Ellis Ormsbee Briggs (December 1, 1899 – February 21, 1976) was an American diplomat who served as Ambassador to seven countries over the course of his career.
Early life and family Briggs was born in Massachusetts to James Briggs and Lucy Hill Briggs, and was educated at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1921. He married Lucy Barnard in 1928. They had two children; Lucy in 1930, and Everett (who also went on to a career as an American diplomat) in 1934.
Diplomatic career
Position(All with the U.S. State Department)Date appointedPeriod of serviceCommentsReferenceVice Consul to the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru 1926–1928 Third Secretary to the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru 1928–1933 Third Secretary to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba 1933–1937 Assistant Chief, Division of American Republics 1937–1940 Special Mission to the East Coast of South America 1940 Consul-First Secretary, U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile 1940–1941 First Secretary to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba 1941–1944 Chief, Division of Caribbean and Central American Affairs 1944 United States Ambassador to the Dominican RepublicMarch 21, 1944June 3, 1944 – January 14, 1945 Economic Counselor, Chungking 1945 Director, Office of American Republic Affairs 1945–1947 United States Ambassador to UruguayJuly 3, 1947August 21, 1947–August 6, 1949 United States Ambassador to CzechoslovakiaSeptember 1, 1949November 8, 1949–August 27, 1952 United States Ambassador to South KoreaAugust 25, 1952November 25, 1952–April 12, 1955Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on July 28, 1953, after confirmation. United States Ambassador to PeruMarch 24, 1955March 27, 1955 – June 5, 1956 United States Ambassador to BrazilMay 29, 1956July 24, 1956–May 2, 1959 United States Ambassador to GreeceApril 8, 1959July 15, 1959–February 1, 1962 Career AmbassadorJune 24, 1960N/A United States Ambassador to SpainN/AN/ANot commissioned; nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.
Retirement and publications President John F. Kennedy nominated Briggs for the post of U.S. Ambassador to Spain. However, due to illness, Briggs was not able to accept the post, and retired from the State Department in 1962.
Briggs was the author of several memoirs and other works, including:
Shots Heard Round the World: An Ambassador's Hunting Adventures on Four Continents, a memoir written in 1957, while still with the State Department Farewell to Foggy Bottom: The Recollections of a Career Diplomat, another memoir, this one written in 1964, after his retirement Anatomy of Diplomacy: The Origin and Execution of American Foreign Policy, a 1968 book on international affairs Proud Servant: Memoirs of a Career Ambassador, another memoir, this one published posthumously in 1998
He died in 1976 in Gainesville, Georgia.
References
External links The Papers of Ellis O. Briggs at Dartmouth College Library