Horace G. Knowles

"Horace Knowles" redirects here. For the illustrator, see Horace J Knowles.

Horace G. Knowles
United States Ambassador to Romania
In office May 7, 1907 – February 4, 1909
President	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	John W. Riddle
Succeeded by	Huntington Wilson
United States Ambassador to Bulgaria
In office August 21, 1907 – February 4, 1909
President	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	John Brinkerhoff Jackson
Succeeded by	Spencer F. Eddy
United States Ambassador to Serbia
In office January 16, 1907 – February 4, 1909
President	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	John W. Riddle
Succeeded by	John R. Carter
United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic
In office March 7, 1910 – August 2, 1910
President	William Howard Taft
Preceded by	Fenton R. McCreery
Succeeded by	William W. Russell
United States Ambassador to Bolivia
In office December 28, 1910 – August 23, 1913
President	William Howard Taft Woodrow Wilson
Preceded by	James F. Stutesman
Succeeded by	John D. O’Rear
Personal details
Born	(1863-10-20)October 20, 1863 Seaford, Delaware, United States
Died	November 2, 1937(1937-11-02) (aged 74) New York City, United States
Resting place	Arlington Cemetery Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, United States
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Edith E. Wallace ​ (m. 1897)​
Alma mater	University of Delaware
Occupation	Attorney and diplomat
Signature

Horace Greeley Knowles (October 20, 1863 – November 2, 1937) was an American attorney and diplomat, who served as an ambassador under three U.S. presidents between 1907 and 1913.

Early life and education

Knowles was born on October 20, 1863, in Seaford, Delaware, the son of Dr. Isaac H. D. Knowles and Sarah Lavinia Short. He attended the University of Delaware and became an attorney in his home state. He married Edith E. Wallace on April 20, 1897, and they had two children.

Knowles became friends with Theodore Roosevelt, who convinced him to enter into the diplomatic corps.

Public career

Knowles served as U.S. Ambassador to Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia in the final years of Roosevelt's presidency. He was appointed by Roosevelt's successor, William Howard Taft, as the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic and later as the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia – a post he held through the early months of the Woodrow Wilson's administration. For a period, Knowles remained active in Republican politics: during the 1928 presidential election he campaigned actively for Herbert Hoover, warning that if Democratic nominee Al Smith were victorious, the nation would experience high unemployment and widespread depression.

After leaving the foreign service, Knowles returned to practicing law, and appeared often before the United States Court of Claims.

Retirement and death

In the 1920s, Knowles became "a consistent critic of the policy of the United States in Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti". He was also a critic of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, and became treasurer of the "Committee for Ethiopia", conducting a fundraising drive that collected over $1 million for medical aid to the Ethiopians.

Knowles spent his final years in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, living at 145 East 46th Street. He died there in his sleep on the night of November 2, 1937, of a heart ailment. He was interred at Arlington Cemetery, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

See also

• List of people from New York City
• List of University of Delaware people

References

• "Horace G. Knowles, A Former Diplomat". The New York Times. November 3, 1937. p. 23.