Mediators at the Niagara Falls peace conference, 1914

The Niagara Falls peace conference, sometimes referred to as the ABC Conference, started on May 20, 1914, when representatives from

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

—the ABC Powers—met in

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, for

diplomatic negotiations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

in order to avoid war between the United States and Mexico, during the era of the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

History

There were increasing tensions between the two over the

Tampico Affair The Tampico Affair began as a minor incident involving U.S. Navy sailors and the Mexican Federal Army loyal to Mexican dictator General Victoriano Huerta. On April 9, 1914, nine sailors had come ashore to secure supplies and were detained by M ...

of April 9, 1914 and the subsequent

United States occupation of Veracruz The United States occupation of Veracruz (April 21 to November 23, 1914) began with the Battle of Veracruz and lasted for seven months. The incident came in the midst of poor diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, and was r ...

of April 21, 1914 during the

. The Mexican and U.S. governments had severed all diplomatic channels between one another. At the conference, Domício da Gama represented Brazil, Rómulo Sebastián Naón represented Argentina, and Eduardo Suárez Mujica represented Chile. The United States was represented by

Frederick William Lehmann Frederick William Lehmann (February 28, 1853 – September 12, 1931) was a prominent American lawyer, politician, United States Solicitor General, and rare book collector. Biography He was born February 28, 1853 in Prussia. His father Friedri ...

, a former

United States Solicitor General The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represent ...

; and Joseph Rucker Lamar, an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. Federal tribunals in the United States, federal court cases, and over Stat ...

. On May 27, 1914 to celebrate their success, the ABC envoys and the U.S. and Mexican delegates to the conference attended a royal garden party given by the

Duke of Connaught Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. At the same time, he was also ...

, the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm ...

at the

King Edward Hotel The Omni King Edward Hotel is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hotel is located at 37 King Street East, and it occupies the entire block bounded by King Street on the north, Victoria Street on the east, Colborne ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. On March 4, 1915 three South American diplomats received the

Thanks of Congress The Thanks of Congress is a series of formal resolutions passed by the United States Congress originally to extend the government's formal thanks for significant victories or impressive actions by American military commanders and their troops. Altho ...

and were awarded

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

s (P.L. 63-75, 38 Stat. 1228). The statute reads as follows:

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the thanks of Congress to their excellencies be, and they are hereby, presented to their excellencies Señor icDomício da Gama, Señor Rómulo S. Naón, and Señor Eduardo Suárez for their generous services as mediators in the controversy between the Government of the United States of America and the leaders of the warring parties in the Republic of Mexico. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized and requested to cause to be made and presented to their excellencies Señor Domicio da Gama, Señor Rómulo S. Naón, and Señor Eduardo Suárez suitable gold medals, appropriately inscribed, which shall express the high estimation in which Congress holds the services of these distinguished statesmen, and the Republics which they represent, in the promotion of peace and order in the American continent.

Attendees

Henry Percival Dodge Henry Percival Dodge (January 18, 1870 – October 16, 1936) was a United States Ambassador, United States diplomat who served as resident minister in South America, Northern Africa, and Europe for many years. Early life Dodge was born in Boston ...

, American. *

, American. * Robert F. Rose, American from the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or 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 of other na ...

. * Joseph Rucker Lamar, American. * Rómulo Sebastián Naón, Argentina. * Domício da Gama, Brazil. * Eduardo Suárez Mujica, Chile.

Images

File:NoaN 5332816097 e366203f38 o.jpg, Romulo S. Naon of Argentina and Robert F. Rose at the ABC Conference File:Clifton 5333431278 7fc9cfb6c9 o.jpg, Clifton Hotel, at the ABC Conference

References

External links

*
The Forgotten Peace: Mediation at Niagara Falls, by Michael Small
{{commons category, Niagara Falls peace conference Foreign relations of Argentina History of the foreign relations of the United States 1914 in Mexico 1914 conferences Peace conferences Foreign relations of Mexico Mexican Revolution Argentina–Brazil relations Diplomatic conferences in Canada Foreign relations of Chile Foreign relations of Brazil 1914 in Ontario May 1914 events