Alexander Wilbourne Weddell (April 6, 1876 – January 1, 1948) was an American diplomat. He served as United States ambassador to
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
from 1933 to 1939 and to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
from 1939 to 1942.
Weddell was born in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, and attended
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
. On May 31, 1923, he married a wealthy widow, Virginia Chase Steedman. He served as president of the
Virginia Historical Society
The Virginia Museum of History and Culture founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history. It is a private, n ...
from 1943 until his death.
Weddell was the author or editor of several books, including:
*''A Memorial Volume of Virginia Historical Portraiture'' (1930)
*''Richmond, Virginia, in Old Prints'' (1932)
*''Introduction to Argentina'' (1939)
*''Portraiture in the Virginia Historical Society'' (1945)
Weddell and his wife died in a train accident near
Otterville,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
on January 1, 1948.
Virginia House
The Weddells' Richmond home,
Virginia House, was constructed from material from an older house located in
Priory Park, Warwick
Priory Park is an urban park located in the centre of Warwick, England. Originally the land was the grounds of a 12th-century priory dedicated to St Sepulchre and built in 1124 but this was closed down by King Henry VIII during the dissolution o ...
, England. He purchased the Warwick property in 1926 and transported it over two years later. The rebuilt house now belongs to the
Virginia Historical Society
The Virginia Museum of History and Culture founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history. It is a private, n ...
and is open to the public.
Further reading
*
* Virginius Cornick Hall Jr., ''Portraits in the Collection of the Virginia Historical Society'' (1981), pp. 254–255. .
External links
Virginia House
1876 births
1948 deaths
Writers from Richmond, Virginia
Ambassadors of the United States to Argentina
Ambassadors of the United States to Spain
Railway accident deaths in the United States
Accidental deaths in Missouri
20th-century American diplomats
20th-century American historians
American male non-fiction writers
United States Foreign Service personnel
Historians from Virginia
20th-century American male writers
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