Charles Spencer Francis (June 17, 1853 – December 1, 1911) was an American diplomat and newspaper editor.

Early life and education

The son of diplomat and newspaper publisher John M. Francis and Harriet E. Tucker, Charles Spencer Francis was born on June 17, 1853. He studied at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

from 1870 to 1871, before joining his father in Greece as his secretary. His mission completed, Francis thus returned to the United States and Cornell in 1874. At Cornell, Francis proved to be an excellent rower, setting the world record in intercollegiate

single scull A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to minimi ...

competition in 1876 (which stood long after his death, up until his grandson also attended Cornell). He graduated from Cornell the next year with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree.

Newspaperman

He went to work for his father's newspaper, '' The Troy Times'', as a reporter, and worked his way up to the editor's desk. He bought a stake in the paper, then made it an equal one. Upon his father's death in 1897, Francis took over the paper entirely.

Diplomatic career

Francis, a Republican, was appointed to his father's old post of United States Minister to Greece,

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 ...

, and

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 ...

in 1900, under President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

. Two years later, Francis resigned to attend to his newspaper and other business interests. He returned to diplomacy in 1906, when President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

nominated Francis to another of his father's old posts: that of the

United States Ambassador to Austria This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Austria. The United States first established diplomatic relations with Austria in 1838 during the time of the Austrian Empire. Relations between the United States have been continuous since t ...

—at the time, the United States Ambassador to Austria-Hungary; upon the recall of Bellamy Storer. The Emperor,

Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

, accepted; and his appointment was announced by the

Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

on March 28, 1906. Two months later, Francis presented his credentials. He was officially introduced to the Emperor's court on January 30, 1907. Three years later, on the eve of his departure, the Emperor received him in a farewell audience. He was replaced by

Richard C. Kerens Richard C. Kerens (1842 – September 4, 1916) was an American contractor and politician. Kerens was born in Killberry, County Meath, Ireland, and was brought to the United States, U. S. in infant, infancy. He was educated in the public schools ...

Other activities

A member of

Zeta Psi Zeta Psi () is a collegiate fraternity. It was founded in June 1, 1847 at New York University. The organization now comprises fifty-three active chapters and thirty-four inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand members, and is a f ...

, he served in the

New York State National Guard The New York (state), New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutan ...

under

Joseph Bradford Carr Joseph Bradford Carr (August 16, 1828 – February 24, 1895)Eicher, p. 165. was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life Carr was born in Albany, New York, the son of Irish immigrants, and worked as a tobacconist ...

, ultimately attaining the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. He was also a vice president of the

American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society The American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society was created in 1895 as New York’s first organized preservation lobby. The Society operated as a national organization to protect the natural scenery and the preservation of historic landmark ...

, and a member of

Sons of the Revolution Sons of the Revolution is a hereditary society which was founded in 1876 and educates the public about the American Revolution. The General Society Sons of the Revolution headquarters is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation located at Willia ...

. In 1903, Francis became a member of the

Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within New York State, presiding over University of the State of New York and the New York State Education Depa ...

, which he resigned upon his nomination as ambassador.

Personal life

Francis married Alice Evans, the daughter of a Cornell professor, on May 23, 1878; and they had five children, two sons and three daughters. Francis died from

myocarditis Myocarditis, also known as inflammatory cardiomyopathy, is an acquired cardiomyopathy due to inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest pain, decreased ability to exercise, and an irregular heartbeat. The ...

on December 1, 1911, and was buried at Oakwood Cemetery.

References

External links

Charles Spencer Francis
at the

Office of the Historian The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign po ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Charles Spencer Ambassadors of the United States to Greece Ambassadors of the United States to Austria Ambassadors of the United States to Serbia Ambassadors of the United States to Romania 1853 births 1911 deaths Businesspeople from Troy, New York Military personnel from Troy, New York New York National Guard personnel Regents of the University of the State of New York Editors of New York (state) newspapers Cornell Big Red rowers New York (state) Republicans 19th-century American businesspeople