Born in San Antonio, Texas, Clarence Dillon studied at Harvard. In 1908 he married, and the newlywed couple spent their honeymoon in France where, captivated, they stayed for two years.

In 1916, Dillon began work with the bank of William A. Read. He worked closely with Bernard Baruch, and then became director of the Read Bank, which became Dillon, Read in 1921.

Clarence Dillon was attracted to France both because his mother was of French origin and by his own, personal tastes. In 1929, he installed an apartment in Paris where he stayed a part of each year.

After months of negotiation with André Gibert, Clarence Dillon bought Château Haut-Brion on May 13, 1935 for 2,300,000 francs.

Why did Clarence Dillon buy Château Haut-Brion? In his own words, Haut-Brion was his favorite wine. There is also the fact that Haut-Brion was near Bordeaux, and surrounded by good riding and hunting land.

Clarence Dillon made his nephew Seymour Weller (the son of his wife's sister) president of the new company "Société Vinicole de la Gironde", thus returning to a tradition of family management at Haut-Brion. Seymour Weller restored the park, had the trees trimmed, cleaned the chais, and installed electricity along with new vinification equipment. He kept on Georges Delmas as manager.

As his wife was seriously ill, Clarence Dillon came alone to Haut-Brion in 1967. It was his last visit. Realizing himself that he was growing very frail, he said: "I'll never return." He died in 1979 at the age of 96.