March 18, 2021 | The 1931 Diplomatic Mission of Charles Gates Dawes | Presentation by Robert W. Karr, Jr.
Thursday, March 18, 2021 @ 6:00PM – 7:00PM CST
Charles Gates Dawes - The Diplomatic Mission to Paris, 1931
Presented by Robert W. Karr, Jr.
Sponsored by the Japan America Society of Chicago
Charles Gates Dawes (1865 - 1951) was the Honorary President of the Japan America Society of Chicago from its founding in 1930 until February 1942, when the Society suspended activities after the outbreak of the Pacific War.
Robert W. Karr, Jr. will bring to life three dramatic months of Dawes’ life that began with an urgent request on November 10, 1931 by President Herbert Hoover and Secretary of State Henry Stimson to go to Paris on a diplomatic mission to prevent war in Manchuria. Dawes arrived in Paris days later as the Council of the League of Nations was preparing to reconvene on November 16 to review the extremely critical situation that was sparked by an incident on September 18 along the South Manchurian Railway involving the Japanese Army, Chinese Nationalists and so-called bandits.
Karr will provide insight into Dawes’ character, the criticality of his role in Paris at that time, and a fresh understanding of the events that were unfolding in Manchuria that eventually led to war in the Pacific.
Dawes was one of the most important public figures of the day – a distinguished lawyer, banker, general, diplomat, author, composer and the 30th vice president of the United States from 1925 to 1929. He was a key figure in the nomination of William McKinley for President (1894), Comptroller of the Currency (1898-1901), United States Army General during World War I, and the chairman of the general purchasing board for the American Expeditionary Forces. For his work on rehabilitation of German finances to stabilize its economy following World War I (the Dawes Plan), he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (1925). After leaving the office of Vice President in 1929, President Herbert Hoover appointed Dawes as the Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Dawes led the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in 1932, which organized a government response to the Great Depression. He resigned from that position to return to banking in Chicago, and to assist his brother, Rufus Dawes, President of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair to ensure the financial success of that historic event.
Dawes’ family arrived in America on the Mayflower in 1620. His grandfather rode with Paul Revere in 1775 to warn American colonists of the advancing British army at the outbreak of the American Revolution. And, his father commanded the 6th Wisconsin Regiment of the Iron Brigade from 1863 to 1864 during the American Civil War.
Among the many other interesting facts about Dawes is that he was a self-taught pianist and a composer. In 1911 he composed Melody in A Major which became a well-known piano and violin song in 1912, and then a No. 1 single in 1958 when lyrics were added to become “It's All in the Game.” It has subsequently been recorded by such artists as Nat King Cole, Van Morrison, and Elton John.
Dawes was married for over 60 years and had four children. He resided at 225 Greenwood Ave. in Evanston, Illinois from 1909 until his death in 1951. The family home was donated by Dawes for use as the Evanston Historical Society and is a National Historic Landmark.
