William Townsend Pheiffer (July 15, 1898 – August 16, 1986) was an American lawyer,

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and diplomat. He was a

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

from New York in the

77th Congress The 77th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1941, ...

and ambassador to the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

Biography

He was born in Purcell, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), the son of William Pfeiffer (1869-?) and Susan Garfinkel (1869-?). His brother was Harry R. Pfeiffer (1896-?). His father was a lawyer. His maternal uncle was

Julius Garfinckel Julius Garfinckel (November 5, 1872 – November 5, 1936) was a prominent American merchant, business executive and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Washington, D.C., department store Garfinckel's. Biography He was born in Syracuse ...

, wealthy merchant. He attended the public schools of Purcell, Ardmore and

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, and the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. 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 ...

, Pheiffer served as a

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in the cavalry of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, in 1918. He earned a law degree at the law school of the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

, in 1919. That same year, he was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

and began working in general practice like his father. He practiced in

Sayre, Oklahoma Sayre is a small city in, and the county seat of, Beckham County, in western Oklahoma, United States. It is halfway between Oklahoma City, and Amarillo, Texas, on Interstate 40 and the former U.S. Route 66. The population was 4,375 at the 2010 ...

, from 1923 to 1926. In 1924, he was a

candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * ...

for the 2nd District in the Oklahoma Senate. Pheiffer moved to

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

, in 1926, and continued the practice of law. In 1932, he was an alternate

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from Texas at the Republican National Convention in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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. He was a delegate to the Republican State conventions in 1936 and 1942. In 1939, he moved to

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. The following year, he was elected by a wide margin to represent the 16th Congressional District on the East Side of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

in the

, January 3, 1941 to January 3, 1943. Pheiffer was the first Republican to carry the district, defeating the Democratic

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

, James Fay. He was defeated for reelection by Fay by 80 votes in 1942. The 16th District was merged with others in a 1944 reapportionment. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Pheiffer entered the Army as a captain of the cavalry and served from March 12, 1943, to April 22, 1944. On August 1, 1944, he was appointed counsel to the Petroleum Administration for War,

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, ...

, and served until February 8, 1945. He then resumed private practice as a member of the New York and Washington law firm of Pheiffer, Stephens & Weaver. He was also an

executive assistant A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

in charge of the New York headquarters of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...

from 1945 to 1948.

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Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

appointed Pheiffer the Ambassador to the

on May 28, 1953. His full title was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and his presentation of credentials took place on June 29. On March 20, 1954, he was married in the fashionable

Everglades Club The Everglades Club is a social club in Palm Beach, Florida. When its construction began in July 1918, it was to be called the ''Touchstone Convalescent Club'', and it was intended to be a hospital for the wounded of World War I. But the war ended ...

in Palm Beach, Florida, to Frances Margaret Laacke (September 30, 1892 – July 8, 1993) (She was first married to and divorced from physician Samuel G. Higgins; she then married and became the widow of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

brewer/real estate dealer George E. Uihlein). Pheiffer then returned with his bride to the Dominican Republic and they took up residence together at th
U.S. Embassy
in

Ciudad Trujillo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

(now Santo Domingo). He served at his post as envoy until June 2, 1957. He and his wife then returned to New York, where he carried on his practice of law. At his death, his law office was at 645 Madison Avenue.''The Los Angeles Times'', August 23, 1986, from Times Wire Services, "William T. Pheiffer; Ex-Envoy," p. E7 He died at age 88 at his home in New York City.

References

External links

William T. Pheiffer
at the

Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

U.S. Department of State - U.S. Ambassadors to the Dominican Republic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pheiffer, William T. 1898 births 1986 deaths University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni Ambassadors of the United States to the Dominican Republic United States Army officers American Unitarians People from Sayre, Oklahoma Politicians from Amarillo, Texas Politicians from New York City United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army personnel of World War II Oklahoma Republicans People from Purcell, Oklahoma Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 20th-century American politicians Lawyers from New York City 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from Texas

Biography

See also

References

External links