Donald Ray Seawell (August 1, 1912 – September 30, 2015) was an American cultural and civic leader, born in Jonesboro, North Carolina.

[3][4] Seawell was hired to work at the Securities and Exchange Commission by the newly appointed head of the organization, Joseph P. Kennedy.

This quote is widely attributed to Franklin Delano Roosevelt who knew Joseph Kennedy personally and appointed him to the SEC citing this reason.

[2] Entering private law practice in New York City, he gathered many theatrical clients including, Tallulah Bankhead, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.

Seawell's theatrical clients led to his becoming a Broadway producer, and his shows included: Noël Coward's Sail Away, The Affair, and A Thurber Carnival.