Archibald Loudon Snowden (August 11, 1835 – September 7, 1912) was an American politician and diplomat during the late 19th century.

Early life

Snowden was born in

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Cumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its county seat is Carlisle. Cumberland County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. Histo ...

, on August 11, 1835. He was a son of Margery Bines (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Louden) and Isaac Wayne Snowden. His siblings included Nathaniel Randolph Snowden, John Ross Snowden, Sarah Gustine Snowden Stewart, and Maude Loudon Snowden. Their uncle,

James Ross Snowden James Ross Snowden (December 9, 1809 – March 21, 1878 ) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing Venango and Clarion counties from 1838 to ...

, was a director of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

. His father was a surgeon in the U.S. Army and served in the

First Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

under General Jackson and was wounded at Fort Scott. Snowden graduated from Jefferson College in 1856.

Career

Following his graduation in 1856, he was made register of the

7 May 1857. Politically, Snowden was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

until 1860 when he switched to the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

party believing that the Democrats' policies were detrimental to the manufacturing interests of the country. After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

broke out in 1861, Snowden assisted in raising a regiment of Pennsylvania volunteer infantry and was commissioned

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. He was subsequently elected captain of the

First City Troop The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decorat ...

of Philadelphia. He was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1873.

Post-war career

Snowden became chief coiner at the

Philadelphia Mint The Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national ...

on 1 October 1866, and from 1877 to 1879, he served as postmaster of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Snowden served as the superintendent of the Philadelphia Mint from 1879 to 1885. appointed by President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. In 1878, he twice declined to serve as director of

, offered by

President Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

. In 1879, he became the Chief Executor in the Philadelphia Mint and served in that role until

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

's election in 1885. In 1887, he served as the Marshal of the Centennial celebration of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

, which was held in Philadelphia.''New York Times'', 10 Jul 1887, pg. 1 He made improvements and inventions relating to coining machinery, and wrote articles on subjects relating to coinage, the great seal of the United States, and other subjects. He was identified with railroads, insurance companies, and other business interests.

Diplomatic career

In 1889, Snowden succeeded

Walker Fearn John Williams Walker Fearn (January 13, 1832 – April 7, 1899) was an American diplomat. Early life Fearn, born in Huntsville, Alabama, was an 1851 graduate of Yale University. He was the nephew of LeRoy Pope Walker, the first Secretary of War ...

and served simultaneously as the United States Minister to Greece,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

from 1889 to 1892. From 1892 to 1893, he served as the

United States Minister to Spain The incumbent ambassador is Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, she was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on January 7, 2022 and presented her credentials on February 2, 2022. This is a list of United States ambassadors to Spain from 1779 to the ...

, succeeding Edward Burd Grubb, Jr.

Later career

Snowden was the president of the

Fairmount Park Commission Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

. In 1903, he was accused, along with Charles A. Porter, former State Senator, C. Kennedy Crossan, a contractor and Ludwig S. Filbert, of making illegal profits through the Danville Bessemer Company.

Family

On February 16, 1864, Snowden was married to Elizabeth Robinson Smith (1841–1910). Together, they were the parents of: * Caroline Smith Snowden (1865–1960), who married Stuyvesant Wainwright (1863–1930) in 1889. They divorced and she married Dr. Carl F. Wolff (1864–1934). * Mary Buchanan Snowden (b. 1866), who married Frank Samuel in 1887. * Charles Randolph Snowden (1871–1913), who married Berthe de Pourtales Churchman (1878–1958) in 1899. * Archibald Loudon Snowden (1878–1878), who died young. Snowden died on September 7, 1912, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after battling a nine-month illness. He is interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

in the Bridge section, Plots 9 & 10.

Descendants

He was the grandfather of Stuyvesant Wainwright (1891–1975), Snowden Wainwright (b. 1893), Loudon Snowden Wainwright (1898–1942), and

Carroll Livingston Wainwright Carroll Livingston Wainwright (December 2, 1899 – July 6, 1967) was an American artist and socialite. Early life Wainwright was born on December 2, 1899, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Stuyvesant Wainwright (1863–1930) and Caroline Sm ...

(1899–1967), and great-grandfather of Stuyvesant Wainwright II (1921–2010) and Loudon Wainwright, Jr. (1924–1988).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snowden, A. Loudon 1835 births 1912 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Greece Ambassadors of the United States to Romania Ambassadors of the United States to Serbia Ambassadors of the United States to Spain Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Washington & Jefferson College alumni 19th-century American diplomats Pennsylvania Republicans People from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania