16 Facts About Norman Armour

Norman Armour was a career United States diplomat whom The New York Times once called "the perfect diplomat".

Norman Armour was the United States Ambassador to Canada, Haiti, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Venezuela, and Guatemala.

Norman Armour grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, and graduated from St Paul's School, and from Princeton University in 1909.

Later, it was revealed that Norman Armour had during this period used a fake Norwegian passport and, disguised as a courier, sneaked back into Petrograd and arranged for Princess Myra Koudashev of Petrograd to escape the country.

Nee Myra Sergueievna Koudashev, Mrs Norman Armour was a daughter of a first marriage of Tatar Prince Serguey Vladimirovich Kudashev, to a Russian Countess of the Nieroth family, being born in Saint Petersburg, 7 April 1895.

In 1929, after the death of Myron T Herrick on March 31,1929, Armour was made Charge d'affaires and Head of the Embassy in Paris until the selection of a replacement.

Norman Armour was an extremely popular social figure in France and he and his wife were often written about in American newspapers, flaunting the Parisian high life.

In 1932, Norman Armour was assigned as Minister to Haiti in the Caribbean.

Norman Armour was selected for the position due to his fluency in French, but as a sign to the Haitians that the United States would put a well-respected diplomat in their country.

In 1938, Norman Armour was appointed as Ambassador to Chile, was a post in which he served relatively uneventfully.

In 1941, Norman Armour was made honorary director of the first Pan-American Games, which were to be held in 1942, but were called off due to the war.

Norman Armour was ordered to remain in Argentina, but not to officially establish relations of any kind with the new government until a list of conditions were met.

In Spain, Norman Armour continued to apply pressure on the government of Francisco Franco due in part to its support of the Axis powers during the Second World War.

In 1947, Armour came out of retirement to serve as Assistant Secretary of State of Political Affairs under George C Marshall.

In 1950, Norman Armour was asked out of retirement again to serve as Ambassador to Venezuela.

Norman Armour died in 1982 and was buried in Princeton Cemetery.