Charles Lyon Chandler (December 29, 1883June 29, 1962) was an American consul and historian of
Latin America–United States relations
Historically speaking, bilateral relations between the various countries of atin Americaand the United States of America have been multifaceted and complex, at times defined by strong regional cooperation and at others filled with economic and ...
. A
Harvard graduate who came to South America in the
Consular Service, he became a student and proponent of
Pan-Americanism
Pan-Americanism is a movement that seeks to create, encourage, and organize relationships, associations and cooperation among the states of the Americas, through diplomatic, political, economic, and social means.
History
Following the indepen ...
. His pioneering 1915 book ''Inter-American Acquaintances'' proposed a new, Pan-American origin for the
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a United States foreign policy position that opposed European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. It held that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers was a potentially hostile act ...
. After being denied a permanent diplomatic appointment he worked for the
Southern Railway and the
Corn Exchange Bank
The Corn Exchange Bank was a retail bank founded in 1853 in New York state. Over the years, the company acquired many community banks.
History
In 1855, the Corn Exchange Bank moved into an existing building in New York City at the northwest ...
; at the same time he became a respected independent scholar who helped found the ''
Hispanic American Historical Review
''The Hispanic American Historical Review'' is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal of Latin American history, the official publication of the Conference on Latin American History, the professional organization of Latin American historia ...
''. Beside many articles on early inter-American relations, he co-authored an unpublished biography of
Joel Roberts Poinsett
Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779December 12, 1851) was an American physician, diplomat and botanist. He was the first U.S. agent in South America, a member of the South Carolina legislature and the United States House of Representatives, the ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
he worked in Brazil for the U.S. government, and before retirement he taught at
Haverford,
Georgetown and
Ursinus.
For his scholarship and promotion of good relations based on shared cultural values, Chandler achieved significant honors in several South American countries—but not in the United States. This, combined with scant attention to his scholarship, led his biographer to characterize him as a
forgotten man
The forgotten man is a political concept in the United States centered around those whose interests have been neglected. The first main invocation of this concept came from William Graham Sumner in an 1883 lecture in Brooklyn entitled ''The Forgott ...
.
Early life
Chandler was born in a
Unitarian family, and would attribute a great influence to religious values of social progress and "perfect mutual toleration". His aunt Agnes Blake Poor encouraged a love of Spanish and Portuguese, while he took Latin and French in high school and studied German on his own. At
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
he focused on history and political science, studying under
Frederick Jackson Turner
Frederick Jackson Turner (November 14, 1861 – March 14, 1932) was an American historian during the early 20th century, based at the University of Wisconsin until 1910, and then Harvard University. He was known primarily for his frontier thes ...
,
Edward Channing
Edward Perkins Channing (June 15, 1856 – January 7, 1931) was an American historian and an author of a monumental ''History of the United States'' in six volumes, for which he won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for History. His thorough research i ...
and
Archibald Cary Coolidge before graduating ''
magna cum laude'' in 1905.
Consular service
Already in Europe on a George W. Dillaway fellowship, Chandler obtained a job in the United States Consular Service as the secretary of the American
envoy
Envoy or Envoys may refer to:
Diplomacy
* Diplomacy, in general
* Envoy (title)
* Special envoy, a type of diplomatic rank
Brands
*Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft
*Envoy (automobile), an automobile brand used to sell Br ...
in Portugal,
Charles Page Bryan. The State Department sent him to Japan, where he studied
interpreting, and then to
Formosa and
Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...
as
vice consul
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
. In 1908 he was sent to
Montevideo, Uruguay—the beginning of his Latin American experience.
Chandler wrote diverse reports for trade publications, such as arguing for American entrepreneurs to invest in Argentina rather than Japan or China. He was also returned to the United States to attend business conferences. Studying
private international law
Conflict of laws (also called private international law) is the set of rules or laws a jurisdiction applies to a case, transaction, or other occurrence that has connections to more than one jurisdiction. This body of law deals with three broad t ...
at the
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one of the most prestigi ...
(after transferring to that consulate), he earned a certificate, and used university club life to interest Argentines in studying in the United States. He was the first foreign member of the university's Law Student's Club, and was active in the United States Universities Club of Buenos Aires as well as the Harvard Club of the River Plate.
In August 1911, he began writing ''Inter-American Acquaintances''. The first chapter appeared the next month and the completed book in 1915 (Sewanee, Tennessee: University Press), with a second edition in 1917. Predating other early works on Pan-American relations, his biographer asserts that "Chandler's publications must be considered precursors to the pioneers". According to a contemporary review:
In August 1911, Chandler was transferred to
Callao, Peru, to serve as vice and deputy consul. The newspaper ''El Diario'' reported that "Chandler is a true American, inasmuch as he truly reflects reality; he is very much a ''latino'' in his fine projects and in his ideas and conceptions." He was elected to Lima's National Club, founded a United States Universities Club of Peru and enrolled at the
University of San Marcos
The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...
. In January 1914, however, the State Department informed him that he failed the entrance examination for permanent appointment to the
Diplomatic Service
Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...
