Charles MacVeagh
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Charles MacVeagh (June 6, 1860 – December 4, 1931) was an American lawyer and diplomat. "Charles M'Veagh Dies in California,"
''New York Times,'' December 5, 1931.
He served as
United States Ambassador to Japan The is the Ambassadors of the United States, ambassador from the United States of America to Japan. History Beginning in 1854 with the Convention of Kanagawa, use of gunboat diplomacy by Commodore (United States), Commodore Matthew C. Perry, ...
from 1925 to 1928. US Department of State, Office of the HistorianCharles McVeagh, 1860–1931
/ref>


Early life

Charles MacVeagh was born in
West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,671 at the 2020 census. West ...
, on June 6, 1860. He was the son of
Wayne MacVeagh Isaac Wayne MacVeagh (April 19, 1833 – January 11, 1917) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. He served as the 36th Attorney General of the United States under the administrations of Presidents James A. Garfield and Chester A. Ar ...
, who was
Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...
in the administration of
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
James Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...
. Undergraduate study at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
led to an AB degree in 1881. He earned a law degree at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in 1883; and he was admitted to the New York State Bar.


Career

MacVeagh was general solicitor and assistant general counsel of the
United States Steel Corporation The United States Steel Corporation is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It maintains production facilities at several additional locations in the U.S. and Central Europe. The company produces and sells steel products, ...
from 1901 to 1925. President
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...
named him Ambassador to Japan. He was commissioned Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can als ...
on September 24, 1925, during a recess of the Senate. He was recommissioned after his confirmation by the Senate on December 17, 1925. Ambassador MacVeagh presented his credentials to the Japanese government on December 9, 1925, and served until December 6, 1928. After his return from Tokyo, he returned to the law in the firm of
Davis Polk & Wardwell Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, commonly known as Davis Polk, is an American multinational corporation, multinational law firm headquartered in New York City with offices in Washington, D.C., Menlo Park, California, Menlo Park, London, Madrid, Brussel ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Charles MacVeagh was the father of
Lincoln MacVeagh Lincoln MacVeagh (October 1, 1890January 15, 1972) was a United States diplomat, archaeologist, soldier and publisher, he was the founder of Dial Press. He served a long career as the United States ambassador to several countries during diffic ...
, who served as United States ambassador to several nations under Presidents Roosevelt and Truman and Ewen MacVeagh, who married the artist
Louise Thoron MacVeagh Louise Thoron MacVeagh (1898-1987) was an American painter and illustrator who studied with Leon Bakst and was known for her painted murals. Education and Career Louise Warder Thoron was born in 1898 in Lenox Massachusetts, the home of her fatherâ ...
. MacVeagh was interested in his (and his wife's)
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
heritage. In the 1910s he built an extensive summer estate called Fasnacloich (named after a Scottish manor originally in his wife's family) in
Harrisville, New Hampshire Harrisville is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. Besides the town center, it also includes the villages of Chesham and Eastview. The population of the town was 984 at the 2020 census. It is a preserved 19th-century mill to ...
, not far from his brother Franklin's Knollwood estate. The estate, now listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
, is an homage to English and Scottish medieval houses, featuring terraced gardens and imported Italian fountains. The MacVeaghs entertained literary, artistic, and political figures there. He died on December 4, 1931, in
Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...
.


Notes


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macveagh, Charles 1860 births 1931 deaths People from West Chester, Pennsylvania Columbia Law School alumni Harvard University alumni New York (state) lawyers United States Department of State officials Ambassadors of the United States to Japan Davis Polk & Wardwell lawyers 20th-century American diplomats