Joseph E. Davies

Joseph E. Davies
2nd United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union
In office
November 16, 1936 – June 11, 1938[1]
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded byWilliam C. Bullitt
Succeeded byLaurence A. Steinhardt
7th United States Ambassador to Belgium
In office
May 14, 1938 – November 30, 1939[1]
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded byHugh S. Gibson
Succeeded byJohn Cudahy
14th United States Envoy to Luxembourg
In office
May 14, 1938 – November 30, 1939[1]
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded byHugh S. Gibson
Succeeded byJohn Cudahy
Chair of the Federal Trade Commission
In office
March 16, 1915 – June 15, 1916
PresidentWoodrow Wilson
Preceded byPosition Established
Succeeded byEdward N. Hurley
Personal details
Born
Joseph Edward Davies

(1876-11-29)November 29, 1876
Watertown, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMay 9, 1958(1958-05-09) (aged 81)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeWashington National Cathedral
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
    Mary Emlen Knight
    (m. 1902; div. 1935)
    (m. 1935; div. 1955)
Children3; Eleanor Tydings Ditzen, Emlen Davies, Rahel Davies
Parent(s)Edward Davies
Rachel Davies
ProfessionLawyer, Ambassador

Joseph Edward Davies (November 29, 1876 – May 9, 1958) was an American lawyer and diplomat. He was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915 to be the first chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. From 1936 to 1938, Davies was the second-ever United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union. His book about the experience, Mission to Moscow, and its subsequent film adaptation, made him widely known.[2]

After his posting in the USSR, Davies became U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg. From 1939 to 1941, he was special assistant to Secretary of State Cordell Hull, in charge of War Emergency Problems and Policies. From 1942 through 1946, Davies was chairman of the President's War Relief Control Board. He was also special advisor to President Harry Truman and Secretary of State James F. Byrnes with rank of Ambassador at the Potsdam Conference in 1945.

  1. ^ a b c Office of the Historian. "Joseph Edward Davies". history.state.gov. United States Department of State.
  2. ^ Jones, Evan David (2001). "Davies, Joseph Edward (1876 - 1958), international lawyer". Dictionary of Welsh Biography.