The Washington herald., 1920-03-21
bassy when they first took pos
session of it,
LADY GEDDEs WAS
AMERICAN BORN.

pdssy "heH tHey HTsi tooh poS-
session of II.
LADY GEDDES WAS
AMERICAN BORN.
There has been some difference
in the statements about the ma
tionality of Lady Geddes. some. say
ing she had American parents:
others, Irish parents who lived for
a while in America. Ronald Lind
say says she Is an American. and
he ought to know. She Is the
eighth wife of a diplomat assigned
to Washington who was American
born. Then the lesser members Of
the corps, many of them. have
American wives.
France, Belgium. Italy, Spain and
Sweden. of the European nations;
Mexico and Brazil, of the Latin
American countries each has an
ambassador whose wife is a native
American. But this was not always
the fashion. Until the time of the
twenty sixth President of the Unit
cd States, Theodore Roosevelt. II
was not diplomatic" to send dip
lomat whose wife was an American.
1t was considered by many nations
to be the height of folly to send
TO the Capital of the presumptuous
young republic an envoy who had
welded a daughter of the States.
Col Roosevelt, unplatitudinous,
foe of convention and obsolete GUS
toms. changed the viewpoint of Eu-
rope and put the American girl upon
new pinnacle. 1t all came about
through several unfortunate cpl
sodes in American diplomatic circles.
oman np1rauN IsUusr
TO BREAK TRADITION.
Great Britain was the first to smash
tradition and set a precedent. James
Bryce came over, and he was more
intimately connected with America
than his many predecessors by rea-
son of the fact that his mother-in-
law was an American. Not to be
outdone by John Bull in the suave
art of diplomacy, the then Kaiser
sent over President Roosevelt's in
innate friend. Baron Won Sternberg,
and upon his death dispatched Bern
storff. who was fortified as a climber
by his marriage with an American.
CThis asset failed to stand him good,
however. upon a memorable day in
April, l91S) other nations followed
suit. In quick succession, as vacan-
cies occurred, came ambassadors
from France, Russia, the, Nether-
lands, Denmark, Spain, Belgium and
Greece at varying intervals.
Today the American woman STANDS
higher than ever in favor as the
ideal wife of an ambassador ticket
ed for Washington.
NJ, JUssERAND HAS REP
RESENTED FRANCE 1ss YEARS.
At the head of the foreign diplo-
matte corps stands the much beloved
dean of them ALI NJ. Jean Adrfen
Antoine Jules Jusserand, Ambassa
from the French republic who has
represented La Belle France" un-,
interruptediy for the last eighteen
years. BY his side stands Nine
Jusserand. an American woman.
Who will deny that she has been
one of the instrumentalities in bind
ing America and France ever close
through the greatest crisis that ever
confronted her adopted nation? Nine.
Jusserand was before her marriage
Miss Eliza Richards, daughter of
the late George T. Richards. Of New
England. and one of the founders
of the banking house of Munroe &
Co., of Paris. Through her mother,
who was a Miss KernochaR. she is
related to the New, York family of
that name. or brilliant intellect,
madame has been of invaluable aid
to her distinguished husband in the
many exacting duties that have
confronted him during nearly two
decades of service in Washington
And such is true of all Of these
American wives of diplomats. 1t
seems to me that IL an attache to
an embassy or legation here has am
billions to return later in life as an
ambassador or minister. one of, the
surest ways TO accomplish IL Is to
marry an American girl Of high So
cial position.
So far as I can recall the only
other British Ambassador who had
an American wife was Sir Michaei
Herbert, who married a Miss Will
son. sister of Mrs. Ogden Goelet and
Mrs. Vanderbilt. ~. Z
NINE. DA CANA WILL (
SAIL FOR ENGLAND.
Speaking of American wives OF
foreign diplomats. I learned with
interest that Nine. Domicio da
Cana. the, former Mrs. Hearn, is
planning to sail for England ON
April "a, At present Nine. da CANA
Is the guest OF her close friend. Mrs,
Elbert H. Gary. and they were pass-
ing much Of their time at the Gary
country estate down In Westbury.