Joseph E. Davies

Joseph Edward Davies (November 29, 1876 – May 9, 1958) was an American lawyer and diplomat. He was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915 to be the first chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. From 1936 to 1938, Davies was the second-ever United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union. His book about the experience, Mission to Moscow, and its subsequent film adaptation, made him widely known. After his posting in the USSR, Davies became U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg. From 1939 to 1941, he was special assistant to Secretary of State Cordell Hull, in charge of War Emergency Problems and Policies. From 1942 through 1946, Davies was chairman of the President's War Relief Control Board. He was also special advisor to President Harry Truman and Secretary of State James F. Byrnes with rank of Ambassador at the Potsdam Conference in 1945.