Morgenthau, Henry, 1856-1946

Henry Morgenthau (b. April 26, 1856, Mannheim, German Confederation–d. November 25, 1946, New York City, NY) was born to wealthy parents in Mannheim German where his father had successful cigar factory in German. The family emigrated to the US in 1866. Morgenthau attended City College of New York and Columbia Law School. In the 1910s he became invovled in the Democratic party and donated handsomely to Woodrow Wilson's election campaign in 1912. He was appointed ambassador to Ottoman Empire (1913-1916) by Pres. Wilson. During his service he became engaged with Armenian Genocide and tried to stop it and involved the US. Along with several other wealthy businessmen he raised over $100 million in aid and ensured the genocide received coverage in the newspapers. In 1919 he was head of the United States government fact-finding mission to Poland resulting in the Morgenthau Report. In 1933, he was the American representative at the Geneva Conference. Morgenthau Married Josephine Skyes in 1882, had 4 children; his son Henry Morgenthau, Jr., was Secretary of the Treasury.