Clarence Edward Gauss (January 12, 1887 – April 8, 1960) was an American
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
.
Personal background
Gauss was born in
Washington, D.C., as the son of Herman Gauss and Emile J. (Eisenman) Gauss. He married Rebecca Louise Barker in 1917. He was a
Republican and a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
.
Diplomatic career

Gauss was a career
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...
for the
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carr ...
. He was posted as U.S.
Vice Consul
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
, 1912–15; U.S. Consul in Shanghai, 1916; Amoy, 1916–20; Tsinan, 1920–23; U.S. Consul General in Mukden, 1923–24; Tsinan, 1924–26; Shanghai, 1926–27 (acting), 1935–38; Tientsin, 1927–31; Paris, 1935; Shanghai, 1935-1940. From 1940-41 he served as U.S. Minister to Australia, and was the
United States ambassador to the Republic of China during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. He resigned from the post in November 1944, and was replaced by
Patrick Hurley.
Chronology
U.S. Vice Consul
*
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
, 1912–15
U.S. Consul
* Shanghai, 1916
*
Amoy
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
(now
Xiamen
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong' ...
), 1916–20
*
Tsinan (now
Jinan
Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...
), 1920–23
U.S. Consul General
*
Mukden
Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu name Mukden, is a major Chinese sub-provincial city and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. Located in central-north Liaoning, it is the prov ...
(now
Shenyang), 1923–24
* Tsinan, 1924–26
* Shanghai, 1926–27 (acting), 1935–38
*
Tientsin (now
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...
), 1927–31
*
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
, 1935
* Shanghai, 1935-1940
U.S. Minister
* Australia, 1940-1941
U.S. Ambassador
* China, 1941-1944
Later life
After leaving diplomatic service, Gauss was director of the
Export–Import Bank of the United States. He died at
Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles on April 8, 1960.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gauss, Clarence Edward
1887 births
1960 deaths
Ambassadors of the United States to Australia
Ambassadors of the United States to China
Washington, D.C., Republicans
Consuls general of the United States in Shanghai
United States Foreign Service personnel