Herschel Johnson

Herschel Vespasian Johnson (May 3, 1894 – April 16, 1966) was a U.S. diplomat from North Carolina.[1] He was the great grandson of Governor Herschel Vespasian Johnson.[2] He served as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer from 1921 to 1953, and his career included posts in Europe, Latin America, and the United Nations.

Herschel Johnson
United States Ambassador to Brazil
In office July 22, 1948 – May 27, 1953
President	Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	William D. Pawley
Succeeded by	James S. Kemper
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Acting
In office June 3, 1946 – January 14, 1947
President	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Edward Stettinius Jr.
Succeeded by	Warren Austin
United States Ambassador to Sweden
In office December 12, 1941 – April 28, 1946
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Frederick A. Sterling
Succeeded by	Louis G. Dreyfus Jr.
Personal details
Born	Herschel Vespasian Johnson May 3, 1894 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died	April 16, 1966 (aged 71) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA) Harvard University (JD)

He served as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Sweden between 12 December 1941 and 28 April 1946. Thereafter, he served as the acting US ambassador to the United Nations between 1946 and 1947. In 1948, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Brazil.

During his time in Sweden, he made humanitarian efforts to save civilian lives and was in touch with Raoul Wallenberg.

He was a vocal proponent of the 1947 Palestine Partition Plan. The outcome of the UN vote is attributed to his collaboration with Andrei A. Gromyko, otherwise Johnson's political opponent. They both stood together on this issue and urged the General Assembly not to delay its decision but to vote for partition at once, opposing last-minute efforts of Arab delegations to effect a compromise.

References

1. Herschel Vespasian Johnson (1894-1966). Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
2. "Johnson, Herschel Vespasian | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2019-05-29.

External links

• Documents from the WW II era