Here he is; the man who brought contract bridge to the United States

Ely Culbertson

Well, not exactly. Auction bridge was popular in the US when
Culbertson was still in his early teens, and it was Harold Vanderbilt,
of the US, who introduced the scoring changes in 1925 that gave us the
game we know today. It was Vanderbilt's social standing and
visibility that were largely responsible for contract taking over so
quickly. Culbertson saw what was happening and did a great deal to
publicize the game, and had considerable success as a player and was
the first person named to the Bridge Hall of Fame, so his place in the
history of the game is secure -- but "brought it to the US"? No.

David