Henry Lane Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson c. 1890 | |
| United States Ambassador to Mexico | |
| In office December 21, 1909 – July 17, 1913[1] | |
| President | William Howard Taft Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | David Eugene Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Henry P. Fletcher |
| United States Minister to Belgium | |
| In office May 5, 1905 – December 25, 1909[1] | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Townsend |
| Succeeded by | Charles Page Bryan |
| United States Minister to Chile | |
| In office September 14, 1897 – July 18, 1904[1] | |
| President | William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Edward H. Strobel |
| Succeeded by | John Hicks |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 3, 1857 Crawfordsville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 22, 1932 (aged 75) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Resting place | Crown Hill Cemetery |
| Spouse |
Alice Vajen (m. 1885) |
| Relations | John L. Wilson (brother) |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Wabash College |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Involvement in the assassination of Francisco I. Madero |
Henry Lane Wilson (November 3, 1857 – December 22, 1932) was an American attorney, journalist, and diplomat who served successively as United States Minister to Chile (1897–1904), Minister to Belgium (1905–09), and Ambassador to Mexico (1909–13). He is best known to history for his involvement in the February 1913 coup d'etat which deposed and assassinated President of Mexico Francisco I. Madero, for which he remains controversial and "perhaps the most vilified United States official of [the 20th] century" in Mexico.[2][3]
Wilson was appointed by President William Howard Taft to the post of United States Ambassador to Mexico in 1910. He brought together opponents of Mexico's democratically-elected President Francisco I. Madero in the Pact of the Embassy, colluding with them to stage a coup d'etat in February 1913.[4][5] Soon after President Woodrow Wilson took office in March 1913, he was appalled to learn that the American ambassador was involved in the plot in which the president and vice president of Mexico were murdered. President Wilson recalled him from his post as ambassador.[6]
- ^ a b c "Henry Lane Wilson - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Office of the Historian of the United States State Department. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ Grieb, Kenneth. "Henry Lane Wilson". Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, v. 5, 460
- ^ Zolov, Eric. "Henry Lane Wilson". Encyclopedia of Mexico, 1607.
- ^ Holden, Robert H. and Eric Zolov, eds. Latin America and the United States: A Documentary History. Document No. 38. 1913. "Pact of the Embassy". New York: Oxford University Press 2010,2011, 101-103.
- ^ Katz, Friedrich. The Secret War in Mexico: Europe, the United States, and the Mexican Revolution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1981, 100-12
- ^ Schoultz, Lars. Beneath the United States: A History of U.S. Policy toward Latin America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press 1998, 240