Lester D. Mallory
Encyclopedia
Lester DeWitt Mallory was an American diplomat
.
Mallory was born in Houlton, Maine
. He received a bachelor of science
in agriculture in 1927 and a master of science in agriculture degree in 1929 from the University of British Columbia
. Mallory earned a Ph.D.
in agricultural economics
from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1935.
The son of Enrique and May Mallory, Mallory spent his early years in Oregon, Alberta, and British Columbia, and attended Naramota and Oak Bay High Schools in British Columbia from 1919 to 1922. From 1927 to 1928 Mallory was an assistant in horticulture at the University of British Columbia, and in 1929 worked as secretary of the British Columbia Fruit Growers.
Mallory began working for the United States federal government
in 1931, initially for the Department of Agriculture
as assistant agricultural commissioner in Marseille, to which position he was appointed June 15, 1931. From July 1933 to August 1934 he was assigned to Washington as an associate agricultural economist in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration of USDA, working on farm credit issues. In August 1934 he was assigned to Paris as assistant agricultural attaché
. Effective June 2, 1938, he was designated acting agricultural attaché, and as of June 1, 1939, he was appointed agricultural attaché at Paris.
Mallory was evacuated to the United States with the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 and reassigned as the first U.S. agricultural attaché in Mexico City. At that time he was commissioned a Foreign Service Officer
in the Department of State
, as the Foreign Agricultural Service
was abolished and agricultural attachés were transferred from USDA to State in that year. He subsequently served in liberated Paris, from 1944 to 1945. He then returned to the U.S., where he was liaison officer between USDA's Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations and the U.S. Department of State. Mallory was assigned to Havana
as counselor of embassy (deputy chief of mission) in 1947 and in 1949 to Buenos Aires
in the same capacity. On August 23, 1950, President Truman appointed Mallory to the personal rank of Minister.
Mallory served as Ambassador to Jordan
from 1953 to 1958 and to Guatemala
in 1958 and 1959. During his tour of duty in Jordan, on July 20, 1955, Mallory was promoted to the then-highest Foreign Service rank, Career Minister. Mallory was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
in 1960 and retired from the State Department on October 31 of that year. Mallory then joined the Inter-American Development Bank
, working in Washington, D.C., Costa Rica
, and Panama
, and helped establish the anthropology
department at the University of Guadalajara
, Mexico. In 1961 the Guatemalan government presented him with the Order of Quetzal.
He lived in Lake Forest, California
and died following a heart attack
at Saddleback Hospital in Laguna Hills, California
. The conference room of the Foreign Agricultural Service's office in the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is named in his honor. His oral history interview was published by the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
.
Mallory was born in Houlton, Maine
Houlton, Maine
Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the United States – Canada border, located at . As of the 2010 census, the town population was 6,123. It is perhaps best known as being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and for being the birthplace of Samantha Smith...
. He received a bachelor of science
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in agriculture in 1927 and a master of science in agriculture degree in 1929 from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. Mallory earned a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in agricultural economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1935.
The son of Enrique and May Mallory, Mallory spent his early years in Oregon, Alberta, and British Columbia, and attended Naramota and Oak Bay High Schools in British Columbia from 1919 to 1922. From 1927 to 1928 Mallory was an assistant in horticulture at the University of British Columbia, and in 1929 worked as secretary of the British Columbia Fruit Growers.
Mallory began working for the United States federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
in 1931, initially for the Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
as assistant agricultural commissioner in Marseille, to which position he was appointed June 15, 1931. From July 1933 to August 1934 he was assigned to Washington as an associate agricultural economist in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration of USDA, working on farm credit issues. In August 1934 he was assigned to Paris as assistant agricultural attaché
Agricultural attaché
An agricultural attaché is a diplomat who collects, analyzes, and acts on information on agriculture, agribusiness, food, and other related spheres in a foreign country or countries. Agricultural attachés may be directly employed by the sending country's agriculture ministry, or they may be...
. Effective June 2, 1938, he was designated acting agricultural attaché, and as of June 1, 1939, he was appointed agricultural attaché at Paris.
Mallory was evacuated to the United States with the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 and reassigned as the first U.S. agricultural attaché in Mexico City. At that time he was commissioned a Foreign Service Officer
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...
in the Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, as the Foreign Agricultural Service
Foreign Agricultural Service
The Foreign Agricultural Service is the foreign affairs agency with primary responsibility for the United States Department of Agriculture's overseas programs—market development, international trade agreements and negotiations, and the collection of statistics and market information...
was abolished and agricultural attachés were transferred from USDA to State in that year. He subsequently served in liberated Paris, from 1944 to 1945. He then returned to the U.S., where he was liaison officer between USDA's Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations and the U.S. Department of State. Mallory was assigned to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
as counselor of embassy (deputy chief of mission) in 1947 and in 1949 to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in the same capacity. On August 23, 1950, President Truman appointed Mallory to the personal rank of Minister.
Mallory served as Ambassador to Jordan
United States Ambassador to Jordan
The following is a chief of mission from the United States to Jordan.The first chief of mission, Gerald A. Drew held the title of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. The second chief of mission, Joseph C...
from 1953 to 1958 and to Guatemala
United States Ambassador to Guatemala
The following is a list of Ambassadors of the United States, or other chiefs of mission, to Guatemala. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.-See also:...
in 1958 and 1959. During his tour of duty in Jordan, on July 20, 1955, Mallory was promoted to the then-highest Foreign Service rank, Career Minister. Mallory was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs within the United States Department of State, the foreign affairs department of the United States federal government. The Assistant Secretary of State guides operation of the U.S...
in 1960 and retired from the State Department on October 31 of that year. Mallory then joined the Inter-American Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
, working in Washington, D.C., Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and helped establish the anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
department at the University of Guadalajara
University of Guadalajara
University of Guadalajara is a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It is the second oldest university in Mexico, the fifth oldest in North America and the fourteenth oldest in Latin America...
, Mexico. In 1961 the Guatemalan government presented him with the Order of Quetzal.
He lived in Lake Forest, California
Lake Forest, California
Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 77,264 at the 2010 census.Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Prior to a vote of the residents in that year, the community had formerly been known as El Toro since the 1880s...
and died following a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at Saddleback Hospital in Laguna Hills, California
Laguna Hills, California
Laguna Hills is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Laguna Woods—are similarly named.-Geography:...
. The conference room of the Foreign Agricultural Service's office in the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is named in his honor. His oral history interview was published by the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.