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Dr. Carlton J. H. Hayes
Carlton Joseph Huntley Hayes (May 16, 1882 - September 2, 1964) was an American educator, diplomat, devout Catholic and academic. A student of European history, he was a leading and pioneering spec...view moreCarlton Joseph Huntley Hayes (May 16, 1882 - September 2, 1964) was an American educator, diplomat, devout Catholic and academic. A student of European history, he was a leading and pioneering specialist on the study of nationalism. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Spain in World War II, but came under attack from the CIO, communists and other forces on the left that rejected any dealings with the Spain of Francisco Franco. A prolific author, Hayes wrote 27 books, numerous articles and book reviews.
Born to a Baptist family in upstate New York, he graduated from Columbia College with a B.A. degree in 1904 and earned his Ph.D. degree at Columbia in 1909. He became lecturer at Columbia in European History in 1907 and was subsequently promoted to assistant professor (1910), associate professor (1915), and then full professor (1919).
In 1904 he converted to Catholicism and later became the first Roman Catholic co-chairman of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (1928-1946). He was chairman of Columbia’s History department several times and, after WWI, helped establish and was first secretary of the American Catholic Historical Association.
During WWI, he served at the rank of captain in the U.S. Military Intelligence Division of the General Staff (1918-1919). In 1928, under the direction of the head of the War Department, Gen. Connor, Hayes was asked to serve on an advisory committee of historians, earning him the title of major.
He was awarded the Laetare Medal from Notre Dame in 1946, the Alexander Hamilton medal from Columbia University in 1952, and the Gibbons Medal from The Catholic University of America in 1949. He was a guest lecturer and teacher at various academic institutions throughout his career and into his retirement and received honorary degrees from numerous institutions, including the University of Notre Dame (1921) and Georgetown University (1953).
Hayes died in Sidney, New York in 1964, aged 82.view less