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George A. Gordon

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For his grandfather, the politician, see George Anderson Gordon.

George A. Gordon's 1920 diplomatic passport photo.

George A. Gordon (November 19, 1885 – May 11, 1959) was an American attorney and diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to Haiti and as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands.

Life and career

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George Anderson Gordon was born in Huntsville, Alabama on November 19, 1885. He was the son of Percy Gordon, son of George Anderson Gordon, and Nancy Reed French.[1][2]

He graduated from Harvard University in 1906 and taught at St. Paul's School until 1909. In 1912 he received his law degree from Columbia University School of Law, and he became an attorney in New York City.[3][4]

In 1916 Gordon joined the United States Army and served in the Pancho Villa Expedition. During World War I he was assigned as a captain in France, and after the war he served on the staff that supported the U.S. commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Versailles.[5]

Gordon became a career foreign service employee in 1920, and served at embassies in Paris, Budapest, Berlin, and Rio de Janeiro. In 1930 he married Alice Vandergrift Garrett.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

In 1935 he was appointed as Ambassador to Haiti, where he served until 1937.[14]

In 1937 he became Ambassador to the Netherlands, serving until the Nazi invasion in 1940, after which he closed down the embassy and departed.[15][16][17][18]

Upon returning to the United States Gordon spent the rest of World War II working on foreign policy issues at the State Department, including reorganization and formal re-recognition of Czechoslovakia following its occupation by the Nazis. He retired in 1945.[19]

Gordon died in New York City on May 11, 1959.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Who's who in Pennsylvania: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries. 1909. p. 420.
  2. ^ Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 1906 (1906). Harvard College Class of 1906 Secretary's Third Report. Crimson Printing Company. p. 158.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Harvard University, Report of the lass of 1906, 1916, page 158
  4. ^ Burke, Bernard V. (1994). Ambassador Frederic Sackett and the Collapse of the Weimar Republic, 1930-1933. Cambridge University Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-521-53311-9.
  5. ^ "George A. Gordon To Marry Mrs Garrett". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. July 5, 1930. p. 15. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Harvard Alumni Association, Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Volume 61, 1959, page 696
  7. ^ "Many Are Promoted In Foreign Service". The New York Times. September 6, 1925. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  8. ^ "New Yorkers Rise In Foreign Service". The New York Times. January 19, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  9. ^ "Notes of Social Activities in Metropolitan District and Elsewhere". The New York Times. December 23, 1933. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  10. ^ "Capitol Social Leader to Wed". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 5, 1930. p. 5. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  11. ^ Ascher, Abraham (November 21, 2012). Was Hitler a Riddle?: Western Democracies and National Socialism. Stanford University Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-8047-8459-7.
  12. ^ Levine, Robert M. (January 28, 1998). Father of the Poor?: Vargas and His Era. Cambridge University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-521-58528-6.
  13. ^ Robert Dallek, Democrat and Diplomat: The Life of William E. Dodd, 1968, page 197
  14. ^ "New Envoy to Haiti Arrives". The New York Times. August 3, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  15. ^ "G. A. Gordon Named Envoy To Holland". The New York Times. July 11, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  16. ^ United Press International, New Netherlands Minister Named, Berkeley Daily Gazette, July 10, 1937
  17. ^ O'Sullivan, J. Reilly (May 27, 1940). "Americans Are Unable To Get Out Of Holland". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Associated Press. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Gordon, Former Envoy To Holland, Returning". The Baltimore Sun. Associated Press. July 18, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "U.S. Continues Recognition of Czechs' State". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. February 8, 1941. p. 4. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Associated Press, Death Notice, G. A. Anderson, Newport Daily News, May 12, 1959

External Resources

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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Haiti
1935–1937 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Ambassador to the Netherlands
1937–1940 		Succeeded by
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