Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State

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Web Property of the U.S. Department of State

Portrait of Robert Bacon, 39th Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt

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Object Details

Maker
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923)
Date
1909
Geography
United States: New York: New York City
Culture
Spanish
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Overall: 50 in x 40 in; 127 cm x 101.6 cm
Provenance
This portrait of Robert Bacon, which was painted from life in New York City in 1909, was presented to the Department of State by Mr. Bacon in October 1909.
Inscriptions
Signed "J Sorolla y Bastida N.Y. 1909"
Credit Line
Gift of The Honorable Robert Bacon
Collection
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Accession Number
RR-1981.0110

Biography

Robert Bacon (1860–1919) was born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard University, where he befriended future president Theodore Roosevelt. He was a banker and businessman before Roosevelt named him assistant secretary of state in 1905, and in 1909 he served briefly as secretary of state during the last months of Roosevelt’s term.

As secretary, Bacon worked diligently to ratify treaties between Colombia, Panama, and the United States regarding the Panama Canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He also convened an environmental conference that addressed the conservation of natural resources in North America.

Bacon served as ambassador to France from 1909 to 1912. During World War I he joined the staff of General John J. Pershing.