Alexander Montgomery Thackara (1848–1937), addressed as "Mont" in family correspondence, was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1848. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

in 1869. He served in the Navy for twenty-three years in European and the Far East. He met Eleanor Sherman, the daughter of

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

(Commanding General of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

from 1869–1883), in 1879. They were married on May 5, 1880, at General Sherman's home in Washington D. C. The couple had four children: Alexander Montgomery ("Lex"), William Tecumseh Sherman ("Sherman"), Elizabeth, and Eleanor. Thackara left the service in 1881 to enter his father's business in Philadelphia. He "was appointed by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

to serve as a U.S. Consul at

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

, France in 1897. He also served as Consul General in Berlin from 1905 to 1913, and President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

appointed him to be Consul General in Paris in 1913," where he served until 1924. Eleanor played a leading role in the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

in Paris during the First World War. She died in Paris in 1915 and Alexander M. Thackara died in 1937 from bronchial pneumonia in the

American Hospital of Paris The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit, community hospital certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, Fra ...

, located in

Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

, where he had lived for several years after his retirement. Many pieces of correspondence between A. M. Thackara and family are housed in the Special Collections of Falvey Memorial Library at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

as part of the Sherman-Thackara Collection.

Notes

External links

Sherman-Thackara Collection at Villanova University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thackara, Alexander Montgomery 1848 births 1937 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni United States Army officers Military personnel from Philadelphia American diplomats Deaths from pneumonia in France