William Penn Cresson (September 17, 1873 – May 12, 1932)
was an American architect, author, diplomat, and husband of sculptor
Margaret French Cresson
Margaret French Cresson (1889–1973) was an American sculptor, and daughter of sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850–1931). She studied under Abastenia St. Leger Eberle and George Demetrius, focusing her art on marble busts and portrait heads ...
(1889–1973).
Education
Born in
Claymont, Delaware
Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware. The estimated 2017 population of the 19703 ZIP code, which Claymont encompasses, was 15,292.
History
The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans C ...
, Cresson studied at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
from 1895 until graduation in 1897. Shortly after graduation, Cresson moved to France to study at the influential
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
until 1902, when he went on to become a student at the
École Libre des Sciences Politiques
, motto_lang = fr
, mottoeng = Roots of the Future
, type = Public research university''Grande école''
, established =
, founder = Émile Boutmy
, accreditation ...
.
Career
Cresson arrived in Washington, D.C., in 1905 where he practiced Architecture for two or three years.
During this time, he worked in partnership with fellow American architect
Nathan C Wyeth at their architecture firm "Wyeth & Cresson" whose offices were located at 1517
H Street, N.W within Washington, D.C. It was during this time that he was involved in a number of building designs including the current
Embassy of Ireland in Washington.
In 1907, Cresson left Washington to become a cattle rancher in
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, where he worked for two years.
Cresson's diplomatic career began in 1909 when he was appointed Secretary to the American
Legation
A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, minister. Ambassadors diplomatic rank, out ...
in
Lima, Peru
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
. He was then appointed to various diplomatic posts such as the Second Secretary to the
United States Embassy
The United States has the second most diplomatic missions of any country in the world after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as observer state Vatican City and non-member countries Kosovo a ...
in London from 1912 until 1913 and from 1913 onward, Cresson was appointed Secretary to the American Legation in various foreign missions such as
Quito, Ecuador
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley on ...
;
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
,
Petrograd
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, and
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
.
World War I
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 ...
– Cresson was commissioned as Lieutenant in the
Aviation Section of the U.S Signal Corp's reserve component and was subsequently promoted to captain. He was posted as chief of the American Military Mission at the Belgian General Headquarters during the war. During this time he was decorated a Chevalier of the
Order of Leopold and received the
Croix de Guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
.
When the war ended, he continued his service as a Major in the
Reserve Officer's Training Corps – as well as accepting a post as Assistant Professor of International Law in
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
. Later Cresson went on to become a professor of International Law at
Tufts College
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
working for the
Fletcher School.
Cresson remained active in diplomatic affairs – serving as Chief of the Military Secretary at the
Washington Naval Conference
The Washington Naval Conference was a disarmament conference called by the United States and held in Washington, DC from November 12, 1921 to February 6, 1922. It was conducted outside the auspices of the League of Nations. It was attended by nine ...
in Washington, D.C., and diplomatic secretary at the Sixth
Pan-American Conference
The Conferences of American States, commonly referred to as the Pan-American Conferences, were meetings of the Pan-American Union, an international organization for cooperation on trade. James G. Blaine, a United States politician, Secretary ...
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. .
In 1922
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 ...
conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. He was a
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of the
Royal Geographical Society, London and also a member of the
American Society of International Law
The American Society of International Law (ASIL), founded in 1906, was chartered by the United States Congress in 1950 to foster the study of international law, and to promote the establishment and maintenance of international relations on the ba ...
.
Prior to his death, Cresson was serving as President of the Laurel Hill Association in
Stockbridge, MA since 1926
Private life
By the end of 1920, Cresson was engaged to well-known sculptor Margaret French, the daughter of
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture ''The Minute Man'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monume ...
. The couple traveled to
Taormina, Sicily to spend the winter – before the marriage ceremony in January 1921. The attendance included the then US Ambassador to Italy;
Robert Underwood Johnson
Robert Underwood Johnson (January 12, 1853 – October 14, 1937) was an American writer, poet, and diplomat.
Biography
Robert Underwood Johnson was born in Centerville, Indiana, on January 12, 1853. His brother Henry Underwood Johnson b ...
, Mrs. Johnson, and Councillor of the US Embassy at Rome; Franklin M. Gunther – who served as Cresson's
best-man.
They maintained homes in both Washington, D.C., and Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Death
On May 12, 1932, Cresson died after a prolonged illness at the French's family estate in
Stockbridge –
Chesterwood
Chesterwood is a hamlet in Northumberland, in England. It is situated a short distance to the north-west of Haydon Bridge on the South Tyne, west of Hexham. It includes a number of "Bastle Houses" from the 17th Century, originally built to prot ...
. The funeral was held in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Stockbridge. His remains were cremated and later buried in
Oaks, Pennsylvania
Oaks is an unincorporated community located in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The community is 18 miles (30 km) northwest of Philadelphia and its boundaries are defined in large part by the village's position at ...
.
Bibliography
*''Persia, The Awakening East'' ()
*''The Cossacks, Their History and Country (''
*''The Holy Alliance, The European Background of the Monroe Doctrine''
*''Diplomatic Portraits''
*''Francis Dana, a Puritan Diplomat at the Court of Catherine the Great''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cresson, William Penn
1873 births
1932 deaths
People from Claymont, Delaware
University of Pennsylvania alumni
19th-century American architects
20th-century American architects
20th-century American diplomats
American military personnel of World War I
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Princeton University faculty
Tufts University faculty
Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society