George S. Messersmith

George S. Messersmith
United States Ambassador to Argentina
In office
April 12, 1946 – June 12, 1947
PresidentHarry S. Truman
Preceded bySpruille Braden
Succeeded byJames Cabell Bruce
United States Ambassador to Mexico
In office
February 24, 1942 – May 15, 1946
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
Preceded byJosephus Daniels
Succeeded byWalter C. Thurston
United States Ambassador to Cuba
In office
March 8, 1940 – February 8, 1942
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded byJ. Butler Wright
Succeeded bySpruille Braden
United States Assistant Secretary of State
In office
July 9, 1937 – February 15, 1940[1]
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded bySumner Welles
Succeeded byHugh R. Wilson
United States Ambassador to Austria
In office
April 7, 1934 – July 11, 1937
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded byGeorge Howard Earle III
Succeeded byGrenville T. Emmet
Personal details
Born
George Strausser Messersmith

October 3, 1883
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 29, 1960(1960-01-29) (aged 76)
ProfessionLawyer, Diplomat

George Strausser Messersmith (October 3, 1883 – January 29, 1960) was a United States ambassador to Austria, Cuba, Mexico, and Argentina. Messersmith also served as head of the consulate in Germany from 1930 to 1934, during the rise of the Nazi Party.[2]

He was best known in his day for his controversial decision to issue a visa to Albert Einstein to travel to the United States.[3] He is also known today for his diplomatic handling of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, later Duke and Duchess of Windsor, in the era before World War II.[4]

  1. ^ Plischke, Elmer (January 1, 1999). U.S. Department of State: A Reference History. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-313-29126-5. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  2. ^ Stiller, Jesse H. (1987). George S. Messersmith, Diplomat of Democracy. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-1721-6.
  3. ^ Schaap, Jeremy (2007). Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 71, 242. ISBN 978-0-618-68822-7. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  4. ^ Higham, Charles (1988). The Dutchess of Windsor: The Secret Life. McGraw Hill.