author
James W. (James Watson) Gerard
1867–1951
A lawyer, judge, and diplomat, he is best remembered as the United States ambassador to Germany during the tense years leading up to America's entry into World War I. His firsthand accounts of imperial Germany later reached a wide audience through bestselling memoirs and public lectures.
2 Audiobooks
My Four Years in Germany
by James W. (James Watson) Gerard
Face to Face with Kaiserism
by James W. (James Watson) Gerard
About the author
Born in Geneseo, New York, in 1867, he studied at Columbia and built his career in New York law and Democratic politics. He served as a justice of the New York Supreme Court before President Woodrow Wilson appointed him ambassador to Germany in 1913.
His years in Berlin placed him at the center of some of the most delicate American diplomacy of the era. He remained at his post through the early years of World War I, helping manage relations during a period of growing strain between the United States and Germany.
After leaving diplomacy, he wrote about his experiences in books including My Four Years in Germany and remained a public voice on international affairs. He died in 1951, leaving behind a career that linked the courtroom, politics, and one of the most dramatic chapters of early twentieth-century diplomacy.