Francis Bowes Sayre

Francis Bowes Sayre Sr. was born on April 30, 1885. He completed his undergraduate education at Williams College, graduating in 1909, and subsequently earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1912. Early in his career, Sayre worked with Wilfred Grenfell's medical mission in Newfoundland and served as an assistant prosecutor for the office of the New York County District Attorney.

On November 25, 1913, he married Jessie Woodrow Wilson, the middle daughter of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, in a ceremony held at the White House. In 1914, Sayre took a position as an assistant to the president of Williams College. He was a faculty member at Harvard Law School from 1917 to 1933, during which he also received his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard in 1918.

Sayre held several positions in foreign affairs and government service. He served as a foreign affairs advisor to King Vajiravudh of Siam, succeeding Edward Henry Strobel, Jens Westengard, and Eldon James. Additionally, he was appointed by King Prajadhipok as Siam’s representative on the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. His diplomatic service earned him the Grand Cross of the Crown of Siam, and he was awarded the title Phya Kalyanamaitri, translating to "the beautiful in friendship." He was the second American to receive this title, following Edward Henry Strobel, another Harvard law professor and foreign affairs adviser.

Between October 28, 1939, and October 12, 1942, Sayre served as the High Commissioner of the Philippines. During his tenure, he visited Japan in May 1940, where he engaged in discussions with Foreign Minister Hachirō Arita. He proposed the Pacific Nonaggression Pact and called for Japanese troop withdrawals from China; both proposals were rejected. After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in December 1941, Sayre was evacuated alongside General Douglas MacArthur, President Manuel Quezon, and other officials of the Commonwealth government.

In his role as Assistant Secretary of State, his immediate subordinate was Alger Hiss. Sayre's career in public service encompassed diplomatic and administrative roles, including representation at the United Nations Trusteeship Council.

Francis Bowes Sayre Sr. passed away on March 29, 1972. He was interred at Washington National Cathedral.

His family included his son, Francis Bowes Sayre Jr. (1915–2008), who served as dean of the National Cathedral in Washington from 1951 to 1978, and his daughter Eleanor (1916–2001), who was an expert on the painter Goya and worked as a curator at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts from 1945 to 1984.

The Sayre Highway, connecting Cagayan de Oro to Kabacan in the Philippines, is named in his honor; he was instrumental in its construction. Furthermore, a street near Bangkok’s Royal Grand Palace, originally called Bamrung Mueang Road, was renamed Kanlayana Maitri Road in 1973 to honor him.