Joseph Edward Willard

Joseph Edward Willard
United States Ambassador to Spain
In office
October 31, 1913 – July 7, 1921
President Woodrow Wilson
Preceded by Henry Clay Ide
Succeeded by Cyrus E. Woods
Member of the Virginia State
Corporation Commission
In office
October 1, 1905 – February 18, 1910
Preceded by Henry Fairfax
Succeeded by J. Richard Wingfield
19th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
In office
January 1, 1902 – February 1, 1906
Governor Andrew J. Montague
Preceded by Edward Echols
Succeeded by James Taylor Ellyson
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Fairfax County
In office
December 6, 1893 – December 4, 1901
Preceded by R. C. Triplett
Succeeded by R. E. Lee, Jr.
Personal details
Born Joseph Edward Willard
(1865-05-01)May 1, 1865
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died April 4, 1924(1924-04-04) (aged 58)
New York, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s) Belle Layton Wyatt
Alma mater Virginia Military Institute

Joseph Edward Willard (May 1, 1865 – April 4, 1924) was a Virginia politician, prominent philanthropist, and U.S. diplomat.

Early and family life

The son of prominent Washington hotelier and Union Army commissary major Joseph Clapp Willard (1820-1897) and former Confederate spy Antonia Ford, Joseph Willard had two brothers who died in infancy. He thus became his father's heir and very wealthy. He married Belle Layton Wyatt (1869-1954), and their daughter Belle (1892-1968) later married to Kermit Roosevelt.

Career

Willard served for eight years in the Virginia House of Delegates, prior to his election as the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He held that office from 1902 through 1906, leaving after an unsuccessful run for Governor. The Virginia General Assembly then elected him a commissioner of the relatively new Virginia State Corporation Commission, where he served for four years.

Ambassador

In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Willard as the United States Ambassador to Spain. Upon the outbreak of World War I Willard was vacationing in the United States and returned to Europe aboard the USS Tennessee, although his only child, Belle, was sick with typhoid fever (she would recover).[1] Ambassador Willard held his position under successive presidents of both political parties until shortly before his death.

Death and legacy

Willard died in New York, New York, on April 4, 1924. His remains were returned to Washington, D.C. for burial at Oak Hill cemetery.[2]

Sources

  1. ↑ "Cruiser Off With $5,750,000 in Gold to Aid Americans," New York World, Aug. 7, 1914.
  2. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19796175
Political offices
Preceded by
Edward Echols		 Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
1902–1906		 Succeeded by
James Taylor Ellyson
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Henry Clay Ide		 United States Ambassador to Spain
1913–1921		 Succeeded by
Cyrus E. Woods
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