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Ellis O. Briggs

Ellis Ormsbee Briggs (December 1, 1899 – February 21, 1976) was an American diplomat who served as Ambassador to seven countries over the course of his career.[1]

Ellis O. Briggs
US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic
In office
April 17, 1943 – April 22, 1944
Preceded byAvra M. Warren
Succeeded byJoseph F. McGurk
US Ambassador to Uruguay
In office
August 21, 1947 – August 6, 1949
Preceded byJoseph F. McGurk
Succeeded byChristian M. Ravndal
US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia
In office
October 8, 1952 – October 30, 1953
Preceded byJoseph E. Jacobs
Succeeded byGeorge Wadsworth
US Ambassador to South Korea
In office
August 25, 1952 – April 12, 1955
Preceded byJohn J. Muccio
Succeeded byWilliam S. B. Lacy
US Ambassador to Peru
In office
March 24, 1952 – June 5, 1956
Preceded byHarold H. Tittmann Jr.
Succeeded byTheodore C. Achilles
US Ambassador to Brazil
In office
July 24, 1956 – April 29, 1959
Preceded byJames Clement Dunn
Succeeded byJohn M. Cabot
US Ambassador to Greece
In office
April 8, 1959 – February 1, 1962
Preceded byJames Williams Riddleberger
Succeeded byHenry Richardson Labouisse, Jr.
Briggs (left) in 1955

Early life and family

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Briggs was born in Massachusetts to James Briggs and Lucy Hill Briggs, and was educated at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1921. He married Lucy Barnard in 1928. They had two children; Lucy in 1930, and Everett (who also went on to a career as an American diplomat[2]) in 1934.[3]

Diplomatic career

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Position
(All with the U.S. State Department)		 Date appointed Period of service Comments Reference
Vice Consul to the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru 1926–1928 [3]
Third Secretary to the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru 1928–1933 [3]
Third Secretary to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba 1933–1937 [2][3]
Assistant Chief, Division of American Republics 1937–1940 [3]
Special Mission to the East Coast of South America 1940 [3]
Consul-First Secretary, U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile 1940–1941 [3]
First Secretary to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba 1941–1944 [3]
Chief, Division of Caribbean and Central American Affairs 1944 [3]
United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic March 21, 1944 June 3, 1944 – January 14, 1945 [4]
Economic Counselor, Chungking 1945 [3]
Director, Office of American Republic Affairs 1945–1947 [3]
United States Ambassador to Uruguay July 3, 1947 August 21, 1947–August 6, 1949 [4]
United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia September 1, 1949 November 8, 1949–August 27, 1952 [4]
United States Ambassador to South Korea August 25, 1952 November 25, 1952–April 12, 1955 Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on July 28, 1953, after confirmation. [4]
United States Ambassador to Peru March 24, 1955 March 27, 1955 – June 5, 1956 [4]
United States Ambassador to Brazil May 29, 1956 July 24, 1956–May 2, 1959 [4]
United States Ambassador to Greece April 8, 1959 July 15, 1959–February 1, 1962 [4]
Career Ambassador June 24, 1960 N/A [4]
United States Ambassador to Spain N/A N/A Not commissioned; nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it. [4]

Retirement and publications

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President John F. Kennedy nominated Briggs for the post of U.S. Ambassador to Spain. However, due to illness, Briggs was not able to accept the post, and retired from the State Department in 1962.[5]

Briggs was the author of several memoirs and other works, including:

  • Shots Heard Round the World: An Ambassador's Hunting Adventures on Four Continents, a memoir written in 1957, while still with the State Department
  • Farewell to Foggy Bottom: The Recollections of a Career Diplomat, another memoir, this one written in 1964, after his retirement
  • Anatomy of Diplomacy: The Origin and Execution of American Foreign Policy, a 1968 book on international affairs
  • Proud Servant: Memoirs of a Career Ambassador, another memoir, this one published posthumously in 1998

He died in 1976 in Gainesville, Georgia.

References

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  1. ^ "Examples of Excellence: Ellis O. Briggs (1899-1976)". U.S. Diplomacy: An Online Exploration of Diplomatic History and Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Career diplomat was literally born to be a U.S. ambassador". New London, Connecticut: The Day. 25 September 1984. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ellis O. Briggs". NNDB. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ellis Ormsbee Briggs (1899–1976)". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Examples of Excellence: Ellis O. Briggs (1899-1976)". U.S. Diplomacy: An Online Exploration of Diplomatic History and Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
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