Washington Journal., 1943-03-26

as his secretary and promised to have his
name put on the diplomatic list in London.
When he sailed for England, one week later,
he took Lloyd along with him.
Upon arrival there Ambassador Bayard
kept his promise. The British Foreign Office
baked at recognizing a mere private secre-
tary as a full iedged diplomat, but the Am
bassador insisted, so Lord Roseberry sgraci-
ously invited the two to dine with him at
Berkely Square, after which he went through
the formality of taking the new Ambassador
with his whole staff of three secretaries to
Windsor to present their credentials to Queen
Victoria. Lloyd's dream thus came true. It.
was an suspicious. beginning of his career as
a diplomat.
Learning the Ropes
Brief as young Griscom's service as Third
Secretary of our Embassy in London turned
out to be, it was long enough to teach him
the rules of diplomacy and to put him in the
way of desirable social connections, many Of
which we're of inestimable value to him in
his later life.
Having Joined "The Bachelors, an ex-
elusive club of social eligibles, whose main
function, when not gambling among them
selves, was to be invited to luncheons, dinners,
suppers, balls, theatre parties and weekend
excursions to their elders country houses,
Lloyd was drawn into the whirl of London's
season. Among so many well-dressed
sprigs Of nobility and plutocracy he won early
distinction by his impeccable attire, always at
the height of fashion, and by steadfast adj
herence to his boyhood resolution to abstain
from alcohol until his Dist birthday. In view
Of his unsalaried secretaryship at one of our
most expensive diplomatic posts, Lloyd had
every reason to welcome the award of thou
sand dollars his father finally sent him to
London.
A Return to the Law
When Lloyd came nome from England in
1894 he, together with my brother George,
entered the New York Office of the newly
formed law firm of Robinson, Biddle and
Ward as apprentices. They served for mere
ly nominal pay as clerks on the understand
ing that they would thus get some practical
knowledge OF the courts while preparing for
their bar examinations. AT the same time
| was serving on the staff of an evening news.
paper in New York.
Lloyd took up bachelor quarters together
with Leo Everett, another law student clerk
ing for Robinson, Biddle and Ward, at the
Croisic, a fashionable apartment house on
Fifth Avenue near the uptown restaurant of
Delmonico. There | often met Lloyd who
had struck up a friendship with my fellow
journalist, Richard Davis, Familiarity called
Dick. Through him Lloyd consorted with
such stars of the artistic and theatrical firma-
ment as Charles Dana Gibson, Tom Hastings,
Stanford White, Maude Adams, Ethel Barry
more, John Drew and Edward II. Sothern.
By their wit and high spirits they made up
whatever glamor Lloyd had lost by quitting
his diplomatic post at the Court of st. James.
Presently Lloyd, Leo Everett and my bro
Their passed their examinations and were adj
mitted to the New York bar. My brother and
Everett chose to remain with the law firm to
which they had been apprenticed. Lloyd, who
meanwhile had Whetted his taste for outside
affairs by vacation trips to Arizona and Cen
trail America, had dreams of entering politics..
A Try at Politics
With my practical experience as a news
paperman | counseled Lloyd to join the Re
publican Club Of his district, to pay all its
dues and assessments with added liberal dona-
tons for the clubs outings and charities to-
ward poor widows and orphans, and to seek
the society Of his district leader, deferring
to him absolutely in all party measures. This
Lloyd did, though with evident reluctance.
Having got wind through unpublished jour
nalistic gossip Of an impending vacancy In
the Indictment Bureau of New York's District
Attorney and knowing the political import
ance of that bureau, | urged Lloyd to go
after that appointment and to bring all the
influence Of his fathers high connections to
bear on the Republican senior Senator of New
York with a view to getting the appointment.
Lloyd did not understand, how a Republican
Senator could obtain a favor from a Demo
cratic District Attorney, but my newspaper
experiences with politicians had taught me
how things were done and how water could
be carried OH both shoulders, so | was in
s~lstent, and Lloyd went to his father about it.
Old Mr.. Griscom asked not only Senator
Plat, but also Vice-President Hobart and
several bankers, who had contributed large
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