Benjamin Graham (1894-1976) was a British-born American economist, investor, and professor widely regarded as the "father of value investing." After graduating from Columbia University at age 20, Graham began his career on Wall Street, eventually founding the successful Graham-Newman Corp. mutual fund. He authored two seminal texts in finance: "Security Analysis" (1934) with David Dodd and "The Intelligent Investor" (1949), which Warren Buffett called "the best book about investing ever written." Graham taught at Columbia Business School for nearly three decades, where he mentored notable investors like Buffett. His investment philosophy emphasized thorough fundamental analysis, emotional discipline, and the concept of "margin of safety." Graham's methods revolutionized stock analysis, transforming investing from speculation to a more systematic, logical approach. Beyond finance, he held several U.S. patents, wrote a Broadway play, and enjoyed translating classical works in his spare time.