Irwin B. Laughlin
Encyclopedia
Irwin Boyle Laughlin was an American
diplomat. He served as Minister to Greece
from 1924 to 1926 and Ambassador to Spain
from 1929 to 1933.
, in 1871 to George McCully Laughlin (1842–1908) and Isabel McKennan Laughlin. His father served in the Union Army
during the Civil War
, participating in the campaigns of the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac
from Antietam
to Appomattox
. His paternal grandfather was James H. Laughlin
, a pioneer in Pittsburgh's iron and steel industries, and his maternal grandfather was William McKennan
(1816–1893), a federal judge
for the Third Circuit
court of appeals.
Laughlin attended St. Paul's School
in Concord, New Hampshire
, and Yale University
, where he graduated in 1893. After graduation he entered the office of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
, established by Benjamin Franklin Jones and his grandfather, James H. Laughlin. He was the treasurer of the company from 1900 to 1903.
. In 1904 he became private secretary to Lloyd Carpenter Griscom
, then serving as Minister to Japan
. He was appointed second secretary to the American legation in Tokyo
in 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War
.
In 1906, he was secretary to the American legation in Bangkok
and Consul General of Siam
. He was second secretary to the American legation in Peking
in 1907, and then served in a similar capacity in Saint Petersburg
, Athens
, Montenegro
, and Paris.
In 1910, he served as secretary of the special envoy to the Sultan of Turkey. He was secretary to the Embassy in Berlin
and chargé d'affaires
in 1911. He was secretary of the Embassy in London from 1912 to 1917 and counselor of the embassy from 1916 to 1919.
Laughlin then took an extended leave of absence from the Foreign Service in 1919, during which time he built the Meridian House
at 1630 Crescent Place in Washington, D.C.
, on land he had purchased in 1912. He filled the house with his collection of 18th century French drawings and Oriental porcelains and screens.
He returned to diplomacy in 1921 as secretary to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge
at the Washington Naval Conference
. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge
appointed him Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Greece
, a position he held for two years. President Herbert Hoover
appointed him Ambassador to Spain
in 1929, and he served until 1933.
During Laughlin's ambassadorship to Spain, King Alfonso XIII
left the country and the Second Spanish Republic
was established. When the proclamation of the Republic was issued on April 14, 1931, Laughlin, who had supported Alfonso XIII's efforts to institute a constitutional monarchy, reacted cautiously. He advised Secretary of State
Henry L. Stimson
against extending formal recognition to the Republic. Stimson did ultimately recognize the provisional government after Great Britain
had already done so, but was careful not to use the term "Spanish Republic," stating that the U.S. government did not "wish to give the appearance of prejudging events."
On September 18, 1912, Laughlin married Therese E. Iselin, daughter of New York banker Adrian Iselin. They had two children, Alexander Laughlin and Gertrude Laughlin. Gertrude married Rear Admiral Hubert Winthrop Chanler. Laughlin died in 1941 at his home in Washington D.C. at the age of 69.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat. He served as Minister to Greece
United States Ambassador to Greece
This is a list of ambassadors from the United States to Greece.*Charles Keating Tuckerman *John M. Francis *John M. Read, Jr. *John M. Read, Jr....
from 1924 to 1926 and Ambassador to Spain
United States Ambassador to Spain
-Ambassadors:*John Jay**Appointed: September 29, 1779**Title: Minister Plenipotentiary**Presented credentials:**Terminated mission: ~May 20, 1782*William Carmichael**Appointed: April 20, 1790**Title: Chargé d'Affaires...
from 1929 to 1933.
Early life
Laughlin was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, in 1871 to George McCully Laughlin (1842–1908) and Isabel McKennan Laughlin. His father served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, participating in the campaigns of the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
from Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
to Appomattox
Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...
. His paternal grandfather was James H. Laughlin
James H. Laughlin
James H. Laughlin was a pioneer of the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was born March 1, 1806 near Portaferry in County Down.-Steel industry:He became a junior partner of the iron business of Benjamin Franklin Jones in 1857...
, a pioneer in Pittsburgh's iron and steel industries, and his maternal grandfather was William McKennan
William McKennan
William McKennan was a United States federal judge.Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, McKennan attended Yale College and graduated from Washington College in Washington, Pennsylvania in 1833, before reading law to enter the bar in 1837...
(1816–1893), a federal judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
court of appeals.
