Charles Hitchcock Sherrill

Charles Hitchcock Sherrill Jr. (April 13, 1867 in Washington, DC, United States – June 25, 1936 in Paris, France) was an American politician, diplomat, sport officer, and author.

Early life and career

His parents were New York lobbyist and state politician Charles H. Sherrill and Sarah Fulton (Wynkoop) Sherrill. He studied at Yale University, was called to the New York State Bar and became a New York City lawyer.

During World War I, he succeeded Louis W. Stotesbury as Adjutant General of New York; he was promoted to brigadier general while in this post.

He was appointed as US Minister to Argentina from 1909 to 1910 and served an important role in securing the contracts for two Rivadavia-class battleships during the South American dreadnought race, and US Ambassador to Turkey from 1932 to 1933.

Support for dictators

Shortly after retiring from public office Sherrill proclaimed his admiration for Europe's strong men and predicted the end of parliamentary form of government, which he dubbed "inept" and referred to as "so-called democracy." In a long letter to the editors of The New York Times, published on June 4, 1933, he singled out Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, for praise and spoke of the "amazing betterment" of life accomplished by his régime. He wrote of Adolf Hitler, the new leader of Germany, "Whether one admires [him] or not, at least he is a leader who leads." Soon enough, he wrote, "people the world over... will follow courageous leaders."

1936 Olympics

In 1935, during the preparations for the 1936 Olympic Games, Sherrill met twice with Hitler. A modern historian wrote that Sherrill was "mesmerized by the