ANDREW WARDEN EDSON

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES, 1925—NUMBER 4

Born in East Hamden, Conn., November 25, 1903. son of Marshall O. Edson, Dartmouth 1891. Briefly, in college he belonged to Phi Sigma Kappa, phi Beta Kappa, Green Key, Paleopitus, and the ski team, being intercollegiate ski cross-country champion and record holder. In his junior year, influenced by his professors and the passing of the Rogers Bill, he decided on the diplomatic service. The Rogers Bill united the diplomatic and consular services, provided pensions, raised salaries, and offered other attractive phases.

On graduation in June, 1925,. Andy went to Europe on a cattle boat from Montreal as a full-fledged seaman in company with Jock Brace, Joe Leavitt, Jim Howe, Gardner Howe, Chuck MacMillan, Eddie Pease, Bob Rahmanop, and Ken Hill. Andy was night watchman for some 900 steers. After touring Europe a bit he settled in Zurich for the summer and studied German and other subjects at the University. In the fall, he entered Harvard Graduate School, being recipient of the Charles O. Miller Fellowship, and received his M. A. in 1927, majoring in international law.

Then he taught history at Clark School. Later he was appointed, after examination, to the foreign service department of the United States as a vice-consul of career. He then entered the Foreign Service School, and late in 1929 was appointed vice-consul at Tientsin, China, as of March, 1930. Two years later he was transferred to Mukden, Manchuria, and on October 1, 1935, he became consul there. He handled this difficult post admirably and was then assigned, temporarily in charge, as consul general at Seoul, Korea. After five months there, he was transferred to Oslo, Norway, as consul and took up his post in December, 1936. In August, 1937, he was appointed secretary in the diplomatic service and returned home to be assigned to the Department of State in Washington, where he had valuable experience working with Secretary of State Cordell Hull.

This Department has funds for the further development and training of the younger and more promising foreign service men. Andy is the second man to receive this honor and is now studying international trade and finance and allied economic subjects at Harvard. He hopes the assignment will continue until June, 1939. After that time he will probably assume active duty once more, and we will certainly watch his career in the foreign service of the United States with a great deal of pride and interest.