R. S. Reynolds Hitt
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R. S. Reynolds Hitt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hitt as found in The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, 1910 | |
| U.S. Minister to Guatemala | |
| In office October 14, 1910 – March 4, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | William Franklin Sands |
| Succeeded by | William Hayne Leavell |
| U.S. Minister to Panama | |
| In office March 26, 1910 – July 19, 1910 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert G. Squiers |
| Succeeded by | Thomas C. Dawson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 7, 1876 Paris, France |
| Died | April 16, 1938 (aged 61) Washington, D.C. |
| Spouse |
Edith Romeyn Gray (m. 1902) |
| Children | Robert Reynolds Hitt Sally Reynolds Hitt |
| Parent | Robert R. Hitt |
| Alma mater | Harvard College Harvard Law School |
Robert Stockwell Reynolds Hitt (June 7, 1876 – April 16, 1938) was an American diplomat.
Hitt was born on June 7, 1876, in Paris, France where his father was stationed after being appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant as First Secretary of the American Legation there. His father was Robert R. Hitt, a close friend of Abraham Lincoln who was also a U.S. Representative and the former United States Assistant Secretary of State under Presidents James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur. His mother was Sarah Anne "Sally" Reynolds (1843–1949), one of the Washington's leading socialites,[1] and his younger brother was William Floyd Reynolds Hitt (who married Katherine Elkins, who was famous for her relationship with Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, and after Katherine's death, Eugenia Woodward).[2]
His paternal grandfather was the Rev. Thomas Smith Hitt of Kentucky and his maternal grandparents were Elizabeth (née Stockwell) Reynolds and William Floyd Reynolds, president of the Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Lafayette Railroad.[3]
Hitt attended Harvard College, where he received his A.B. degree in 1898, and Harvard Law School, from where he graduated in 1901.[4]
Career
After his graduation from Harvard Law, he immediately joined the diplomatic service, serving successively as Third Secretary of the Embassy at Paris from 1901 to 1902, Second Secretary at Embassy at Berlin from 1902 to 1905, Secretary at the Embassy at Rome from 1905 to 1908,[5] followed by Secretary at Embassy at Berlin from 1908 to 1910.[4]
On December 21, 1909, he was named by President William Howard Taft as the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to Panama.[6] He presented his credentials to President Carlos Antonio Mendoza on March 29, 1910,[7] serving until he presented his recall on July 19, 1910.[8] On June 24, 1910, he was appointed as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to Venezuela. Although he took the oath of office, he did not proceed to his post (which was not filled until the appointment of John W. Garrett in March 1911), instead, President Taft appointed him as the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to Guatemala on September 17, 1910. Hitt was commissioned during a recess of the Senate before being recommissioned on December 15, 1910, after confirmation. He had presented his credentials on October 14, 1910, and served until he left his post on March 3, 1913,[9] following the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson after which Hitt retired from the diplomatic service.[6]
