Charles Richard Crane

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Charles Richard Crane or Charles R. Crane (1858-1939) of Chicago was a wealthy philanthropical American Arabist, who had business knowledge of Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Charles was the eldest son of Chicago manufacturing mogul Richard T. Crane. He applied his fortune to the promotion of revolutions across the world. After meeting Thomas Masaryk, he became interested in Slavic nationalism and sponsored The Slavic Epic paintings by Alphonse Mucha ^[1]. The younger Crane's heavy contributions to President Wilson's 1912 campaign led to his service: in the 1917 Special Diplomatic Commission (or Root Commission) to Russia, as a member of the American Section of the Paris Peace Conference, and in the 1919 Inter-Allied Commission on Mandates in Turkey that now bears his name (King-Crane Commission). When Mucha urgently designed the Czechoslovakian bills, he used a previous portrait of Josephine Crane Bradley as Slavia for the 100 koruna bill^[1].

Crane later helped finance the first explorations for oil in Saudi Arabia and Yemen: he was instrumental in gaining the American oil concession there.

Crane was American Ambassador to China from May 1920 to June 1921.

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^ ^a ^b An Introduction to the Work of Alphonse Mucha and Art Nouveau, lecture by Ian Johnston of Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo, BC. This document is in the public domain and may be used by anyone, in whole or in part, without permission and without charge, provided the source is acknowledged