Laughlin attended St. Paul's School
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he graduated in 1893. After graduation he entered the office of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
The earliest foundations of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company were the American Iron Company, founded in 1851 by Bernard Lauth, and B. F. Jones founded in 1852a few miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth's interest was bought in 1854 by James H. Laughlin...
, established by Benjamin Franklin Jones and his grandfather, James H. Laughlin. He was the treasurer of the company from 1900 to 1903.
Diplomatic career
Laughlin left the steel industry in 1903 to pursue a career in the Foreign ServiceUnited States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
. In 1904 he became private secretary to Lloyd Carpenter Griscom
Lloyd Carpenter Griscom
Lloyd Carpenter Griscom was an American diplomat.-Biography:He was born on November 4, 1872 in born at Riverton, New Jersey to Clement Griscom. He graduated in 1891 from the University of Pennsylvania and studied law there and then at the New York Law School...
, then serving as Minister to Japan
United States Ambassador to Japan
The United States Ambassador to Japan is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States to Japan. Since the opening of Japan by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, in 1854, the U.S. maintained diplomatic relations with Japan, except for the ten-year period following the attack on...
. He was appointed second secretary to the American legation in Tokyo
Embassy of the United States in Tokyo
The Embassy of the United States in Tokyo represents the United States to Japan. Along with consulates general in Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Naha, the embassy provides assistance to American citizens and issues visas to foreign nationals who wish to visit or immigrate to the United...
in 1905, during 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...
.
In 1906, he was secretary to the American legation in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
and Consul General of Siam
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. He was second secretary to the American legation in Peking
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1907, and then served in a similar capacity 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...
, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, and Paris.
In 1910, he served as secretary of the special envoy to the Sultan of Turkey. He was secretary to the Embassy in Berlin
Embassy of the United States in Berlin
The Embassy of the United States in Berlin maintains diplomatic relations and represents United States interests in dealing with the German government. The U.S. Embassy in Germany has not always been in Berlin.-1797–1930:...
and 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 1911. He was secretary of the Embassy in London from 1912 to 1917 and counselor of the embassy from 1916 to 1919.
Laughlin then took an extended leave of absence from the Foreign Service in 1919, during which time he built the Meridian House
Meridian house
Meridian House, at 1630 Crescent Place in Washington, D.C., was built by Ambassador Irwin Boyle Laughlin. He purchased the land in 1912, two years after his friend Henry White bought the adjacent site...
at 1630 Crescent Place in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on land he had purchased in 1912. He filled the house with his collection of 18th century French drawings and Oriental porcelains and screens.
He returned to diplomacy in 1921 as secretary to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot "Slim" Lodge was an American Republican Senator and historian from Massachusetts. He had the role of Senate Majority leader. He is best known for his positions on Meek policy, especially his battle with President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 over the Treaty of Versailles...
at the Washington Naval Conference
Washington Naval Conference
The Washington Naval Conference also called the Washington Arms Conference, was a military conference called by President Warren G. Harding and held in Washington from 12 November 1921 to 6 February 1922. Conducted outside the auspices of the League of Nations, it was attended by nine nations...
. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
appointed him Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Greece
United States Ambassador to Greece
This is a list of ambassadors from the United States to Greece.*Charles Keating Tuckerman *John M. Francis *John M. Read, Jr. *John M. Read, Jr....
, a position he held for two years. President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
appointed him Ambassador to Spain
United States Ambassador to Spain
-Ambassadors:*John Jay**Appointed: September 29, 1779**Title: Minister Plenipotentiary**Presented credentials:**Terminated mission: ~May 20, 1782*William Carmichael**Appointed: April 20, 1790**Title: Chargé d'Affaires...
in 1929, and he served until 1933.
During Laughlin's ambassadorship to Spain, King Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
left the country and the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
was established. When the proclamation of the Republic was issued on April 14, 1931, Laughlin, who had supported Alfonso XIII's efforts to institute a constitutional monarchy, reacted cautiously. He advised Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Henry L. Stimson
Henry L. Stimson
Henry Lewis Stimson was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy. He twice served as Secretary of War 1911–1913 under Republican William Howard Taft and 1940–1945, under Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the latter role he was a leading hawk...
against extending formal recognition to the Republic. Stimson did ultimately recognize the provisional government after Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
had already done so, but was careful not to use the term "Spanish Republic," stating that the U.S. government did not "wish to give the appearance of prejudging events."
Family and later life
External links
- Biographical information for Irwin B. Laughlin from The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...