Charles Page Bryan
Charles Page Bryan was an American lawyer and diplomat.
Bryan was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 2, 1855. He was the son of Thomas Barbour Bryan. Through his father, he was both a member of the esteemed Barbour family and a great-great nephew of Daniel Boone.
Bryan received his preparatory education there, subsequently becoming a student at the University of Virginia and later taking his degree in law at Columbian University, Washington, D.C. From 1879 to 1883 he practiced his profession in Colorado and also took an active part in politics, being elected as a Republican to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1880. In 1883 he returned to his former home, Chicago, where he soon became a leader in State politics. He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1888 to 1897 and also served on the staffs of three successive governors of the State, in each instance with the rank of colonel. In 1891 and 1892 he made tours of Europe in the interest of the World's Columbian Exposition, making the acquaintance of many of the foremost rulers and statesmen of the countries visited.
His diplomatic career really began in 1897, when he was appointed minister to China by President William McKinley. The following year he received the appointment as envoy to Brazil. In this role, he laid the firm foundation for the cordial relations between the United States and Brazil. In 1902 he was transferred to Switzerland, but in a few months thereafter he was given the more important post of minister to Portugal, where he remained for six years. In 1909 he was transferred as minister to Belgium, and after serving two years became ambassador to Japan.
He retired from the diplomatic service in 1912, and later made his home in Washington and Chicago, dividing his time between the two cities. He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, of the Society of Foreign Wars, a veteran of the Spanish–American War, and was a member of leading clubs in New York, Washington, and Chicago. He died in Washington, D.C., March 13, 1918.
