James Rudolph Partridge (October 26, 1823 – February 24, 1884) was a diplomat and politician who served in a variety of positions, including as a Maryland State Delegate, Secretary of State of Maryland, Minister Resident to Honduras and United States Ambassador to Brazil.

Early life and education

Partridge was born in Maryland in 1823. He graduated from Harvard University in 1841 and received masters and law degrees from Harvard in 1843. After graduation, Partridge practiced law in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

and served on a federal commission appointed to resolve Mexican War claims.

Political life

Partridge was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1856, serving as the chairman of its judiciary committee. He was appointed Maryland Secretary of State two years later by newly-elected Governor of Maryland

Thomas H. Hicks Thomas Holliday Hicks (September 2, 1798February 14, 1865) was a politician in the divided border-state of Maryland during the American Civil War. As governor, opposing the Democrats, his views accurately reflected the conflicting local loyalt ...

. He served in the role from 1858 until 1861. In 1862, Partridge was appointed by

President Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

to serve as the first foreign minister to

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

, a post he held from April 25, 1862 until November 14, 1862. Partridge later served as the first U.S. foreign minister to

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

from June 15, 1863 to March 22, 1866, and as foreign minister to Venezuela from July 8, 1869 to May 9, 1870. Partridge was one of the individuals responsible for establishing diplomatic relations with El Salvador, and supervised the opening of the U.S. Embassy in

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

. In 1871, Partridge was 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 ...

to the role of U.S. Ambassador to Brazil. He served in the post for nearly six years, from July 31, 1871 to June 11, 1877. During that time, Partridge retained a residence in Washington, D.C. In April 1882, Partridge was appointed as a foreign minister to Peru after the sudden death of

Stephen A. Hurlbut Stephen Augustus Hurlbut (November 29, 1815 – March 27, 1882), was an attorney and politician, who commanded the U.S. Army of the Gulf in the American Civil War. Afterward, he continued to serve as a politician and also as a diplomat. Althoug ...

. He took the oath of office and proceeded to the post, but did not present credentials. He was recalled after trying to coordinate the intervention of European diplomats in a war between Peru and Chile, which the Arthur administration said was unauthorized and a violation of the Monroe Doctrine. He left Peru in March 1883. He was later named for a post as a foreign minister to Nicaragua, but his nomination was withdrawn from the United States Senate for consideration.

Death

In the last year of his life, Partridge sailed for Europe, traveled to France, Malta and the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, and resided for a brief period in Spain. Depressed over the deaths of his wife and children which had occurred over several years, he committed suicide in

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...

on February 24, 1884.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patridge, James R 19th-century American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Brazil 19th-century American politicians Harvard University alumni People from Baltimore 1884 deaths 1823 births Ambassadors of the United States to Honduras Ambassadors of the United States to Venezuela Ambassadors of the United States to El Salvador