Henry Francis Grady (February 12, 1882 – September 14, 1957) was an American economist, businessman and diplomat. He was a dean at the University of California (1928 to 1937), and a business executive (1941 to 1947). He became the first US Ambassador to India (1947 to 1948), followed by Ambassador to Greece (1948 to 1950), and Ambassador to Iran (1950–1951). He was against British colonialism in India and Iran. He worked with British diplomats in 1946 to devise a plan for continued British control of Palestine, but theMorrison–Grady Plan was rejected by both Arabs and Jews.[1]
Born inSan Francisco, to John Henry and Ellen Genevieve (Rourke) Grady, took a BA degree at St. Mary's University in Baltimore in 1907, and a PhD in economics fromColumbia University in 1927. On October 18, 1917, he marriedLucretia Louise del Valle (daughter ofCalifornia State SenatorReginaldo Francisco del Valle and Helen M. (White) del Valle, and granddaughter ofYgnacio del Valle). Grady's daughter, Patricia Louise Grady, was born in Paris, France, May 11, 1920, and died May 28, 2000, inAsheville,Buncombe, North Carolina. On August 24, 1942, she married diplomatJohn Paton Davies, Jr.
Grady worked at theUS Commerce Department in economics as an aide to SecretaryHerbert Hoover in 1921. He was the dean,College of Commerce at theUC Berkeley from 1928 to 1934. He then moved to Washington as a prominent economist in theNew Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, rising to assistant secretary of state in 1939. He was a leading specialist in trade policy. His career was aided by his wife's major role as vice chairman of theDemocratic National Committee. He left his government job to became president of the shipping companyAmerican President Lines (1941 to 1947). He helped solve wartime logistics issues, and became an advisor to Roosevelt on India and Italy.[2]
In October 1945, he was appointed by US PresidentHarry S. Truman as his personal representative to the Allied commission supervising elections in Greece because of the volatile situation created by theGreek Civil War.[3]
In July 1946, Grady, together with British Deputy Prime MinisterHerbert Morrison, proposed the "Morrison-Grady Plan," a proposal for the solution of thePalestine problem that called for federalization under overall British trusteeship. Ultimately, the plan was rejected by both Arabs and Jews.[4]
Grady was the firstUS Ambassador to India, serving from 1947 to 1948 (concurrently firstU.S. Minister to Nepal 1948). He was then appointed asUS Ambassador to Greece from 1948 to 1950, andUS Ambassador to Iran 1950–1951. He sharply disagreed with Secretary of StateDean Acheson regarding American support of British domination of Iran, and was fired as ambassador.[5]
He was a member of thePacific-Union Club in San Francisco, and of theFamily Club.
He died September 14, 1957, on board the SSPresident Wilson, Pacific Ocean, from heart failure and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma, California.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
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| Preceded by None | United States Ambassador to India 1947 – 1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Greece 1948 – 1950 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Iran 1950 – 1951 | Succeeded by |
 Kingdom of Greece(1868–1924) | |
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| Second Hellenic Republic | |
| Kingdom of Greece (1935–1973) Military junta (1967–1974) | |
 Junta-declared Republic (1973–1974) Third Hellenic Republic(1974–present) | |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
Diplomatic relations suspended since 1979 (See:Iran hostage crisis) | ||
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