboration with the American Bar Association. Mr. Tweed was at one time president of Sarah Lawrence College. He was also president of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as president of the Legal Aid Society. Governor Thomas E. Dewey appointed him chair of the committee to reorganize the court systems in New York State, and President Kennedy named him as the first chair of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He was awarded medals by the City Bar, the State Bar and the American Bar Associations. He had great interest in the arts, and his dedication in assisting young artists was well known. His wit, integrity and keen sense of humor made him much admired by his peers.

Morris Hadley came to the Firm in 1929 when Murray & Aldrich merged with Webb, Patterson & Hadley. He represented many large corporations, both in the United States and abroad. He wrote two books; one, a biography of his father who had been president of Yale University, and another entitled The Citizen and the Law. Mr. Hadley was a trustee of the Russell Sage Foundation and also sat on the board of trustees of both the Pierpont Morgan Library and the New York Public Library, where, from 1943-1958, he served as its president.

The New York Times described John J. McCloy as "Lawyer, Diplomat and Adviser to Seven Presidents."  From 1941-1945, he served as Assistant Secretary of War.  In 1946, he joined the Firm and, along with Mr. Hadley, became a name partner in Milbank, Tweed, Hope, Hadley & McCloy.  A little more than a year later, he was once again called into public service to serve as president of the World Bank – a position which caused him to leave the Firm, which then was renamed Milbank, Tweed, Hope & Hadley.  He served at this post until 1949 when President Truman appointed him High Commissioner of Germany.  In 1952, he returned to the private sector and served until retirement as chair of The Chase National Bank, which under his leadership became The Chase Manhattan Bank in 1955.  During this period he also served as chair of the Ford Foundation, from 1953 until 1965.  He returned to Milbank in 1961 as "of counsel", but was almost immediately pressed into service by President Kennedy as his Special Assistant on Disarmament.  When he returned to the Firm as a general partner in 1962, the Firm name became Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.  Mr. McCloy remained a general partner for 27 years, until he passed away in 1989.