Quick Facts
Biography
John Work Garrett (May 19, 1872–June 26, 1942) was an American diplomat. His postings included Minister to Venezuela, Argentina, and the Netherlands, and Ambassador to Italy.
Life and career
John Work Garrett, the grandson of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad President and banker John W. Garrett was born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 19, 1872. His uncle Robert Garrett also served as President of the B & O, and his father Thomas Harrison Garrett operated the family's bank in Baltimore.
The younger John W. Garrett graduated from Princeton University in 1895 and began a career at the bank owned by his family.
In 1901 Garrett embarked on a diplomatic career with appointment as Secretary of the United States legation at The Hague. In 1905 he transferred to a similar position in Berlin, and in 1908 another transfer brought him to Rome.
Garrett was appointed Minister to Venezuela in 1910 and served until 1911, when he was appointed as Minister to Argentina.
In 1914 Garrett left Argentina when he was appointed as a special assistant to the Ambassador to France. He served in this post until 1917. As an American diplomat in Europe during World War I, Garrett took part in commissions and conferences on the handling of prisoners of war and other war-related issues.
From 1917 to 1919 Garrett served as Minister to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Originally a Democrat, Garrett later became a Republican and served as a Delegate to the 1920 Republican National Convention. In 1922 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator, losing to incumbent Joseph I. France. (France went on to lose the general election to William Cabell Bruce). In 1924 he was again a Delegate to the Republican National Convention.
Garrett served as Ambassador to Italy from 1929 to 1933.
In retirement Garrett resided at Evergreen, the Garrett family mansion which is now a museum and library of the Johns Hopkins University. Garrett died in Baltimore on June 26, 1942, and is buried in Baltimore's Green Mount Cemetery.
John Work Garrett and several of his family members were well known collectors of rare books and manuscripts, coins and other items. He donated his papers and much of his library to Johns Hopkins University, and many of his other items are still bought and sold by collectors.
External resources
- John Work Garrett Library at Johns Hopkins University, accessed December 12, 2012
- John Work Garrett at the Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, accessed December 12, 2012
- Evergreen Museum and Library at Johns Hopkins University, accessed December 12, 2012
- John W. Garrett at Find a Grave
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William W. Russell | U.S. Minister to Venezuela 1910–1911 | Succeeded by Elliott Northcott |
| Preceded by John Ridgely Carter | U.S. Minister to Argentina 1911–1914 | Succeeded by Frederic Jesup Stimson |
| Preceded by Henry van Dyke | U.S. Minister to the Netherlands 1917–1919 | Succeeded by William Phillips |
| Preceded by Henry van Dyke | U.S. Minister to Luxembourg 1917–1919 | Succeeded by William Phillips |
| Preceded by Henry P. Fletcher | United States Ambassador to Italy 1929–1933 | Succeeded by Breckinridge Long |