Christian Herter | |
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| 1stUnited States Trade Representative | |
| In office December 10, 1962 – December 30, 1966 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | William M. Roth |
| 53rdUnited States Secretary of State | |
| In office April 22, 1959 – January 20, 1961 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | John Foster Dulles |
| Succeeded by | Dean Rusk |
| 20thUnited States Under Secretary of State | |
| In office February 21, 1957 – April 22, 1959 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Herbert Hoover Jr. |
| Succeeded by | C. Douglas Dillon |
| 59th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 8, 1953 – January 3, 1957 | |
| Lieutenant | Sumner G. Whittier |
| Preceded by | Paul A. Dever |
| Succeeded by | Foster Furcolo |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's10th district | |
| In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953 | |
| Preceded by | George H. Tinkham |
| Succeeded by | Laurence Curtis |
| Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1939–1943 | |
| Preceded by | Horace T. Cahill |
| Succeeded by | Rudolph King |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives from the5th Suffolk district | |
| In office 1931–1943 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Lee Shattuck |
| Succeeded by | Henry Lee Shattuck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christian Archibald Herter (1895-03-28)March 28, 1895 Paris, France |
| Died | December 30, 1966(1966-12-30) (aged 71) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Prospect Hill Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Columbia University |
| Signature |  |
Christian Archibald Herter (March 28, 1895 – December 30, 1966) was an American diplomat andRepublican politician who was the 59thgovernor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957 andUnited States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961. He served as president of the board of trustees at theDexter School from 1937 to 1939.[1] His moderate tone of negotiations was confronted by the intensity of Soviet leaderNikita Khrushchev in a series of unpleasant episodes that turned theCold War even colder in 1960–61.
Herter was born in Paris, France, to American artist and expatriate parents,Albert Herter and Adele McGinnis, and attended theÉcole Alsacienne [fr] there (1901–1904) before moving to New York City, where he attended theBrowning School (1904–1911). He graduated fromHarvard College in 1915 and did graduate work in architecture and interior design atColumbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation before joining the diplomatic corps.[2]
Herter married the wealthy heiress Mary Caroline Pratt (1895–1980) in 1917. She was the daughter ofFrederic B. Pratt, longtime head of thePratt Institute and granddaughter of Standard Oil magnateCharles Pratt. They had three sons and one daughter, includingChristian A. Herter, Jr., who was active in international relations.[1]
He was made attaché to theEmbassy of the United States, Berlin, and was briefly arrested while inMainz as a possible spy. He was part of the US delegation to the1919 Paris Peace Conference, where he helped draft theCovenant of the League of Nations. Later, he was the assistant toHerbert Hoover in providingstarvation relief to postwar Europe. Herter went on to work for Hoover when Hoover becameSecretary of Commerce in theHarding Administration. Herter also participated in the 1919 meeting that resulted in creating the U.S.Council on Foreign Relations.
Herter hated working for the scandal-ridden administration of President Harding, and returned to Boston, where he was a magazine editor and lecturer on international affairs.
In 1930, Herter was first elected to theMassachusetts House of Representatives and served for 12 years. In 1942, he sought theMassachusetts 10th district seat in theUS House of Representatives, held byGeorge H. Tinkham, whoseisolationist views made him vulnerable during World War II. Once Herter entered the contest, Tinkham withdrew and so opened the way for Herter to be elected. Although he was critical ofFranklin D. Roosevelt's liberalNew Deal, Herter distinguished himself from 1943 to 1953 primarily for his stand on foreign affairs, especially in the so-calledHerter Committee[3] in 1947; its report initiated proposals that led toHarry Truman'sMarshall Plan. In those years, he refused to support the permanence of theHouse Un-American Activities Committee. In 1947, Herter founded theMiddle East Institute with Middle East scholar George Camp Keiser and then served on the board of trustees of theWorld Peace Foundation. He led bipartisan support for President Truman'sPoint Four Program giving technological help to poor countries.[4]
Herter served five terms in Congress. In 1952, he ran successfully for governor of Massachusetts, narrowly defeating incumbent GovernorPaul A. Dever.
Herter was re-elected governor in 1954, defeating Massachusetts House Minority LeaderRobert F. Murphy. He chose not to seek a third term in 1956.
On February 21, 1957, Herter was appointedUnder Secretary of State for the second term of theEisenhower administration; later, whenJohn Foster Dulles became seriously ill, he was appointed Secretary of State, April 22, 1959. Dulles died a month later. Herter himself suffered from severe arthritis, forcing him to use crutches when walking.
Herter's main diplomatic challenges included escalating crises over the status of West Berlin in the Cold War; difficult negotiations with Soviet leaderNikita Khrushchev, especially regarding the Soviet downing of the U-2 spy plane; the collapse of the Paris Summit conference; and the early stages of American efforts to divert Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution away from communism. There were smaller crises around the world including a Civil War in the Congo. Herter's careful, cautious approach matched Eisenhower's preferences, emphasizing negotiation in response to bellicosity from the Kremlin. Despite the soft language, Herter supported strong policies against Cuba, and a refusal to compromise on Berlin. During his visit to West Berlin in July 1959, Herter was enthusiastically celebrated by over 100,000 people in the streets.[5]
After leaving office he chaired a blue ribbon committee on State Department personnel, and was one of President John F. Kennedy's representatives for trade negotiations.[6]
As an unemployed "elder statesman" after the election of 1960, Herter served on various councils and commissions, and was a special representative for trade negotiations, working for bothJohn F. Kennedy andLyndon Johnson until his death.
Secretary Herter was also an activeFreemason. He was a member of theGrand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Christian Herter's lifetime reputation was as aninternationalist, especially interested in improvingpolitical and economic relations with Europe.
He died on December 30, 1966, at his home in Washington, D.C., at the age of 71.[1] He is buried at theProspect Hill Cemetery inMillis, Massachusetts.
Herter's funeral was attended by US leaders including President Johnson and Secretary of StateDean Rusk. Johnson eulogized Herter as "a great American" and "a wise, gentle, and wholly dedicated patriot."[7] Rusk called him "one of America's greatest public servants."[7]
In 1943, withPaul Nitze (a distant cousin by marriage), Herter co-founded theSchool of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), which incorporated with theJohns Hopkins University in 1950.
In 1968, theAmerican Foreign Service Association established itsChristian A. Herter Award to honor senior diplomats who speak out or otherwise challenge the status quo. In 1948 Herter received an LL.D. fromBates College.
TheWorld Affairs Council of Boston ("WorldBoston" as of 2002), which Christian Herter helped organize in the 1940s, also has aChristian A. Herter Award honoring individual contributions to international relations.
The Christian A. Herter Memorial Scholarship Program is a sponsored by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to recruit 10th and 11th grade students whose socio-economic backgrounds and environmental conditions may inhibit their ability to pursue higher education. Each year, 25 students in the 10th and 11th grades are selected to receive awards of up to 50 percent (50%) of their calculated need at the college of their choice within the continental United States.
Herter Park inthe Brighton neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts is named in Herter's honor. AUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst building devoted to the teaching of history and other liberal arts is named "Herter Hall" after the statesman as well.
Herter was the last serving Secretary of State born in the 19th century.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1939–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Massachusetts 1953–1957 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Under Secretary of State 1957–1959 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of State 1959–1961 | Succeeded by |
| New office | United States Trade Representative 1962–1966 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Massachusetts 1952,1954 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 10th congressional district 1943–1953 | Succeeded by |
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