| Gordon Phelps Merriam | |
|---|---|
| Ambassador to Iran | |
In office 1936–1937 | |
| Preceded by | William H. Hornibrook |
| Succeeded by | Cornelius Van Hemert Engert |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 29, 1899 Lexington, Massachusetts |
| Died | February 16, 1999 (aged 99) South Bristol, Maine |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Rank | Second lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Gordon Phelps Merriam (July 29, 1899 – February 16, 1999) was an American soldier and diplomat.
Biography[]
Merriam was born on July 29, 1899, in Lexington, Massachusetts. He would graduate from Noble and Greenough School in 1917.[1]
Merriam went to France in June 1917, serving in the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps for five months. Once he returned to the United States he would get commissioned as a second lieutenant in September 1918, following training in machine gun work.[1]
Merriam would get commissioned as the Chargé d'affaires to Iran in March 1936, a position he would hold until May 1937.[2][3] He would also serve as the chief of the Near Eastern Division of the State Department.[4] During his service in the State Department, he would be an advocate for U.S. investments in Middle Eastern energy infrastructure.[5] He would also keep the United States informed on issues regarding the Kurds, their connections to different groups in the region and movement from Iran into Iraq.[6] He would also criticize the Balfour declaration and instead advocate for the Jews and Arabs to determine the fate of the former mandate together.[7]
Merriam died on February 16, 1999, in South Bristol, Maine.[2][8] He died following a short illness.[4]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 (in en) Americana: (American Historical Magazine).. American Historical Company, Incorporated. 1919. https://books.google.com/books?id=o0BHAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Gordon+Phelps+Merriam%22&pg=PA68.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Gordon Phelps Merriam - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/merriam-gordon-phelps.
- ↑ (in en) Principal Officers of the Department of State and United States Chiefs of Mission. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs. 1978. https://books.google.com/books?id=AytWrh6NtuUC&q=%22Gordon+P.+Merriam%22.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Obituaries: Gordon P. Merriam". June 1999. pp. 44. https://statemag.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/June_1999.pdf.
- ↑ Business, United States Congress Senate Special Committee to Study Problems of American Small (1948) (in en). Problems of American Small Business. U.S. Government Printing Office. https://books.google.com/books?id=RTQMAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Gordon+P.+Merriam%22&pg=PA2428.
- ↑ State, United States Department of (1953) (in en). Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers. U.S. Government Printing Office. https://books.google.com/books?id=TBEuAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22Gordon+P.+Merriam%22&pg=PA400.
- ↑ (in en) Journal of International Affairs. Vol. 58. Board of Editors of the Journal of International Affairs. 2004. https://books.google.com/books?id=R7xEAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Gordon+P.+Merriam%22.
- ↑ (in en) State Magazine. The Department. 1999. https://books.google.com/books?id=wSP2UiQYi94C&q=%22Gordon+P.+Merriam%22.
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