Watson Robertson Sperry (June 25, 1842 – February 13, 1926) was an American newspaper editor and diplomat.

Life

Sperry was born on June 25, 1842, in

Sauquoit, New York Sauquoit is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet in the Paris, New York, Town of Paris, Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located on New York State Route 8, New York Route 8, approximately six miles south of Utica, New York, Utica and east of ...

, the son of

Methodist Episcopal The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

minister Rev. Lyman Sperry and Amanda Keziah Robertson. When he was 15, Sperry's father put him to work in the printing office in Unadilla. When he was 21, he began editorial writing for the ''Otsego Republican'' in

Cooperstown Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...

and began attending Cooperstown Seminary under Rev. Dr. Kerr. After Kerr's death, he went to Williston Academy in

Easthampton, Massachusetts Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is in the Pioneer Valley, near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,211 at the 2020 census. History E ...

. He entered

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

and graduated from there in 1871. He won a number of literary prizes, was chairman of the ''

Yale Literary Magazine The ''Yale Literary Magazine'', founded in 1836, is a student literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, and visual art by Yale University, Yale undergraduate education, undergraduates twice per year, academic year. Notable alumni feature ...

'' editorial board, and was a member of Gamma Nu, Delta Beta Xi,

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest Fraternities and sororities, fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active Colony (fraternity or sorority), colonies across No ...

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

, and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. Within a week of his graduation from Yale, Sperry moved to

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 ...

and became a member of the ''

New York Evening Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost.com; PageSix.com, a gossip site; and Decider.com, an entertainm ...

'' editorial staff. He served as managing editor from 1875 to 1881. In 1882, he moved to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, purchased a morning newspaper and established the paper as the ''Morning Herald''. The paper was prominent in Delaware. It was a conservative Republican newspaper; it was one of the first newspapers in the northern states to protest the

Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor (K of L), officially the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was the largest American labor movement of the 19th century, claiming for a time nearly one million members. It operated in the United States as well in ...

, which was an influential force in Wilmington at the time. In 1892, President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

appointed Sperry American Minister Resident and Consul General to Persia. His time as Minister was short and ended with the changing Presidential administration. He then spent several years traveling and studying in Germany. He returned to America in 1901, at which point he moved to Hartford, Connecticut and worked for the ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...

''. In 1909, he left the ''Courant'' and returned to Germany for a few years. He then came back to America and served on the editorial staff of the ''Courant'' from 1911 to 1912. He then became connected with the ''Springfield Union'' until ill health led him to retire from journalism. In 1874, Sperry married Julia Henderson, daughter of ''New York Evening Post'' publisher Isaac Henderson. They had a daughter, Betty, who married Dr. Ritter von Borosini of Germany. Sperry divorced Julia in January 1913, and within a week he married Anna Maria Pletsch Lippold of

Dresden, Germany Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

. He was a member of the Century Club. Sperry died in Hartford from a heart attack on February 13, 1926. He was cremated and his ashes were interred in the Cemetery of St. Mathew's Church in Unadilla.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
Watson R. Sperry
at ''

Office of the Historian The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign p ...

'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sperry, Watson R. 1842 births 1926 deaths People from Sauquoit, New York People from Unadilla, New York People from Cooperstown, New York Politicians from Otsego County, New York Williston Northampton School alumni Yale College alumni Skull and Bones Society 19th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American newspaper editors Editors of Connecticut newspapers Editors of Delaware newspapers Editors of New York City newspapers 19th-century American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Iran Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut