Gaganvihari Lallubhai Mehta (1900–1974) was the ambassador of India to the United States from 1952 to 1958.

Biography

Metha was son of Lallubhai Samaldas, he graduated from

Bombay University The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed h ...

before studying at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

.Howson, S. (2011). ''Lionel Robbins''. United States:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pr ...

. p87-88 He worked at the assistant editor of the Bombay Chronicle from 1923 to 1925 before working for the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. After India gained its independence from the United Kingdom, he became the president of the Tariff Board before becoming the ambassador of India to the United States from 1952 to 1958. Mehta was awarded the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

in 1959. He was refused service in a

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

airport restaurant because he was not white, leading

John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (, ; February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. He served as United States Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959 and was briefly ...

to conclude that US segregation was hurting foreign relations.''G.L. Mehta: A Many Splendoured Man'' by his daughter, Dr. Aparna Basu (Concept Publishing, 2001).,

Indianapolis Recorder The ''Indianapolis Recorder'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Indianapolis, Indiana. First published in 1895, the ''Recorder'' is the longest-running African-American newspaper in Indiana and fourth in the U.S. History The newspaper w ...

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/achesonmemos/view.php?documentid=71-1_36&documentYear=1952&documentVersion=both]

References

Ambassadors of India to the United States Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in social work 1900 births 1974 deaths Alumni of the London School of Economics {{India-diplomat-stub