Pearson family.

Dr. Alfred John Pearson was a professor and dean of Drake University's College of Liberal Arts in Des Moines from 1907 to 1939. From 1924 to 1930 he also served as U.S. minister to Poland (1924-25) and Finland (1925-30). Following these ministerial appointments he traveled to Europe several times to study European economic and political conditions. In the summer of 1934 he interviewed Adolf Hitler just days after he had ordered the political executions of the infamous "Night of the Long Knives." This interview was published in several international newspapers, including the New York Times. Pearson's daughter, Elaine, periodically accompanied him on his diplomatic trips. Elaine Pearson attended high school in Des Moines and Minneapolis and college at Drake University. Following graduation from college she taught French at the University of Minnesota and married Daniel Ernst, Jr. Dr. Pearson's son, Paul, also had a career as a U.S. consul simultaneous with his father's time in Europe.