Evening star., 1940-12-12
Lord Lothian Dies Suddenly
During Night After Brief Illness;
Last Plea to U. S. Read by Aide
Bachelor Diplomat, So.
Represented Britain
Since August, 1889

British Ambassador to the United
States since August 30, 1899, died at
the Embassy at 2 am. today of
uremic poisoning of the heart and
kidney He was So years old and
a bachelor
The Embassy Immediately re-
quested the State Department to
notify President Roosevelt, cruising
in the Caribbean Sea, and the State
Department acted promptly on the
request. The Embassy then made a
short announcement to the press,
although the news came first from
DR.. A Magruder Macdonald, the
District coroner.
Lord Lothian was attended by
Luther T. CudWorth of Boston,
c. S. B. Bachelor of Christian Sci
ence), and DR.. Benjamin F. Weems,
1746 K street NV. who pronounced
him dead and notified the coroner
at am.
In message to the American En-
bassy in London Secretary Hull dis
closed that he had offered "a1 IA
cilities at our disposal to the Brit
ish Embassy here in connection with
the death of the Ambassador. There
was no immediate official comment
as to whether the offer included the
possible use of a naval vessel to
take the body to England.
The Secretary's message to the
Embassy follows:
Lord Lothian died early this
morning. l have called at the En-
baSsy to express the condolences of
the Government and to offer all ia
cilities at our disposal Please con-
vey to the Minister of Foreign At
fairs my sorrow and sense of great
personal loss"
Neville Butler, counsellor of En-
bassy. will act as Charge dAffaires
pending the choice of a successor.
The death of the Ambassador
came after a brief illness which
confined him to bed last Sunday, in
the midst of his ceaseless work of
ecquainting the United States Gov
ernment and public with the extent
of the EsitiSh dependence on this
country's material assistance for the
successful conduct of the war against
the axis powers.
Suffered Relapse Last Night.
His condition improved Monday
and Tuesday. but he suffered a re-
lapse last night, which brought the
first public hint of his indispoSition.
He was to have delivered a speech
in Baltimore before the American
Farm Bureau Federation, but Mr..
Butler read the speech for him.
The Embassy announcement said:
The British Embassy deeply re-
grets to have to announce that the
Marques of Lothian died early this
morning.
Lord Lothian was taken i'll on
Sunday night and although he con-
tinued to improve during Monday
and Tuesday. he suffered a relapse
last night
The cause of death was a uremic
infection"
Few Ambassadors in the history
of Washington have been more uni
versally popular than Lord Lothian,
who succeeded Sir Ronald Lindsay
two days before the German attack
on Poland which led to the outbreak
of the European war. No British
Minister or Ambassador ever had a
more difficult task than Lord Loth-
ians. He was assigned to the
United States by the Chamberlain
government without previous diplo-
matte experience, but he had been
to the United States on missions of
various sorts IA previous times.
His hereditary titles of aristocracy
were numerous, but he was always
democratic in his manner. He was
born Philip Henry Kerr, and during
his life he became Marques of
Lothian, Earl Lothian, Lord New
battle, Baron Jedburgh, Earl of An
crum, Baron Kerr of Nisbet, Baron
Long-NeWton and DolphingSton,
Viscount of Brien, Baron Kerr OF
Newbattle and Baron Kerr.
without POmpous Reserve.
Washington, however, found him
utterly without pompous reserve, al
though he always bore himself with
the dignity becoming his position
When he called at the White House
to present his credentials to Presi-
dent Roosevelt, he posed for pho
tographers with cat on his Shoul-
der. A few months ago at the State
Department, while waiting in the
ante-room of Secretary Hull, he
made lasting friend of a news
paper photographer by interviewing
him on his work.
Funeral plans for the distinguished
diplomat had not been arranged by
II am. today.
Secretary of State Hull went to
the British Embassy at II am.
to express his regrets. Accom-
panying the Secretary were George
T. Sulnmerlin, chief of the Pro-
tocol Division: James c. Dunn,
political adviser to the Secretary of
State, and Ray Atherton, acting
(Nontipund IN poue 10 Column \