Mr. Robert Dineen was an attorney, insurance regulator, company executive and strong force for the preservation of state regulation of insurance. He played a major role in strengthening state regulation during the period following the passage by the U. S. Congress of the McCarran-Ferguson Act in the 1930’s (which separated banking, insurance and brokerage) and in developing the office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. He was Commissioner of New York State Insurance Department from 1943-1950.
Mr. Dineen joined Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, based in Milwaukee, in 1950 as a vice president and became president in 1965. He retired as president in 1968 and became a consultant to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in Milwaukee.
From 1943-1950, when he held the position of New York Superintendent of Insurance. During this time, he brought about Uniform Insurance Accounting of Expenses; was a moving force in the passage of New York State multiple lines law; and introduced the concept of profitability reporting to companies.
At the request of the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, he conceived the idea of New York’s motor vehicle accident indemnity corporation. In 1946, he introduced the first guaranty fund for auto insurance in the United States. His career at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners enabled that organization to achieve major recognition and set it on a course of active and significant involvement in research and analysis. His work affected insurance legislation and regulation in every state of the United States. It had a major impact on the structure of American insurance industry and the environment in which it functioned.
He was born in Syracuse, New York, graduated from the College of Law at Syracuse University and early in his career worked for insurance companies before joining a private law firm in Syracuse