Charles Lyon Chandler | |
---|---|
Born | December 29, 1883 |
Died | June 29, 1962 Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 78)
Occupation | Historian |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Harvard College |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Charles Lyon Chandler (December 29, 1883[1] – June 29, 1962) was an American consul and historian of Latin America–United States relations. A Harvard graduate who came to South America in the Consular Service, he became a student and proponent of Pan-Americanism. His pioneering 1915 book Inter-American Acquaintances proposed a new, Pan-American origin for the Monroe Doctrine. After being denied a permanent diplomatic appointment he worked for the Southern Railway and the Corn Exchange Bank; at the same time he became a respected independent scholar who helped found the Hispanic American Historical Review. Beside many articles on early inter-American relations, he co-authored an unpublished biography of Joel Roberts Poinsett. During World War II he worked in Brazil for the U.S. government, and before retirement he taught at Haverford, Georgetown and Ursinus.
For his scholarship and promotion of good relations based on shared cultural values, Chandler achieved significant honors in several South American countries—but not in the United States. This, combined with scant attention to his scholarship, led his biographer to characterize him as a forgotten man.