Archibald Loudon Snowden (August 11, 1835 – September 7, 1912) was an American politician and diplomat during the late 19th century.[1]
A. Loudon Snowden | |
---|---|
U.S. Ambassador to Spain | |
In office July 22, 1892 – June 3, 1893 | |
President | Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland |
Preceded by | Edward Burd Grubb, Jr. |
Succeeded by | Hannis Taylor |
U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Romania and Greece | |
In office July 1, 1889 – August 25, 1892 | |
President | Benjamin Harrison |
Preceded by | Walker Fearn |
Succeeded by | Truxtun Beale |
Personal details | |
Born | Archibald Loudon Snowden August 11, 1835 Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | September 7, 1912 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 77)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Elizabeth Robinson Smith
(m. 1864; died 1910) |
Children | 4 |
Relatives | James Ross Snowden (uncle) Carroll Livingston Wainwright (grandson) Stuyvesant Wainwright II (great-grandson) Loudon Wainwright Jr. (great-grandson) |
Alma mater | Jefferson College |
Snowden was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, on August 11, 1835.[2] He was a son of Margery Bines (née Louden) and Isaac Wayne Snowden.[3] His siblings included Nathaniel Randolph Snowden, John Ross Snowden, Sarah Gustine Snowden Stewart, and Maude Loudon Snowden. Their uncle, James Ross Snowden, was a director of the United States Mint.[4] His father was a surgeon in the U.S. Army and served in the First Seminole War under General Jackson and was wounded at Fort Scott.[2]
Snowden graduated from Jefferson College in 1856.[2]
Following his graduation in 1856, he was made register of the United States Mint 7 May 1857.[5] Politically, Snowden was a Democrat until 1860 when he switched to the Republican party believing that the Democrats' policies were detrimental to the manufacturing interests of the country.[6]
After the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Snowden assisted in raising a regiment of Pennsylvania volunteer infantry and was commissioned Lieutenant colonel. He was subsequently elected captain of the First City Troop of Philadelphia.[2][7]
He was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1873.[8]
Snowden became chief coiner at the Philadelphia Mint on 1 October 1866, and from 1877 to 1879, he served as postmaster of Philadelphia,[5] Snowden served as the superintendent of the Philadelphia Mint from 1879[9] to 1885.[10] appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1878, he twice declined to serve as director of United States Mint, offered by President Hayes.[11] In 1879,[12] he became the Chief Executor in the Philadelphia Mint and served in that role until Grover Cleveland's election in 1885.[2] In 1887, he served as the Marshal of the Centennial celebration of the United States Constitution, which was held in Philadelphia.[13]
He made improvements and inventions relating to coining machinery, and wrote articles on subjects relating to coinage, the great seal of the United States, and other subjects.[4] He was identified with railroads, insurance companies, and other business interests.[5]
In 1889, Snowden succeeded Walker Fearn and served simultaneously as the United States Minister to Greece, Romania, and Serbia from 1889 to 1892.[14] From 1892 to 1893, he served as the United States Minister to Spain, succeeding Edward Burd Grubb, Jr.[14]
Snowden was the president of the Fairmount Park Commission. In 1903, he was accused, along with Charles A. Porter, former State Senator, C. Kennedy Crossan, a contractor and Ludwig S. Filbert, of making illegal profits through the Danville Bessemer Company.[15]
On February 16, 1864, Snowden was married to Elizabeth Robinson Smith (1841–1910). Together, they were the parents of:[2]
Snowden died on September 7, 1912, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after battling a nine-month illness.[1] He is interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in the Bridge section, Plots 9 & 10.
He was the grandfather of Stuyvesant Wainwright (1891–1975),[21] Snowden Wainwright (b. 1893), Loudon Snowden Wainwright (1898–1942), and Carroll Livingston Wainwright (1899–1967),[22] and great-grandfather of Stuyvesant Wainwright II (1921–2010) and Loudon Wainwright, Jr. (1924–1988).[23]