Herbert H. D. Peirce
Encyclopedia
Herbert Henry Davis Peirce (May 11, 1849 – December 5, 1914) was a United States
diplomat
who served as Third Assistant Secretary of State from 1901 to 1906 and as U.S. Ambassador to Norway
from 1906 to 1911.
on May 11, 1849, the son of Benjamin Peirce
and his wife Sarah, who was a daughter of Sen.
Elijah H. Mills
(Fed.—Mass.). He was educated at Harvard College
, graduating in 1871. He later studied at the Royal School of Mines
in London
.
In 1894, Peirce joined the United States Legation
in Saint Petersburg
as First Secretary, and occasionally acting as Chargé d'Affaires
. In this capacity, he attended the coronation
of Nicholas II of Russia
in 1896.
In 1901, President of the United States
Theodore Roosevelt
named Peirce to be Third Assistant Secretary of State and Peirce held this office from November 16, 1901 until June 22, 1906. In this capacity, he made arrangements for the 1905 conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
between the Russian Empire
and the Empire of Japan
at the end of the Russo-Japanese War
that resulted in the Treaty of Portsmouth
.
President then named Peirce U.S. Minister to Norway
. Ambassador Peirce presented his credentials
on August 13, 1906 and served there until May 30, 1911.
Peirce retired from the Diplomatic Corps in 1912. He then served as counsel to the United States
in American and British claims arbitration.
Peirce died in Portland, Maine
on December 5, 1914.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
who served as Third Assistant Secretary of State from 1901 to 1906 and as U.S. Ambassador to Norway
United States Ambassador to Norway
Prior to 1905, Sweden and Norway were politically united. The United States Ambassador to Sweden thus was the US representative for Norway as well as Sweden. In 1905 Sweden and Norway peacefully separated and Norway became an independent constitutional monarchy. On November 14, 1905, the US State...
from 1906 to 1911.
Biography
Herbert Henry Davis Peirce was born in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
on May 11, 1849, the son of Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce was an American mathematician who taught at Harvard University for approximately 50 years. He made contributions to celestial mechanics, statistics, number theory, algebra, and the philosophy of mathematics....
and his wife Sarah, who was a daughter of Sen.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Elijah H. Mills
Elijah H. Mills
Elijah Hunt Mills was an American politician from Massachusetts.Mills was born in Chesterfield, Massachusetts. He was educated by private tutors and graduated from Williams College in 1797. Mills studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Northampton, Massachusetts...
(Fed.—Mass.). He was educated at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, graduating in 1871. He later studied at the Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In 1894, Peirce joined the United States Legation
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
as First Secretary, and occasionally acting as Chargé d'Affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
. In this capacity, he attended the coronation
Coronation of the Russian monarch
The Coronation of the Russian monarch was a religious ceremony of the Russian Orthodox Church, the state church of the Russian Empire, in which the Emperor of Russia was crowned and invested with regalia, then anointed with chrism and formally blessed by the church to commence his reign...
of Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
in 1896.
In 1901, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
named Peirce to be Third Assistant Secretary of State and Peirce held this office from November 16, 1901 until June 22, 1906. In this capacity, he made arrangements for the 1905 conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
between the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
at the end of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
that resulted in the Treaty of Portsmouth
Treaty of Portsmouth
The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 after negotiations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine in the USA.-Negotiations:...
.
President then named Peirce U.S. Minister to Norway
United States Ambassador to Norway
Prior to 1905, Sweden and Norway were politically united. The United States Ambassador to Sweden thus was the US representative for Norway as well as Sweden. In 1905 Sweden and Norway peacefully separated and Norway became an independent constitutional monarchy. On November 14, 1905, the US State...
. Ambassador Peirce presented his credentials
Letter of Credence
A letter of credence is a formal letter usually sent by one head of state to another that formally grants diplomatic accreditation to a named individual to be their ambassador in the country of the head of state receiving the letter...
on August 13, 1906 and served there until May 30, 1911.
Peirce retired from the Diplomatic Corps in 1912. He then served as counsel to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in American and British claims arbitration.
Peirce died in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
on December 5, 1914.