Leo John Keena (April 12, 1878 – December 13, 1967) was an American football player and diplomat.

Early years

Keena was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1878, the son of James T. Keena and Henrietta (Boyle) Keena. His father was a lawyer who later became the president of the Peoples State Bank of Detroit.

University of Michigan

Keena played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

as a

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

and kicker for the University of Michigan from 1897 to 1899. He served in the United States Navy as a seaman on the auxiliary cruiser during the Spanish–American War.

Diplomatic career

After receiving his degree, Keena became a diplomat for the United States in 1909. He was married in August 1906 to Eleanor Clarke. Keena's early diplomatic posts include service as U.S. Consul in Chihuahua, Mexico (1909–10), U.S. Counsel to

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

(1910–14), U.S. Consul General in

Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

(1914–15), U.S. Consul General in Valparaíso, Chile (1915–19), U.S. Consul General in Zürich, Switzerland (1919–20), U.S. Consul General in

Warsaw, Poland Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-cen ...

(1920–22), U.S. Consul in Liverpool, England (1924–26), U.S. Counsul General in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

(1927–29), and U.S. Counsul General in Paris (1929–32). He was appointed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served as the

United States Ambassador to Honduras The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to Honduras. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.'' See also * Hon ...

from February 1935 to May 1937 and as

United States Ambassador to South Africa Before 1902, the southern part of Africa that is now South Africa was under the hegemony of Great Britain. There also were two self-proclaimed independent states: Transvaal (also known as the South African Republic), and the Orange Free State. T ...

from July 1937 to August 1942.

Later life and death

After his assignment to South Africa, Keena retired from the Foreign Service in 1943. He died in Knysna in December 1967.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keena, Leo J. 1878 births 1967 deaths 19th-century players of American football American football fullbacks Detroit Titans football players Michigan Wolverines football players Ambassadors of the United States to Honduras Ambassadors of the United States to South Africa American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Players of American football from Detroit