Henry Fletcher | |
|---|---|
 Fletcher in 1921 | |
| Chair of theRepublican National Committee | |
| In office June 7, 1934 – June 22, 1936 | |
| Preceded by | Everett Sanders |
| Succeeded by | John Hamilton |
| United States Ambassador to Italy | |
| In office April 2, 1924 – August 3, 1929 | |
| President | Herbert Hoover Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | Richard Child |
| Succeeded by | John Garrett |
| United States Ambassador to Luxembourg | |
| In office October 29, 1923 – March 25, 1924 | |
| President | Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | William Phillips |
| Succeeded by | William Phillips |
| United States Ambassador to Belgium | |
| In office May 3, 1922 – March 25, 1924 | |
| President | Calvin Coolidge Warren G. Harding |
| Preceded by | Brand Whitlock |
| Succeeded by | William Phillips |
| 3rdUnited States Under Secretary of State | |
| In office March 8, 1921 – March 6, 1922 | |
| President | Warren G. Harding |
| Preceded by | Norman Davis |
| Succeeded by | William Phillips |
| United States Ambassador to Mexico | |
| In office March 3, 1917 – January 25, 1919 | |
| President | Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | Henry Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Charles B. Warren |
| United States Ambassador to Chile | |
| In office September 9, 1910 – March 9, 1916 | |
| President | William Howard Taft |
| Preceded by | Thomas Dawson (Minister) |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Shea |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henry Prather Fletcher (1873-04-10)April 10, 1873 |
| Died | July 10, 1959(1959-07-10) (aged 86) Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Spouse | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry |
| Battles/wars | Spanish-American War |
Henry Prather Fletcher (April 10, 1873 – July 10, 1959) was an Americandiplomat who served under six presidents.[1]
Fletcher was born inGreencastle, Pennsylvania, in 1873 to Louis Henry Fletcher and Martha Ellen (née Rowe) Fletcher. His siblings included James Gilmore Fletcher (1875–1960), David Watson Fletcher (1880–1957) and Florence Fletcher (1883–1957).[2] He was the fourth cousin once removed ofWilliam McKinley.[3]
Fletcher planned to attendPrinceton University, but his family could not afford to send him, therefore, he studied law and shorthand in his uncle's law office.[2]
Shortly after beginning to practice law, theSpanish–American War broke out and the United States declared war on Spain in 1898.[4] Fletcher joinedTheodore Roosevelt'sRough Riders as a private in Troop K.[5] He served in theU.S. Army, both in Cuba and in the Philippines for two years.[2]
After returning from the Philippines, he entered the diplomatic service under President Roosevelt's administration as secondary secretary of the United States legation inHavana, Cuba. In 1903, he was transferred toBeiping and then, in 1905, as secretary to the legation inLisbon, Portugal. In 1907, he returned to China and negotiated an agreement whereby US capital was allowed to participate on equal terms with European capital for the first time.[4]
As a reward, PresidentWilliam Howard Taft named him US Minister to Chile in 1909.[6] He was in that position until 1914, by which time the mission had been raised to the status of an Embassy, making him the firstUnited States Ambassador to Chile.[7][6] He served in that role until March 9, 1916.[8][9]
In 1916, PresidentWoodrow Wilson appointed himUnited States Ambassador to Mexico, his term coinciding with the height ofWorld War I.[10] On January 19, 1917, theGerman Secretary of State,Arthur Zimmermann, sent a message to Mexico promising Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico if it entered the War on German's side. The note was intercepted in Washington and made public and is considered one of the immediate causes for the United States entering the war six weeks later.[11] He presented his credentials on March 3, 1917, and served as ambassador in Mexico until January 25, 1919, when he returned to the United States.[4][12]
In 1920, after directing the State Department's Latin American affairs for a year, he resigned and was appointedUnder Secretary of State by PresidentWarren G. Harding, serving from March 8, 1921, to March 6, 1922, under SecretaryCharles Evans Hughes.[4][13][14][15]
Thereafter, he served asambassador to Belgium from 1922 until 1924 under both Harding and his successor,Calvin Coolidge, who became president after Harding's death in 1923. In 1923, he was sent to thePan-American Conference in Santiago, taking the place ofSecretary of StateCharles Evans Hughes, who had declined to go. At that time, the United States Secretary of State wasex officio chair of the Pan-American Conference, although that changed in Santiago after Latin American criticism.[16]
From April 2, 1924, to August 3, 1929, he was appointed by Coolidge and served as theAmbassador to Italy.[17] He was on close terms with the Italian dictator,Benito Mussolini.[18][19][20]
On April 22, 1930, PresidentHoover appointed him chairman of theUnited States Tariff Commission after theTariff Act of 1930. He was said to have accomplished more work in one year than what had been done in the previous seven.[2]
From 1934 to 1936, he was thechairman of theRepublican Party[21] and was a delegate to the Republican national conventions in 1936 and 1940.[22][23]
In 1917, he married Beatrice Bend (1874–1941),[24] a daughter ofGeorge H. Bend, a member of theNew York Stock Exchange who had gone bankrupt.[25] Bend's sister, Amy Bend (1870–1957), was married toCortlandt F. Bishop in 1899.[26][27][28] Henry and Beatrice did not have any children.[2]
He died in 1959 at his home inNewport, Rhode Island,[29][2] and is buried inArlington National Cemetery. He left an estate worth $3,000,000,[30] and donated his personal papers to theLibrary of Congress. He also left a portrait ofGeorge Washington, byEdward Savage, to theNational Gallery inWashington, D.C.[31]
Notes
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| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Chile 1910–1916 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Mexico 1917–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Under Secretary of State 1921–1922 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Belgium 1922–1924 | |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Luxembourg 1923–1924 | |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Italy 1924–1929 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican National Committee 1934–1936 | Succeeded by |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | |
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| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
| Chargé d'Affaires | |
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| Minister Resident | |
| Chargé d'Affaires | |
| Minister Resident | |
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
