The Honourable Gordon Phelps Merriam
U.S. Ambassador to Iran
In office 1936–1937
Preceded by	William H. Hornibrook
Succeeded by	Cornelius Van Hemert Engert
Personal details
Born	(1899-07-29)July 29, 1899 Lexington, Massachusetts
Died	February 16, 1999(1999-02-16) (aged 99) South Bristol, Maine
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Rank	Second lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War I

Gordon Phelps Merriam (July 29, 1899 – February 16, 1999) was an American soldier and diplomat.

Biography

Merriam was born on July 29, 1899, in Lexington, Massachusetts. He would graduate from Noble and Greenough School in 1917.^[1]

World War I

Merriam went to France in June 1917, serving in the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps for five months. Once he returned to the United States he would get commissioned as a second lieutenant in September 1918, following completion of training in machine guns in the Student Army Training Corps at Camp Hancock, Georgia.^[1]

Merriam would get commissioned as the Chargé d'affaires to Iran in March 1936, a position he would hold until May 1937.^[2][3] He would also serve as the chief of the Near Eastern Division of the State Department.^[4] During his service in the State Department, he would be an advocate for U.S. investments in Middle Eastern energy infrastructure.^[5] He would also keep the United States informed on issues regarding the Kurds, their connections to different groups in the region and movement from Iran into Iraq.^[6] He would also criticize the Balfour declaration and instead advocate for the Jews and Arabs to determine the fate of the former mandate together.^[7]

Merriam died on February 16, 1999, in South Bristol, Maine.^[2][8] He died following a short illness.^[4]

References

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