Ely Palmer

Ely Eliot Palmer (November 29, 1887 – August 12, 1977) was an American diplomat who served as the first United States Ambassador to Afghanistan in 1948. He later served on the United Nations Conciliation Commission as its chairman. Early life and education Born in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 29, 1887, Palmer studied at Brown University, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1907; and at George Washington University, which awarded him a master's in diplomacy in 1909 (which, as he would later note, is no longer awarded). Palmer later studied at the University of Paris. Career In December 1910, Palmer joined the United States consular service as a consular assistant, and was later posted to Mexico City and Bucharest. With the establishment of the United States Foreign Service in 1924, pursuant to the Rogers Act, Palmer became one of the original class of foreign service officers; he was thereafter sent to Madrid, Paris, Jerusalem, and Sydney.