Louis Goethe Dreyfus Jr. (November 23, 1889 – May 19, 1973) was an American diplomat. As an experienced diplomat, he served twice as United States ambassador to Afghanistan, at differing times; his career at the

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs ...

ultimately lasted more than 40 years.

Career

After his graduation from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1910, he entered the Foreign Service in 1911. His older brother Emanuel died in 1913 of sarcoma. After postings in Berlin, Paris, and South America, he was nominated as the American ambassador to Iran in 1939. Because of an incident involving the Iranian minister (who was caught speeding in

Elkton, Maryland Elkton is a town in and the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,776 at the 2020 census, up from 15,443 in 2010. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of navigation on the Elk R ...

), and the Elkton police, along with the subsequent newspaper coverage, the Iranian government recalled their minister in early 1936. The incident caused a diplomatic rupture: all consular matters were transacted through '' chargés d'affaires'' until 1939, at which time Dreyfus was nominated. While in Iran, Dreyfus reported on the

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, also known as the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia, was the joint invasion of the neutral Imperial State of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in August 1941. The two powers announced that they w ...

to the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

. Dreyfus also served as Minister to Iceland, both before and after it became a republic; and Minister to Sweden after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He also served as the acting Chief of the Foreign Service Inspection Corps (what later became the

Inspector General of the Department of State The Inspector General of the Department of State heads the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State and is responsible for detecting and investigating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the United States Department of St ...

) from 1947 to 1948, before finally returning to Afghanistan as the

United States ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the United States' diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of th ...

from 1949 to 1951, when he was succeeded by George R. Merrell.

Later life

After he retired from the State Department in 1951, he lived in Santa Barbara, California, until his death on May 19, 1973.

References

External links

Louis Goethe Dreyfus, Jr.
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 p ...

website. * DACOR Bacon House Foundation Educational Fellowships, Scholarships and Awards
Dreyfus Scholarships for Dependents of Foreign Service Officers at Yale and Hotchkiss
Ambassadors of the United States to Afghanistan Ambassadors of the United States to Sweden Ambassadors of the United States to Iran Ambassadors of the United States to Iceland 1889 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American diplomats {{US-diplomat-stub