John Allyne Gade
Encyclopedia
John Allyne Gade was an American architect, naval officer, diplomat, investment banker and author.
as the son of Gerhard Gade (1834–1909) of Christiania
, Norway
, who was the American
consul
for Eastern Norway, and his American-born wife Helen Allyne. John Gade grew up at his father's estate Frogner Manor
near Christiania. He was a brother of Fredrik Herman Gade
, a nephew of Fredrik Georg Gade, Sr and a first cousin of Herman Gerhard Gade
and Fredrik Georg Gade, Jr
.
Gade had his early education in Norway, but at the age of 13 was sent to schools in Paris
and later Braunschweig
, Germany
, where he became fluent in French and German in addition to his native English and Norwegian. Gade had wanted to enter West Point
, but arrived too late to gain entry in 1892. He chose instead to study architecture
at Harvard University
.
. In 1907 he established his own office in New York City
. In the fall of that year, he married Ruth Sibley of Rochester, New York
.
Before the United States entered the World War I
, Gade as a citizen of two neutral countries was able to join Herbert Hoover
's U.S. Commission for Relief in Belgium
, delivering food to the population under German
occupation. Gade returned to the U.S. in April 1917. The multi-lingual Gade was found useful by U.S. Naval Intelligence, and was commissioned as a Navy lieutenant and sent as Assistant Naval Attaché to Oslo
and then in 1918 as Naval Attaché to Copenhagen
and promoted to lieutenant commander.
After the Armistice of November 1918, Gade went on a mission to the Baltic
states and Finland
where he met with Carl Gustaf Mannerheim
. He was detailed to the U.S. Department of State and appointed Commissioner to the three Baltic states in October 1919, residing in Riga
. He resigned from this posting in 1920.
Back in the United States, he entered the banking firm of White, Weld & Co. This job involved frequent visits to Europe, where he bought the Chateau de Brécourt in Normandy
. In 1929, while working for White & Weld, Gade proposed the creation of an American Central Intelligence Agency modeled on British
intelligence.
In 1933 Lt. Commander Gade was appointed naval attaché to the U.S. embassy in Brussels
and the lagation in The Hague
. From there he was transferred to Lisbon
in 1936 and on to Brussels again in 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II
. After the capitulation of the Belgian army, the U.S. embassy was closed during the summer of 1940, and Captain Gade returned to the United States and retirement at the age of 65.
During his whole life, Gade kept in close touch with his native country and made generous contributions to Norwegian institutions. His donations to the Roald Amundsen
Antarctic
expedition of 1911 prompted the explorer to name a tall mountain near the South Pole
Mount Ruth Gade after Mrs. Gade. He became an honorary member of Oslo Military Society
in recognition of his generous gifts of money and antique arms. Gade also contributed to the restoration of the Archbishop's Palace of Trondheim
(Erkebispegården i Trondheim) and Oslo Cathedral
.
Background
John Gade 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...
as the son of Gerhard Gade (1834–1909) of Christiania
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, who was the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
for Eastern Norway, and his American-born wife Helen Allyne. John Gade grew up at his father's estate Frogner Manor
Frogner Manor
Frogner Manor is located on a former estate in an area that became part of today's borough of Frogner in Oslo, Norway. The estate is now the site of Frognerparken...
near Christiania. He was a brother of Fredrik Herman Gade
Fredrik Herman Gade
Fredrik Herman Gade was a Norwegian diplomat.He was born at Frogner Manor near Christiania as a son of United States consul Gerhard Gade and his American-born wife Helen Allyne. He was a brother of John Allyne Gade, a nephew of Fredrik Georg Gade, Sr and a first cousin of Herman Gerhard Gade and...
, a nephew of Fredrik Georg Gade, Sr and a first cousin of Herman Gerhard Gade
Herman Gerhard Gade
Herman Gerhard Gade was a Norwegian physician, known for his work to fight tuberculosis.He was born in Bergen as the son of businessperson Fredrik Georg Gade and his wife Ingeborg Wallem . In June 1899 he married Alvide C. Pedersen from Stavanger...
and Fredrik Georg Gade, Jr
Fredrik Georg Gade
-Personal life:He was born in Bergen as the son of merchant Fredrik Georg Gade and his wife Ingeborg Wallem . The family originated in Lüneburg; an ancestor had migrated to Norway in the eighteenth century. The name Fredrik Georg was a family tradition...
.
Gade had his early education in Norway, but at the age of 13 was sent to schools in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and later Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he became fluent in French and German in addition to his native English and Norwegian. Gade had wanted to enter West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, but arrived too late to gain entry in 1892. He chose instead to study architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Career
After graduation Gade was offered a position with the architects McKim, Mead and White in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1907 he established his own office in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In the fall of that year, he married Ruth Sibley of Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
.
Before the United States entered the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Gade as a citizen of two neutral countries was able to join 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...
's U.S. Commission for Relief in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, delivering food to the population under German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
occupation. Gade returned to the U.S. in April 1917. The multi-lingual Gade was found useful by U.S. Naval Intelligence, and was commissioned as a Navy lieutenant and sent as Assistant Naval Attaché to Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and then in 1918 as Naval Attaché to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and promoted to lieutenant commander.
After the Armistice of November 1918, Gade went on a mission to the Baltic
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
states and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
where he met with Carl Gustaf Mannerheim
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
. He was detailed to the U.S. Department of State and appointed Commissioner to the three Baltic states in October 1919, residing in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. He resigned from this posting in 1920.
Back in the United States, he entered the banking firm of White, Weld & Co. This job involved frequent visits to Europe, where he bought the Chateau de Brécourt in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. In 1929, while working for White & Weld, Gade proposed the creation of an American Central Intelligence Agency modeled on British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
intelligence.
In 1933 Lt. Commander Gade was appointed naval attaché to the U.S. embassy in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and the lagation in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. From there he was transferred to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
in 1936 and on to Brussels again in 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the capitulation of the Belgian army, the U.S. embassy was closed during the summer of 1940, and Captain Gade returned to the United States and retirement at the age of 65.
During his whole life, Gade kept in close touch with his native country and made generous contributions to Norwegian institutions. His donations to the Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
expedition of 1911 prompted the explorer to name a tall mountain near the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
Mount Ruth Gade after Mrs. Gade. He became an honorary member of Oslo Military Society
Oslo Militære Samfund
Oslo Militære Samfund is a society founded in 1825. The society has published the magazine Norsk Militært Tidsskrift since 1835. Its location at Myntgt. 3 in Oslo was built in 1878, and designed by architect Wilhelm von Hanno....
in recognition of his generous gifts of money and antique arms. Gade also contributed to the restoration of the Archbishop's Palace of Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
(Erkebispegården i Trondheim) and Oslo Cathedral
Oslo Cathedral
Oslo Cathedral — formerly Our Savior's Church — is the main church for the Oslo bishopric of the Church of Norway, as well as the parish church for downtown Oslo. The present building dates from 1694-1697....
.