Samuel de Souza Leão Gracie

Samuel de Souza Leão Gracie entered the Foreign Ministry in 1912 while studying law in Rio de Janeiro. After work in the ministry and at the Paris peace conference, he served in Asunción and reached Washington in 1922. Promoted to embassy counselor the following year, he conducted the mission as chargé d’affaires from March 1924 to June 1925. London and La Paz followed; in 1934–35 he directed the ministry’s archives, library, and map collection. ¹

On 12 December 1924, Gracie presented Brazil’s objections to a boundary treaty between Colombia and Peru to the U.S. secretary of state. Acting under government instructions, he asked for American help toward a settlement acceptable to all three South American countries and suggested arbitration. The secretary agreed to study the Brazilian memorandum and invite him back for further discussion. ⁴

Gracie subsequently headed missions in Vienna, Stockholm, and Santiago. As secretary-general and acting foreign minister in 1946, he signed a public health convention with Uruguay on 14 September. The agreement recognized vaccination and health certificates across the border, encouraged compatible smallpox vaccination practices, and provided for cooperation between frontier health services and exchanges of disease information. ^{1, 2}

In Lisbon, Gracie exchanged notes with Portuguese foreign minister Paulo Cunha in October 1951 abolishing visa requirements for holders of valid diplomatic or special passports. The measure took effect the following month. He moved from Portugal to the London embassy in 1952. ^{1, 3}