Charles H. Sherrill (ambassador)

Gen. Charles Hitchcock Sherrill (April 13, 1867, Washington, D.C. - June 25, 1936, Paris, France) was American politician, diplomat and sport officer.

Son of Charles H. Sherrill, he studied Yale University and became a New York City based lawyer.

During World War I he served as a Brigadier General. He was U.S. Minister to Argentina from 1909 to 1910, serving an important role in securing the contracts for two Rivadavia-class battleships,[1] and United States Ambassador to Turkey from 1932 to 1933.

Shortly after retiring from public office Sherrill proclaimed his admiration for Europe's strong men and predicted the coming end of parliamentary form of government, which he dubbed "inept" and referred to as "so-called democracy." In a long letter to the editors of The New York Times [2] he singled out Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, for praise and spoke of the "amazing betterment" of Italian life accomplished by the fascists. He wrote of Adolf Hitler, the newly-installed leader of Germany, that "[w]hether one admires [him] or not, at least he is a leader who leads." Soon enough, Sherrill wrote, "[p]eople the world over [...] will follow courageous leaders."

Sherrill was a successful athlete during his studies in the Yale University, winning inter-collegiate 100 yard dash titles four times in a row and 220 yards three times.[3] In 1888 he used crouch start for the first time in track and field sprints. Since 1922 till his death, he was an important member of the International Olympic Committee, playing vital role in organizing the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

He wrote twenty-two books, especially about stained glass windows in European churches and European and world politics.

References

  1. ^ Livermore, Seward W. "Battleship Diplomacy in South America: 1905–1925." The Journal of Modern History 16: no. 1 (1944), 31–44. JSTOR 1870986. ISSN 0022-2801. OCLC 62219150.
  2. ^ The New York Times, June 4, 1933
  3. ^ "Olympic Committee Elects Sherrill," The New York Times, 7 June 1922, 27.