Herter, Christian Archibald, 1895-1966

American statesman; assistant to Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, 1919-1924; secretary of state, 1959-1961.

Christian Archibald Herter (1895-1966) was born in Paris, France. He was a diplomat, politician, publisher, editor, and author. In 1959 Herter, who served as governor of Massachusetts during the mid-1950's, was appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower to succeed John Foster Dulles as secretary of state. Herter had begun his career in 1916 as an attache at the American embassy in Berlin, Germany. While working as a special assistant in the U.S. Department of State, the diplomat was secretary to a commission charged with negotiating a prisoner-of-war exchange with Germany. He was also secretary to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace at the end of World War I. After serving for three years as assistant to then Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, Herter left government service in 1924 to pursue a career in magazine publishing. He was co-publisher and co-editor of the Independent and co-founder and associated editor of Sportsman. From 1963 top 1967, Herter served as Special Representative for Trade Negotiations. In 1930 Herter entered politics and was elected to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he served for twelve years--the last four as speaker of the House. Following his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Herter became head of a committee that helped establish the Marshall Plan, which provided economic assistance to European nations devastated by World War II. After five successive terms in the House, Herter was twice elected governor of Massachusetts. His appointed as Eisenhower's secretary of state in 1959 followed three year's service as under secretary. During his two years as secretary of state, Herter worked to strengthen Western unity and to improve U.S.-Soviet relations. After Eisenhower left office in 1961, Herter became co-chairman of the U.S. Citizens Committee on NATO and later represented presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in trade talks with members of the European Common Market.

Christian A. Herter was an American statesman and politician. He was a member of the Massachusetts legislature (1931-1943); representative in the U.S. Congress (1943-1953); governor of Massachusetts (1953-1957); undersecretary of state (1957-1959); and secretary of state (1959-1961).

Biographical/Historical Note

American statesman; assistant to Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, 1919-1924; secretary of state, 1959-1961.