Meyer Robert Guggenheim (May 17, 1885 – November 16, 1959) was an American diplomat and a member of the prominent

Guggenheim family The Guggenheim family ( ) is an American-Jewish family known for making their fortune in the mining industry, in the early 20th century, especially in the United States and South America. After World War I, many family members withdrew from th ...

. Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, he was the son of

Daniel Guggenheim Daniel Guggenheim (July 9, 1856 – September 28, 1930) was an American mining magnate and philanthropist, and a son of Meyer and Barbara Guggenheim. By 1910 he directed the world's most important group of mining interests. He was forced out ...

(1856–1930), brother of

Harry Frank Guggenheim Harry Frank Guggenheim (August 23, 1890 – January 22, 1971) was an American businessman, diplomat, publisher, philanthropist, aviator, and horseman. Early life He was born August 23, 1890, in West End, New Jersey. He was the second son of Fl ...

, and nephew of

Simon Guggenheim John Simon Guggenheim (December 30, 1867 – November 2, 1941) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. Life Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania of Jewish descent, Simon Guggenheim was the son of Meyer Guggenheim and Barbara G ...

. In January 1938 he married his 4th wife Rebecca Pollard in Miami Beach on his yacht Firenze. Pollard had finalized her divorce to William van Lennep a week earlier. After Guggenheim's death she married John Logan. He attended Columbia College with the class of 1907, but left before graduation. In 1909 he donated the trophy and prize money for the

Ocean to Ocean Automobile Endurance Contest The Ocean to Ocean Automobile Endurance Contest was a transcontinental automobile race held in 1909. The race began in New York City on June 1, 1909 and the first car reached Seattle on June 23. The race was held in conjunction with the Alaska� ...

that coincided with the

Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition The Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition, acronym AYP or AYPE, was a world's fair held in Seattle in 1909 publicizing the development of the Pacific Northwest. It was originally planned for 1907 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold R ...

. As the contest was underway; he was arrested for speeding in New York City - a possible publicity stunt. He served with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was appointed

United States Ambassador to Portugal Bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal date from the earliest years of the United States. Following the Revolutionary War, Portugal was the first neutral country to recognize the United States. On February 21, 1791 ...

, serving between 1953 and 1954.U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian: M. Robert Guggenheim
/ref> Guggenheim died in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1959, aged 74, and was interred in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

References

1885 births 1959 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Jewish American military personnel Meyer Robert Guggenheim Businesspeople from New York City People from Washington, D.C. Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Ambassadors of the United States to Portugal Columbia College (New York) alumni {{US-diplomat-stub