Charles Richard Crane
Charles Richard Crane | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age |
| Died | 15 February 1939 (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, diplomat, philanthropist |
| Known for | Expert on Arab affairs, supporter of Slavic nationalist movements, United States Ambassador to China, co-leader of the King-Crane Commission |
Charles Richard Crane (born August 7, 1858 – died February 15, 1939) was a prominent American entrepreneur and expert on Arab affairs. His broad commercial ventures granted him access to key political leaders both within the United States and abroad, with a particular emphasis on Eastern European and Middle Eastern regions.
Biography and diplomatic activity
As the eldest child of plumbing industry pioneer Richard T. Crane, Charles Richard Crane embarked on extensive travels early in his life alongside his companion Charles B. Cory. Between 1888 and 1892, he financed and participated in the Hyannis town baseball team, now recognized as part of the Cape Cod Baseball League. After Cory’s financial downfall in 1906, Crane acquired Cory’s ornithological collection and donated it to Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History, simultaneously securing Cory’s position as curator.
During the early twentieth century, Crane invited notable Slavic intellectuals such as Thomas Masaryk, Maksim Kovalevsky, and Pavel Milyukov to present lectures at the University of Chicago. Influenced by Masaryk’s ideals, Crane became an advocate for Slavic nationalist movements and sponsored The Slav Epic, a series of paintings by Alphonse Mucha. Notably, Mucha later incorporated a likeness of Crane’s daughter as Slavia on the Czechoslovak 100 koruna currency note.
In 1909, President William Howard Taft appointed Crane as minister to China; however, he was recalled prior to assuming this role due to a government leak concerning objections to treaties between Japan and China.
Crane played a major role in supporting Woodrow Wilson's 1912 presidential campaign, which led to several important diplomatic assignments: participation in the 1917 Root Commission to Russia, involvement with the American delegation at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, and co-leadership of the 1919 King-Crane Commission addressing mandates in the Middle East. The commission’s findings warned that establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine might necessitate military enforcement; Crane opposed this outcome and instead championed Arab sovereignty.
In 1918, he arranged crucial meetings between Masaryk and President Wilson to bolster efforts toward Czechoslovak independence.
Crane held the position of United States Ambassador to China from March 22, 1920, until July 2, 1921.
In 1925, he established the New York-based Institute of Current World Affairs, which deployed correspondents across Mexico, Jerusalem, and Moscow to gather intelligence that shaped U.S. foreign policy decisions.
By 1931, Crane contributed financially to pioneering oil exploration projects in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, playing an instrumental role in securing American oil rights in these territories.
He was a member of the exclusive Jekyll Island Club (also known as The Millionaires Club) located on Jekyll Island, Georgia.
His son, Richard Teller Crane II, followed in his footsteps with a career in diplomacy.
In 1929, upon recommendation from Gutzon Borglum, President Coolidge appointed Crane to serve on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission.
Harvard/Danilov Bells
After the Bolshevik Revolution, Crane was pivotal in safeguarding historic Russian bells from destruction at Danilov Monastery. When Communist authorities shut down the monastery in 1929, Crane purchased its bells to prevent their loss. The largest bell—known as Bolshoi or The Mother Earth Bell at Harvard—weighs approximately 13 tons with a clapper weighing around 700 pounds; the smallest bell weighs just 22 pounds. He donated these bells to Harvard University where they were installed in Lowell House’s main tower and at Harvard Business School’s Baker Library for over seven decades. Following reforms initiated by Gorbachev during the 1980s, arrangements were made to return the bells, culminating in their restoration to the Russian Orthodox Church and Danilov Monastery in 2008.
Accusations of Antisemitism
In 1933, Crane conveyed to William E. Dodd, the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador, his critical perspectives on Jewish influence and recommended exercising discretion with social engagements. Records suggest that Crane held admiration for Adolf Hitler and appeared indifferent to the Nazi regime's persecution of Jews, allegedly stating to Dodd: "Let Hitler have his way." According to biographer Norman E. Saul, although Crane maintained connections with notable Jewish individuals such as Louis Brandeis and Lillian Wald, his unclear yet unmistakable antisemitic tendencies mirrored the widespread Anglo-Saxon sentiments of his time. His expressed regard for Hitler remains one of the most controversial elements of his historical reputation.
Death and Legacy
Crane passed away due to influenza on February 15, 1939, at his winter residence located in Palm Springs, California. His vast collection of artworks was later sold at Christie's auction house on April 24, 2006.
Further reading
- Norman E. Saul, The Life and Times of Charles R. Crane, 1858–1939: American Businessman, Philanthropist, and a Founder of Russian Studies in America. Lanham, MD: Lexington, 2013.
- Sulzbach, Jacob John, Jr. "Charles R. Crane, Woodrow Wilson, and Progressive Reform: 1909-1921" (PhD dissertation, Texas A&M University; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1994. 9520473).