Lloyd Carpenter Griscom | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Griscom in 1900 | |
| United States Ambassador toItaly | |
| In office March 17, 1907 – June 14, 1909 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft |
| Preceded by | Henry White |
| Succeeded by | John G. A. Leishman |
| United States Ambassador toBrazil | |
| In office June 6, 1906 – January 2, 1907 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | David Eugene Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Irving Bedell Dudley |
| United States Minister toJapan | |
| In office June 22, 1903 – November 19, 1905 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Alfred Buck |
| Succeeded by | Luke E. Wright (as Ambassador to Japan) |
| United States Minister toIran | |
| In office December 16, 1901 – December 24, 1902 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Herbert W. Bowen |
| Succeeded by | Richmond Pearson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1872-11-04)November 4, 1872 Riverton, New Jersey,United States |
| Died | February 8, 1959(1959-02-08) (aged 86) Thomasville, Georgia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Relations | Frances Griscom (sister) |
| Parent(s) | Clement Griscom Frances Canby Biddle |
| Residence | Luna Plantation |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania New York Law School |
Lloyd Carpenter Griscom (November 4, 1872 – February 8, 1959) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and newspaper publisher.[1][2]
Lloyd Griscom was born on November 4, 1872, atRiverton, New Jersey. He was the son of shipping magnateClement Griscom (1841–1912) and Frances Canby Biddle (1840–1923).[3] Among his siblings wasFrances Griscom, an amateur golfer who won the 1900U.S. Women's Amateur held atShinnecock Hills Golf Club inSouthampton,New York,[4] She and played in the 1898 Amateur at theArdsley Club.[5]
He graduated in 1891 from the law department ofUniversity of Pennsylvania and a member of the Sigma chapter of the Zeta Psi Fraternity. Griscom continued his legal studies at theNew York Law School.[3] He later received aDoctor of Laws from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907.[1]
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In 1893–1894, Griscom served in theUnited Kingdom as secretary toAmbassador Thomas Bayard; he wasadmitted to the bar in 1896,[1] and the following year in 1897 he was deputydistrict attorney of New York. During theSpanish–American War, he served as captain and assistant quartermaster.[1]
While serving a short period as Secretary of Legation andchargé d' affaires atConstantinople, the 28-year-old Griscom made a notable achievement in 1900 by persuading the Sultan to purchase what would become theOttoman cruiser Mecidiye from the American shipbuilderWilliam Cramp & Sons.[6] Shortly afterward, he was appointed Minister toPersia in 1901.[7] He held the corresponding post inJapan (1902–1906) and was ambassador toBrazil (1906–1907) and toItaly (1907–1909).[7]
In 1911, he became a member of the law firm of Beekman, Menken, and Griscom,New York City, and was thereafter active in localRepublican politics, helping foundThe New York Young Republican Club.[8] He contributed numerous articles to thePhiladelphiaSunday Press on travel inCentral America. In 1917, he was appointed a major in the department of the Adjutant-General of theUnited States Army and afterward became Assistant Adjutant-General.[9] During the war, he served as liaison officer to GeneralJohn J. Pershing, commander of theAmerican Expeditionary Forces of theU.S. Army.[9] He was a close friend of Col.Theodore Roosevelt Jr.[2]
Griscom's primary significance was as an advocate for globalized free trade as a means to promote peaceful development in accordance with hisQuaker faith. In the Middle East he worked for better relations between Muslims and Christians, and he played a major role in the relief effort in Italy after the1908 Messina earthquake took 50,000 lives.Prior to the death of Secretary of State John Hay in 1905, Griscom was offered the post of First Assistant Secretary of State. The appointment ofElihu Root to succeed Hay nullified Griscom's appointment to the State Department position.[1]
In 1940, he published a memoir of his professional life,Diplomatically Speaking,[10] covering his life from youth and his student days at theUniversity of Pennsylvania to his homecoming as an Army officer after the end of World War One in 1919. In the first year it sold more than 90,000 copies in America before it was published in England. The Rt. Hon.Leo Amery,M.P., commented that "My old friend Lloyd Griscom gives a delightfully breezy picture as seen through American eyes of Edwardian England, of the diplomatic world, of many countries."[11]
Following his retirement from public service, he bought and became the publisher of severalLong Island newspapers, including theEast Norwich Enterprise, theNorth Hempstead Record, and theNassau Daily Star. Griscom purchased theTallahassee [Florida]Democrat in 1929 owning it until his death in 1959. He was a cousin by marriage toWolcott Gibbs, who later worked at several of Griscom's Long Island newspapers.[12][13]
Griscom studied painting underJohn Singer Sargent.[14]
On November 2, 1901, Griscom was married to Elizabeth Duer Bronson (1877–1914),[15] the daughter of lawyerFrederic Bronson.[16][17] Her mother,Sarah Gracie King,[18] was the granddaughter ofU.S. RepresentativeJames Gore King andWilliam Alexander Duer. Through Elizabeth's uncle, Frederick Gore King, she was the first cousin ofAlice Gore King.[19] The Bronsons lived at 174 Madison Avenue[20] and had a country home, "Verna" inSouthport, Connecticut[21] (which later became theFairfield Country Day School).[22] Together, they were the parents of:[3][23]
After her death in 1914, he remarried to Audrey Margaret Elizabeth Crosse (1900–1975) in England on October 3, 1929.[14] Audrey was the daughter of Marlborough Crosse and the niece of C. E. Barnwell Ewins ofMarston Trussell Hall inLeicestershire.[28] His best man at the wedding was Brig. Gen. Sir Charles Delmé-Radcliffe (who married the daughter ofSir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet), who was British militaryattaché at Rome while Griscom was envoy there.[14]
Griscom died of a stroke on February 8, 1959, at Archbold Memorial Hospital inThomasville, Georgia while visiting his sister Frances who was a patient there.[29][30] After his death, his widow, who inherited the bulk of his estate including theLeon countyLuna Plantation as well as theTallahassee Democrat, which she ran from 1958 through 1965.[31]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite encyclopedia}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Minister to Persia December 16, 1901–December 24, 1902 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Minister to Japan June 22, 1903-November 19, 1905 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Brazil 6 June 1906–2 January 1907 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Italy March 17, 1907-June 14, 1909 | Succeeded by |
| Chargé d'Affaires |  | |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
| Resident Minister | |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
| Minister Resident | | |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
Diplomatic relations suspended since 1979 (See:Iran hostage crisis) | ||
| 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 | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
