John Cooper Wiley

John Cooper Wiley (September 26, 1893 – February 3, 1967)[1] was a United States Foreign Service officer and ambassador.

John Cooper Wiley
John Cooper Wiley in 1936
United States Ambassador to Latvia
In office July 18, 1938 – June 17, 1940
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by	Frederick A. Sterling
Succeeded by	Earl L. Packer as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim
United States Ambassador to Colombia
In office December 16, 1944 – May 3, 1947
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry Truman
Preceded by	Arthur Bliss Lane
Succeeded by	Willard L. Beaulac
United States Ambassador to Portugal
In office April 10, 1947 – March 15, 1948
President	Harry Truman
Preceded by	Herman B. Baruch
Succeeded by	Lincoln MacVeagh
United States Ambassador to Iran
In office 1948–1950
President	Harry Truman
Preceded by	George V. Allen
Succeeded by	Henry F. Grady
United States Ambassador to Panama
In office July 25, 1951 – November 27, 1953
President	Harry Truman Dwight Eisenhower
Preceded by	Monnett Bain Davis
Succeeded by	Selden Chapin
Personal details
Born	September 26, 1893 Bordeaux, France
Died	February 3, 1967 Washington, D.C.
Spouse(s)	Irena Monique Baruch
Profession	Diplomat

Career

Wiley was born in Bordeaux, France while his father served there as U.S. Consul. He was educated by tutors, and studied at Union College, Columbia Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center. While at Union College he joined the Theta chapter of the Psi Upsilon fraternity.

He entered the United States Foreign Service in 1915 and served in several positions in Europe and South America.[2] In 1938 he was the Chargé d'Affaires ad interim in Austria and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Latvia and Estonia (the last ambassador before the Soviet occupation in 1940). He went on to appointments as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Colombia, Portugal, Iran, and Panama.[1]

Retirement

He retired in 1953 and resided in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C. He died in Washington on February 3, 1967. He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Family

He was the son of Congressman John M. Wiley, and the grandson of John J. Cooper, who served as Indiana State Treasurer. John Cooper Wiley was married to Irena Monique Baruch (1906-1972), a well-known sculptor and portrait painter.

Footnotes

1. "Alphabetical List of Chiefs of Mission and Principal Officials, 1778-2005". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
2. http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/collections/franklin/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=515