Robert H. Thayer | |
|---|---|
| U.S. Minister to Romania | |
| In office November 10, 1955 – December 12, 1957 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Harold Shantz |
| Succeeded by | Clifton Reginald Wharton Sr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Helyer Thayer September 22, 1901 |
| Died | January 26, 1984 (aged 82) Washington, D.C., US |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Sigourney Thayer (brother) John Teele Pratt (father-in-law) Ruth Baker Pratt (mother-in-law) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | William Greenough Thayer Violet Otis Thayer |
| Education | St. Mark's School |
| Alma mater | Amherst College Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | Lawyer, naval officer and diplomat |
Robert Helyer Thayer (September 22, 1901 − January 26, 1984) was an American lawyer, naval officer and diplomat.[1]
Thayer was born inSouthborough,Massachusetts, the son of Rev.William Greenough Thayer (1863−1934), headmaster ofSt. Mark's School from 1894−1930, and Violet Otis Thayer (1871−1962) of theBoston BrahminOtis family.[2]
He attended St. Mark's School, then earned a bachelor's degree fromAmherst College and a law degree fromHarvard Law School in 1926.[2] His elder brother,Sigourney Thayer (1896−1944), was a theatrical producer, aviator and poet.
After graduating from Law School, Thayer began practicing law inNew York City under Gen.William Joseph Donovan.[1] He assistedCharles Lindbergh's lead lawyer, Col.Henry Skillman Breckinridge on the famousLindbergh kidnapping case in 1932, staying at the Charles A Lindbergh residence inHopewell, New Jersey, until the body of the child was found on May 12, 1932.[2]Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed for this crime in 1936.[2]
In 1938, he became anAssistant District Attorney of New York County under District Attorney, and futureGovernor of New York,Thomas E. Dewey. He left the District Attorneys's office in 1941 to join theU.S. Navy duringWorld War II.[1]
During World War II, Thayer was commissioned as a lieutenant commander in theU.S. Navy.[1] He was an intelligence officer in the South Pacific early in the war and then went to Europe, where he took part in the invasions ofNormandy and southern France. He returned to the Pacific in time for theinvasion of the Philippines.[2]
After the war, he was appointed Assistant to the Commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing by then Governor Dewey, and in 1949, Dewey appointed him to lead theNew York State Commission Against Discrimination.[1]
In 1945, he was an assistant toJohn Foster Dulles, who became secretary of state in theDwight D. Eisenhower administration, at the organizing conference of theUnited Nations atSan Francisco.[2]
In 1950, he began his formal career in diplomacy, as the AssistantU.S. Ambassador to France. He served in that role under AmbassadorsDavid K. E. Bruce,James Clement Dunn, andC. Douglas Dillon until 1954. On August 17, 1955, Thayer was nominated as theU.S. Minister to Romania. He was commissioned during a recess of theU.S. Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 25, 1956, presenting his credentials on November 10, 1955, and serving until December 12, 1957.[3] During his term, Soviet troops fromTimișoara enteredHungary through the Romanian city ofOradea.[4] In February 1957, he wrote to then Secretary of StateJohn Foster Dulles stating:[5]
"The Romanian Government is as usual straddling the fence with its customary skill. It is following Soviet instructions and its own inclination to keep its people from becoming too keen on us by attacking us publicly from every angle, and at the same time is keeping the door open for such economic and cultural advantages as it may glean at an appropriate moment."[5]
After leaving his post, he then went to the State Department asAssistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs where he served until 1962.[1] Later, Thayer was appointed a trustee of theNational Trust for Historic Preservation from 1966 and was vice-chairman from 1975 to 1977.[2]
On December 30, 1926,[6] Thayer was married to Virginia Pratt (1905−1979).[7] She was the daughter of lawyer, financier and philanthropistJohn Teele Pratt andRuth Baker Pratt, the firstU.S. Congresswoman from New York State,[2] and granddaughter of Pratt Institute founderCharles Pratt.[8] Her brother,Edwin H. Baker Pratt, was the headmaster ofBuckingham Browne & Nichols, and her sister, Phyllis Pratt, was married toPaul Nitze, theSecretary of the Navy andDeputy Secretary of Defense under PresidentLyndon B. Johnson. Together, they were the parents of three children:[2]
Thayer died ofleukemia atGeorgetown University Hospital inWashington, D.C., on January 26, 1984, and is buried at Southborough Rural Cemetery.[2]
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| National | |
| Other | |