.
Later career
![St Mary's Church Manuel Torres plaque attendees](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/St_Mary%27s_Church_Manuel_Torres_plaque_attendees.jpg)
Leaving diplomacy, Chandler sustained himself with business jobs instead, working as an agent for the
Southern Railway from 1914 to 1918, and as foreign trade manager for the
Corn Exchange Bank
The Corn Exchange Bank was a retail bank founded in 1853 in New York state. Over the years, the company acquired many community banks.
History
In 1855, the Corn Exchange Bank moved into an existing building in New York City at the northwest ...
of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
from 1918 to 1942. He continued lecturing, organizing tours and publishing scholarly articles related to inter-American affairs. He helped organize and fund the ''
Hispanic American Historical Review
''The Hispanic American Historical Review'' is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal of Latin American history, the official publication of the Conference on Latin American History, the professional organization of Latin American historia ...
'', and wrote some of its first articles. In 1924 he discovered the tomb of the first Colombian ambassador to the United States,
Manuel Torres, in Philadelphia.
During 1933 and 1934 he worked with
Edwin J. Pratt on a biography of
Joel Roberts Poinsett
Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779December 12, 1851) was an American physician, diplomat and botanist. He was the first U.S. agent in South America, a member of the South Carolina legislature and the United States House of Representatives, the ...
, intended for publication the next year. This "most important historical effort of his career"
[Avenius, "Charles Lyon Chandler", p. 177] was upset, however, when
J. Fred Rippy and
Herbert E. Putnam both published Poinsett biographies that year. While Chandler sharply criticized these books in the ''
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
The ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the history of Pennsylvania. It has been published by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-e ...
'', stressing that "neither can be considered a definitive and final biography", it did not prevent his own work from being rejected by
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
's and
Harvard's university presses. The manuscript was revised but never published.
Following a switch to the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
in the 1920s, Chandler became a supporter of
Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s, exchanging some personal letters with the president. When the United States entered
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Chandler left banking for a job with the government's
Rubber Development Corporation. He worked in Washington as well as Brazil, and in September 1943 moved to the
Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, later known as the Office for Inter-American Affairs, was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation (Pan-Americanism) during the 1940s, especially in commercial and econ ...
in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
. He discovered the tomb of early American diplomat
William Tudor
William Tudor (March 28, 1750 – July 8, 1819) was a wealthy lawyer and leading citizen of Boston, Massachusetts. His eldest son William Tudor (1779–1830) became a leading literary figure in Boston. Another son, Frederic Tudor, founded ...
there, and was popular in the Brazilian press.
Returning from Brazil at age 63, he spent six years teaching at
Haverford College,
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
and
Ursinus College
Ursinus College is a private liberal arts college in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869 and occupies a 170-acre campus.
History
19th century
In 1867, members of the German Reformed Church began plans to establish a college wh ...
. At Ursinus he taught political science and helped obtain the
Huntington Wilson
Francis Mairs Huntington Wilson (December 15, 1875-December 31, 1946) was a United States diplomat and author who served as United States Assistant Secretary of State from 1909 to 1913.
Biography
Huntington Wilson was born in Chicago, the son ...
Papers. In retirement he lived in
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and taught at a Unitarian Sunday school, preached, and was unofficially involved with the Williams Foundation, an organization dedicated to interchange between the U.S. and Argentina.
Death and legacy
Chandler died in
Ridley Park
Ridley Park is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 7,002 at the 2010 census. Ridley Park is the home of The Boeing Company's CH-47 Chinook helicopter division.
History
Native American
The Lenape inhabited the Dela ...
, Pennsylvania, on June 29, 1962. His wife donated his papers to the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
.
"Almost everything he wrote or spoke about seemed to show, in some way, that peoples of the Western Hemisphere and get along together under certain circumstances," Chandler's biographer Sheldon Avenius wrote. While Chandler was honored in South America, and witnessed an actual improvement in inter-American relations, the United States had little interest in Chandler's advocacy based on shared cultural values—leading Avenius to conclude that Chandler "remains today a splendid example of the
forgotten man
The forgotten man is a political concept in the United States centered around those whose interests have been neglected. The first main invocation of this concept came from William Graham Sumner in an 1883 lecture in Brooklyn entitled ''The Forgott ...
".
Awards and honors
* 1926: Colombia – honorary
doctor of laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...
* 1934: Chile –
Order of Merit
* 1944: Brazil – Commander in the
Order of the Southern Cross
Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 18 ...
* 1944: Brazil – honorary
doctor of letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...
from the
University of Porto Alegre
* 1945: Brazil – commemorative medal for the centennial of the
Baron of Rio Branco
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...
* Colombia – elected to
* Colombia –
Order of Boyacá[Avenius, "Charles Lyon Chandler", pp. 170–180.]
Notes
Bibliography
* With photograph 1951, and list of works.
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Charles Lyon
1883 births
1962 deaths
20th-century American historians
20th-century American male writers
Historians of the United States
Historians of Latin America
Harvard College alumni
American male non-fiction writers