Wallace Smith Murray (1887–April 26, 1965) was an American diplomat who served as the

United States Ambassador to Iran Prior to 1944, Iran was not served by a United States ambassador; instead, a diplomatic minister was sent. The first ambassador was named in 1944. After the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, the United States terminated diplomatic relations with the G ...

from 1945 to 1946. Prior to his tenure as ambassador he work 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 ...

in Budapest and Tehran.

Early life

Wallace Smith Murray was born to Maude Murray Miller in 1887. His mother was the first woman to represent Ohio in the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

. He was educated at

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University () is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to the Middle Ages in 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon as a constituent college of the Unive ...

, and the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. In Ohio he taught French and German. He graduated from

Wittenberg University Wittenberg University (officially Wittenberg College) is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students drawn from 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical ...

in 1909, and graduated with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from

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 ...

in 1913. He was master of the

University School University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys, private, Junior Kindergarten–12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio. The campus located in Shaker Heights serves junior kindergarten through ...

from 1913 to 1917.

Career

During

World War I 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 ...

Murray served in the 42nd Infantry Division as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. He fought at the Second Battle of the Marne and participated in the

Meuse–Argonne offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allies of World War I, Allied Offensive (military), offe ...

. Murray joined the

in 1920, and served in Budapest and Tehran. He was present for the signing of the

U.S.–Hungarian Peace Treaty The U.S.–Hungarian Peace Treaty is a peace treaty between the United States and the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–46), Kingdom of Hungary, signed in Budapest on August 29, 1921, in the aftermath of the First World War. This separate peace treaty ...

as a secretary. He joined the Near Eastern Affairs Division in 1925, and rose to become chief in November 1942. President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

appointed Murray as director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs in January 1944. Roosevelt appointed Murray as ambassador to Iran on February 20, 1945. He presented his credentials on June 5, 1945, and served until April 18, 1946.

Personal life

Murray married Frances Rabbitts Wilde, a British woman, on November 5, 1924. He died in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on April 26, 1965.

Bibliography

References

Works cited

Books

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News

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Web

External links

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (Murray)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, William Smith Ambassadors of the United States to Iran 1887 births 1965 deaths 20th-century American diplomats Wittenberg University alumni Harvard University alumni