John Caspar Dreier (December 27, 1906 – March 10, 1994) was an American diplomat and teacher.

John Caspar Dreier
3rd United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States
In office
January 2, 1951 (1951-01-02) – November 12, 1960 (1960-11-12)
PresidentHarry S. Truman
Dwight Eisenhower
Preceded byPaul C. Daniels
Succeeded bydeLesseps S. Morrison
Personal details
Born(1906-12-27)December 27, 1906
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
DiedMarch 10, 1994(1994-03-10) (aged 87)
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
SpouseLouisa R. Dreier
Children3
Alma materHarvard College
OccupationTeacher, diplomat

He served as United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) between 1951 and 1960. He then taught for a number of years at the School of Advanced International Studies (part of Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C.).

Biography edit

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Dreier attended Harvard College. He began working for the Department of State in 1941. In this role, he witnessed the Bogotazo riots in Bogotá, Colombia in 1948.[1] Appointed to be Ambassador to the OAS by President Harry S. Truman, he served from January 2, 1951 until November 12, 1960.[2] Dreier primarily saw the OAS as a way to limit the spread of communism in Latin America during the Cold War, with his tenure including events such as the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état and the Cuban Revolution. Furthermore, he believed that the OAS needed to address social and economic concerns in order to succeed.[3][4]

Dreier retired in 1972. After retirement, he played an active role as a teacher and trustee of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, and was involved in conservation projects.[4] Two annual scholarships exist at the College in honor of him and his wife.[5]

Personal life edit

Dreier was married to Louisa Cabot Richardson Dreier for 51 years and had three children. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts of complications resulting from congestive heart failure.[6]

Publications edit

  • Organization of American States and the Hemisphere Crisis (Harper & Row, 1962)
  • The Alliance for Progress: Problems and Perspectives (Editor) (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1962)
  • International Organization in the Western Hemisphere (Co-author) (Syracuse University Press, 1968).

References edit

  1. ^ "Finding Aid of the Theodore and Barbara Loines Dreier Black Mountain College Collection (Dreier BMC Collection), 1925 - 1988, PC.1956". Western Regional Archives. State Archives of North Carolina. January 5, 2007. Retrieved 2021-07-23. an eye witness account of the Bogota Revolution of April 1948, by John Caspar Dreier, then a diplomat in the United States Department of State,
  2. ^ "John Caspar Dreier - People - Department History". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  3. ^ Sheinin, David (1995). The Organization of American States. Transaction Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-4128-3813-9.
  4. ^ a b Leonard, Thomas; Buchenau, Jurgen; Longley, Kyle; Mount, Graeme (2012-01-31). Encyclopedia of U.S. - Latin American Relations. CQ Press. pp. 281–282. ISBN 978-1-60871-792-7.
  5. ^ "COA Endowment Report FY2013" (PDF). College of the Atlantic. 2013. p. 17.
  6. ^ "John C. Dreier, 87, A Retired Professor And U.S. Diplomat". The New York Times. 1994-03-12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-23.