Sir Courtenay Walter Bennett (11 May 1855 – 17 December 1937) was a British

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

. Bennett was born in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, the son of John Nicholas Bennett and Emily Gribble Prance. He began his career in the

India Office The India Office was a British government department in London established in 1858 to oversee the administration of the Provinces of India, through the British viceroy and other officials. The administered territories comprised most of the mo ...

. He subsequently moved to

Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HMDS) is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dealing with foreign affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Civil Service, which deals ...

, and held postings in Spain, Guatemala, Rio Grande do Sul and Réunion. He was made a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

on 21 June 1900. He served as the British Consul-General in San Francisco between 1901 and 1907. He then served as Consul-General in New York between 1907 and his retirement in 1915. He was made a

knight bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in 1914. In retirement he lived in Devon. Bennett was serving in the British diplomatic mission to the US during the first year of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and was engaged in early attempts to end American neutrality under the British ambassador, Cecil Spring Rice.Stephen Hartley, Licínia Simão
''The Irish Question as a Problem in British Foreign Policy, 1914–18''
(Springer, 1987), p.45 (Retrieved 25 July 2016). He died at his home in Postbridge,

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite that forms the uplands dates from the Carb ...

, aged 82.

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* British diplomats Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Bachelor 1855 births 1937 deaths People from Plymouth, Devon {{UK-diplomat-stub