Richmond Pearson Jr., son of Richmond Pearson of Asheville, is the recipient of an unusual honor from the hands of the State Department at Washington and of the Persian Government. He has recently been appointed Special Assistant to Dr. A.C. Millspaugh of Augusta, Mich., who has been made Administrator General of the Finances for the Persian Government.
Some while back the Persian Government requested the State Department to recommend a man to direct the finances of the Government and to also recommend a personnel of some 10 or 12 men to go with the Director General as his assistants. Dr. Millspaugh, who has been the Economic Advisor of the State Department, was selected as the man to be recommended and some 12 others, including Mr. Pearson, were recommended as his assistants.
The party will leave for the Persian Capital, Teheran [Tehran, today the capital of Iran], within three weeks. The work of the men will continue over a period of three years.
These men are not going as a special commission from the American Government, but as private citizens of the United States, recommended by the American Government to the Persian Government.
In view of the high honor paid his son, interest attaches to the fact that Mr. Pearson Sr. was the American Minister to Persia during the years 1902 to 1907.
Mr. Pearson, who is only 29 years old, was born in Asheville where his father has resided for many years. He is a graduate of Princeton University, of the class of 1915, specializing in modern languages. His economic training was secured while Foreign Exchange Editor of the New York Evening Post for two years, and from his position in the Research Department of the American International Corporation.
During the war Mr. Pearson was a captain in the 23rd infantry of the Second Division. He was also attached to the staff of Major General E.M. Lewis, commander of the Old Hickory Division. Mr. Pearson is a member of the Old Hickory Association.
On account of his bravery, Mr. Pearson received three medals while he was in France. Two were from the Belgium Government and one was from the Montenegrin Government. The two from the Belgian Government wee the Order of the Crown and the Croix De Guerre. The one from the Montenegrin Government was the Order of Banilo.
Mrs. Thomas C. Cheesborough of this city is the aunt of Mr. Pearson.
From the front page of the Asheville Citizen, Saturday, Sept. 9, 1922
No comments:
Post a Comment