William Dodd (ambassador)
William Dodd | |
|---|---|
International News Photos photograph of Professor Dodd, shortly after his nomination as Ambassador to Germany. | |
| United States Ambassador to Germany | |
| In office August 30, 1933 – December 29, 1937 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Frederic M. Sackett |
| Succeeded by | Hugh R. Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Edward Dodd October 21, 1869 Clayton, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | February 9, 1940 (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Rock Creek Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Martha Ida "Mattie" Johns
(m. 1901; died 1938) |
| Children | Bill, Martha |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation |
|
William Edward Dodd (October 21, 1869 – February 9, 1940) was an American historian, author and diplomat. A liberal Democrat, he served as the United States Ambassador to Germany from 1933 to 1937 during the Nazi era. Initially a holder of the slightly antisemitic notions of his times, he went to Germany with instructions from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to do what he could to protest Nazi treatment of Jews in Germany "unofficially", while also attempting to follow official State Department instructions to maintain cordial official diplomatic relations. Convinced from firsthand observation that the Nazis were an increasing threat, he resigned over his inability to mobilize the Roosevelt administration, particularly the State Department, to counter the Nazis prior to the start of World War II.