Henry Watson Furniss
Henry W. Furniss | |
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| U.S. Envoy Plenipotentiary to Haiti | |
| In office June 17, 1897 – November 30, 1905 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | William F. Powell |
| Succeeded by | Madison R. Smith |
Henry Watson Furniss (February 14, 1868 - December 20, 1955) was a medical doctor and diplomat from the United States.[1]
Early life and family
[edit]He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of William Henry Furniss who was appointed assistant secretary of state in Mississippi.[2] In Jackson, Mississippi his brother, Sumner Alexander Furniss, was born in 1874.[2] The family relocated to Indianapolis about 1880.[2]
Furniss studied at Howard Medical School, the Harvard Medical School. He received his master's and a PhD in pharmacology from New York University Grossman School of Medicine.[2]
In October 1903, he married Anna Wichmann in London, England.[2]
Career
[edit]In 1898, Furniss joined the U.S. Consular Service when he was appointed as consul to Bahia, Brazil.[2][3] He worked as a physician and surgeon in Indianapolis before his appointment.[4] He worked as a physician and surgeon in Indianapolis before his appointment. He stayed in the Consular Service for seven years. The Consular Service was part of the Department of State before 1924.[5] They collected information for decision-makers and garnered support for U.S. policies. While in Brazil, Furniss contracted numerous illnesses that affected his health for the rest of his life.[3]
In 1905, Theodore Roosevelt appointed him as ambassador to Haiti.[2] The position was formally titled Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.[6] It wouldn't be promoted to an ambassadorship until 1943. Furniss promoted American economic interests in Haiti while opposing U.S. imperialistic designs to take control of the country.[3][4] Furniss resigned in 1913, as is customary with the change of administration.
Furniss was one of the first African American men to be appointed as diplomatic envoy that had previously worked in a foreign service position.[7] The New York Times reported on his work in Haiti in 1909.[8] In 1909, Harry Johnston complimented Furniss and his ability to work with the "rotten" Haitian government in a letter to Roosevelt.[9] Furniss was succeeded as ambassador to Haiti by Madison Roswell Smith in 1913.
Later life and legacy
[edit]After leaving Haiti with his family, he settled in West Hartford, Connecticut. Furniss lived as a white man upon leaving the consular service. His granddaughter expressed surprise upon learning that he was African American when she was forty years old.[4]
A 1908 photographic display by Cyrus Field Adams for the president and vice-president of the time included Furniss along with other prominent African American officials in U.S. government posts.[10] Various diplomatic papers and medical writings of his are extant.[11]
His brother Sumner also became a doctor, was involved in Indianapolis politics, and a leader for African American causes.[4][12]
References
[edit]- ^ Justesen, Benjamin R. (2013). "Furniss, Henry Watson". Oxford African American Studies Center. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.38950. ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g Erickson, Norma (March 27, 2022). "Fade to White: The Racial Journey of Henry Watson Furniss". Indiana Medical History Museum.
- ^ a b c Lewis, James (2018-12-26). "Henry W. Furniss (1868-1955) •". BlackPast.org. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ^ a b c d Blakely, Allison (2015). "Blacks in the Diplomatic and Consular Services, 1869-1924". In Heywood, Linda Marinda; Blakely, Allison; Stith, Charles R.; Yesnowitz, Joshua C. (eds.). African Americans in U.S. foreign policy: from the era of Frederick Douglass to the age of Obama. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-09683-9.
- ^ Phelps, Nicole. "A Brief Introduction to the US Consular Service". Researching the US Consular Service – University of Vermont. Archived from the original on 2024-07-07. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ^ "Henry Watson Furniss - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov.
- ^ Miller, Jake C. (1978). The Black Presence in American Foreign Affairs. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America. p. 12. ISBN 0819105848.
- ^ "Minister Furniss Home.; He Brings New of Peace and Prosperity from Haiti". The New York Times. May 7, 1909. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025.
- ^ "TR Center - Letter from Harry Johnston to Theodore Roosevelt". www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ^ "Hon. W. T. Vernon, Register of the United States Treasury; Hon. Henry W. Furniss, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Haiti; Hon. Charles W. Anderson, Collector of Internal Revenue, New York City; Hon. Robert Smalls, Collector of Customs, Beaufort, S. C." NYPL Digital Collections.
- ^ "Furniss, H. W. 1868-1955 (Henry Watson) [WorldCat Identities]".
- ^ "Sumner A. Furniss - indyencyclopedia.org".
External links
[edit]
Works by or about Henry Watson Furniss at Wikisource
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