Alexander Wilbourne Weddell (April 6, 1876 – January 1, 1948) was an American diplomat. He served as United States ambassador to
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
from 1933 to 1939 and to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
from 1939 to 1942.
Weddell was born in
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, and attended
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
. On May 31, 1923, he married a wealthy widow, Virginia Chase Steedman. He served as president of the
Virginia Historical Society from 1943 until his death.
Weddell was the author or editor of several books, including:
*''A Memorial Volume of Virginia Historical Portraiture'' (1930)
*''Richmond, Virginia, in Old Prints'' (1932)
*''Introduction to Argentina'' (1939)
*''Portraiture in the Virginia Historical Society'' (1945)
Weddell married Virginia (née Chase) Steedman, wife of James Harrison Steedman, in 1923.
Weddell and his wife died in a train accident near
Otterville, Missouri, on January 1, 1948. He and his wife were buried in
Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
Virginia House
The Weddells' Richmond home,
Virginia House, was constructed from material from an older house located in
Priory Park, Warwick, England. He purchased the Warwick property in 1926 and transported it over two years later. The rebuilt house now belongs to the
Virginia Historical Society and is open to the public.
Further reading
*
* Virginius Cornick Hall Jr., ''Portraits in the Collection of the Virginia Historical Society'' (1981), pp. 254–255. .
References
External links
Virginia House
1876 births
1948 deaths
Writers from Richmond, Virginia
Ambassadors of the United States to Argentina
Ambassadors of the United States to Spain
Railway accident deaths in the United States
Accidental deaths in Missouri
20th-century American diplomats
20th-century American historians
American male non-fiction writers
United States Foreign Service personnel
Historians from Virginia
Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)
20th-century American male writers
Members of Sons of Confederate Veterans
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