Gordon P. Merriam

Gordon P. Merriam (July 29, 1899 – February 16, 1999) was an American soldier and diplomat.
Biography.
Merriam was born on July 29, 1899 in Lexington, Massachusetts. He would graduate from Noble and Greenough School in 1917.
Merriam went to France in June of 1917, serving in the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps for five months. Once he returned to the United States he would get commissioned as a second lieutenant in September of 1918, following training in machine gun work.
Merriam would get commissioned as the "Chargé d'affaires" to Iran in March of 1936, a position he would hold until May 1937. He would also serve as the chief of the Near Eastern Division of the State Department. During his service in the State Department, he would be an advocate for U.S. investments in Middle Eastern energy infrastructure. He would also keep the United States informed on issues regarding the Kurds, their connections to different groups in the region and movement from Iran into Iraq. He would also criticize the Balfour declaration and instead advocate for the Jews and Arabs to determine the fate of the former mandate together.
Merriam died on February 16, 1999 in South Bristol, Maine.