Biography of Cleveland Dodge
Cleveland Hoadley Dodge (pictured above) was a significant figure in American history, living from 1860 to 1926. As a businessman and philanthropist, he was deeply involved in several social and educational causes. Dodge had a strong connection with Woodrow Wilson and played a big role in supporting his campaigns for the presidency. His charitable work was mainly focused on education and helping people in need. Notably, he contributed to the Near East Relief, a charity that helped people who survived the Armenian Genocide during and after World War I. Unfortunately, Dodge had multiple land holdings in Turkey and while he helped some Armenians, he was more concerned with his own wealth and used his influence to block Woodrow Wilson from declaring war on Turkey. If war was declared, Armenians so many more Armenians could have been saved. He was also a strong supporter of the eugenics movement
Biography of Henry Morgenthau
Henry Morgenthau was born into a wealthy Jewish family in 1891 in New York City. After finishing his education, he joined Woodrow Wilson's presidential campaign in 1913. When Wilson became president, he chose Morgenthau to be the United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Morgenthau served there during World War I and witnessed the Armenian Genocide.
Seeing the terrible things happening to Armenians deeply affected Morgenthau. Despite facing challenges from the Ottoman government, he used his position to speak up for the Armenians and to let the world know about the genocide. He worked hard to give aid to Armenian refugees and urged the Ottoman government to stop the violence.
Morgenthau's efforts to bring attention to the Armenian Genocide were important in making people around the world aware of what was happening. His writings, like "Ambassador Morgenthau's Story," helped document the genocide. His time in the Ottoman Empire influenced Morgenthau's belief in helping those in need, leading him to advocate for oppressed people in different parts of the world later in his life.