Robert E. Mansfield

Born in Iowa in 1866, Robert E. Mansfield was an American journalist, author, and U.S. consul. Records connected with his public service place him in a long diplomatic career that included posts in Zanzibar, Valparaiso, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Stockholm, and Vancouver.

He is best known today for Progressive Chile (1913), a nonfiction book that looks at Chile's landscape, history, government, and social conditions. The book reflects both a reporter's eye for detail and a consul's interest in trade, politics, and international life.

Although he is not a widely remembered literary figure now, Mansfield's writing remains useful as a period view of Chile and of the outlook of an American observer in the early 1900s. I couldn't confirm a reliable portrait image for him from the sources I found, so no profile image is included.