Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State

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Web Property of the U.S. Department of State

Portrait of Edward Reilly Stettinius, Jr. 48th Secretary of State under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S Truman

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Object Details

Maker
Jes William Schlaikjer (American, 1897-1982)
Date
ca. 1950
Geography
Unknown
Culture
North American
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Overall: 35 in x 30 in; 88.9 cm x 76.2 cm
Provenance
This portrait of Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., which was painted from photographs after Mr. Stettinius' death, was purchased by the Department of State from Mr. Schlaikjer on October 17, 1950.
Inscriptions
Signed "Schlaikjer N.A."
Credit Line
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Collection
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Accession Number
RR-1981.0118

Biography

Edward Reilly Stettinius Jr. (1900–1949) was born in Chicago, Illinois. He studied at the University of Virginia, then rose in the ranks at General Motors and U.S. Steel. During the 1930s he worked in defense-related agencies, and in the early 1940s served as director of Lend-Lease aid and special assistant to the president. In 1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Stettinius under secretary of state, and in 1944, secretary.

Stettinius accompanied President Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, where they met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin to discuss the Pacific War with Japan and the future political status of Eastern Europe and Germany, following its expected surrender. Stettinius also chaired the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Conference, held in San Francisco in the spring of 1945, which brought together delegates from 50 Allied nations to create the United Nations.

Stettinius resigned his position in 1945 to become the first U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The following year he was named rector of the University of Virginia.