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George S

George Strausser Messersmith (3 October 1883-29 January 1960) was an American diplomat who served as head of the consulate in Germany from 1930 to 1934.

Biography[]

George Strausser Messersmith was born in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania in 1883, and he worked as a teacher and school administrator from 1900 to 1914 before servbing in the foreign service. He served as consul in Ontario, at Curacao from 1916 to 1919, at Antwerp from 1919 to 1925, in Luxembourg in 1925, in Buenos Aires from 1928 to 1930, and in Berlin from 1930 to 1934, clearing the way for Albert Einstein to receive a US visa, in spite of conservative opposition. His service ended in 1934, and he served as Ambassador to Austria from 1934 to 1937 (during which he befriended Edward, Prince of Wales), as United States Assistant Secretary of State from 1937 to 1940, as Ambassador to Cuba from 1940 to 1942, as Ambassador to Mexico from 1942 to 1946, and Ambassador to Argentina from 1946 to 1947. He died in 1960.

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