Henry Francis Grady (February 12, 1882 – September 14, 1957) was an American
diplomat. Born in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, to John Henry and Ellen Genevieve (Rourke) Grady, he earned a PhD in economics from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. On October 18, 1917, he married
Lucretia Louise del Valle (daughter of
California State Senator Reginaldo Francisco del Valle
Reginaldo Francisco del Valle (December 15, 1854 – September 20, 1938) was a Californio statesman and lawyer, who served as a member of the California Senate and California Assembly. He was the youngest ever President pro tempore of the C ...
and Helen M. (White) del Valle, and granddaughter of
Ygnacio del Valle
Ygnacio Ramón de Jesus del Valle (July 1, 1808 – 1880) was a Californio ranchero and politician. He owned much of the Santa Clarita Valley and served briefly as Mayor of Los Angeles and as a California State Assemblyman.
Early life
Del Va ...
). Grady's daughter, Patricia Louise Grady, was born in Paris, France, May 11, 1920, and died May 28, 2000, in
Asheville
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ci ...
,
Buncombe, North Carolina. On August 24, 1942, she married diplomat
John Paton Davies, Jr.
Early career
Grady worked at the
US Commerce Department in economics as an aide to Secretary
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
in 1921. He was the dean,
College of Commerce at the
UC Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...
from 1928 to 1937. He became president of the shipping company
American President Lines
APL, formerly called American President Lines Ltd., is an American container shipping company that is a subsidiary of French shipping company CMA CGM. It operates an all-container ship fleet, including 9 U.S. flagged container vessels.
In 1938, ...
in 1941, remaining there until 1947.
Diplomatic career
In October 1945, he was appointed by US President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
as his personal representative to the Allied commission supervising elections in Greece because of the volatile situation created by the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...
.
[statement by US Secretary of State James F. Byrnes, ''Department of State Bulletin'', October 21, 1945, p. 611]
In July 1946, Grady, together with British Deputy Prime Minister
Herbert Morrison
Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, (3 January 1888 – 6 March 1965) was a British politician who held a variety of senior positions in the UK Cabinet as member of the Labour Party. During the inter-war period, he was Minis ...
, proposed the "
Morrison-Grady Plan," a proposal for the solution of the
Palestine problem that called for federalization under overall British trusteeship. Ultimately, the plan was rejected by both Arabs and Jews.
Grady was the first
US Ambassador to India
The United States Ambassador to India is the chief diplomatic representative of United States in India. The U.S. Ambassador's office is situated at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.
Chiefs of Mission to India
U.S. Ambassadors to the Dominion of ...
, serving from 1947 to 1948 (concurrently
US Ambassador to Nepal 1948). He was then appointed as
US Ambassador to Greece from 1948 to 1950, and
US Ambassador to Iran 1950–1951.
He was a member of the
Pacific-Union Club
The Pacific-Union Club is a social club located at 1000 California Street in San Francisco, California, at the top of Nob Hill. It is considered to be the most elite club of the West Coast, and one of the most elite clubs in the United States, a ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, and of the
Family Club.
Death
He died September 14, 1957, on board the SS ''President Wilson'', Pacific Ocean, from heart failure and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma, California.
References
External links
*
*
Ambassadors of the United States to India
Ambassadors of the United States to Greece
Ambassadors of the United States to Iran
1882 births
1957 deaths
Columbia University alumni
Ambassadors of the United States to Nepal
20th-century American diplomats
{{US-diplomat-stub