23 Facts About Christian Herter

Christian Archibald Herter was an American diplomat and Republican politician who was the 59th Governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957 and United States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961.

Christian Herter served as president of the board of trustees at the Dexter School from 1937 to 1939.

Christian Herter graduated from Harvard College in 1915 and did graduate work in architecture and interior design at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation before joining the diplomatic corps.

Christian Herter married the wealthy heiress Mary Caroline Pratt in 1917.

Christian Herter was the daughter of Frederic B Pratt, longtime head of the Pratt Institute and granddaughter of Standard Oil magnate Charles Pratt.

Christian Herter was made attache to the Embassy of the United States, Berlin, and was briefly arrested while in Mainz as a possible spy.

Christian Herter was part of the US delegation to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, where he helped draft the Covenant of the League of Nations.

Christian Herter went on to work for Hoover when Hoover became Secretary of Commerce in the Harding Administration.

Christian Herter participated in the 1919 meeting that resulted in creating the US Council on Foreign Relations.

Christian Herter hated working for the scandal-ridden administration of President Harding, and returned to Boston, where he was a magazine editor and lecturer on international affairs.

In 1930, Christian Herter was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and served for 12 years.

Once Christian Herter entered the contest, Tinkham withdrew and so opened the way for Christian Herter to be elected.

In 1947, Christian Herter founded the Middle East Institute with Middle East scholar George Camp Keiser and then served on the board of trustees of the World Peace Foundation.

Christian Herter led bipartisan support for President Truman's Point Four Program giving technological help to poor countries.

Christian Herter chose not to seek a third term in 1956.

On February 21,1957, Christian Herter was appointed Under Secretary of State for the second term of the Eisenhower administration; later, when John Foster Dulles became seriously ill, he was appointed Secretary of State, April 22,1959.

Christian Herter himself suffered from severe arthritis, forcing him to use crutches when walking.

Christian Herter was a member of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Christian Herter died on December 30,1966, at his home in Washington, DC, at the age of 71.

Christian Herter is buried at the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Millis, Massachusetts.

In 1943, with Paul Nitze, Christian Herter co-founded the School of Advanced International Studies, which incorporated with the Johns Hopkins University in 1950.

The World Affairs Council of Boston, which Christian Herter helped organize in the 1940s, has a Christian A Herter Award honoring individual contributions to international relations.

Christian Herter was the last serving Secretary of State born in the 19th century.