Richard Teller Crane II

Richard Teller Crane II (August 12, 1882 - October 3, 1938) was the first United States diplomat accredited to Czechoslovakia with the title Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. He received a recess appointment from President Woodrow Wilson on April 23, 1919 and was subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate on June 26, 1919. Crane presented his credentials to the Czechoslovak government on June 11, 1919 and remained in office until December 5, 1921.[1]

Biography

He was born on August 12, 1882 in Denver, Colorado to Charles Richard Crane, a diplomat and supporter of President Wilson. He was the grandson of Richard Teller Crane I, a Chicago manufacturer.[2] He married Ellen Douglas Bruce in 1909 and they made their home at the Westover plantation in Charles City County, Virginia.[3]

He died on October 3, 1938 from his own shotgun to his temple at his estate, Westover Plantation. The initial news reports indicated it was a "hunting accident".[4] He was buried in the Westover estate burial grounds.

He was the owner of what is now known as the Crane Estate on Castle Hill in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The estate includes a historic mansion, 21 outbuildings, and designed landscapes overlooking Ipswich Bay, on the seacoast off Route 1, north of Boston.

References

1. "Former Ambassadors". United States Embrassy, Prague, Czech Republic. United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
2. North, Michael J. (1990-07-19). "Richard T. Crane Papers, Part II". Special Collections Department. Georgetown University. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
3. "Westover". A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary-James River Plantations. United States National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-06-10. Westover was acquired in 1921 by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Crane.
4. "Richard Crane, Former Diplomat, Is Killed In Hunting Accident on Virginia Estate". New York Times. October 4, 1938.