John W. Garrett (diplomat)

John Work Garrett (July 19, 1872 – December 3, 1942) was an American diplomat. He served as the United States Minister to Luxembourg (1929-1930), the United States Minister to Romania (1930-1933), and the United States Ambassador to Italy (1933-1936).

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Garrett was a member of a prominent banking family, the grandson of John Work Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He graduated from Princeton University in 1895. Before entering the diplomatic service, he worked in banking and real estate.

Garrett began his diplomatic career in 1905 as Secretary of the American Legation in Venezuela. He subsequently served as Secretary of the American Legation in the Netherlands and Belgium. He then became Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Venezuela from 1910 to 1911, and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Argentina, Chile, and Peru from 1911 to 1914. He was appointed Minister to the Netherlands and Luxembourg from 1929 to 1930, before being appointed Minister to Romania from 1930 to 1933.

His appointment as Ambassador to Italy in 1933 marked a significant point in his career, positioning him in Rome during the rise of Fascism. Garrett’s tenure as Ambassador to Italy involved navigating complex diplomatic relationships with Benito Mussolini's regime. He resigned from his post in 1936.

Garrett was married to Alice Warder Garrett, a renowned interior decorator and art collector. They resided at Evergreen House, a historic estate in Baltimore that is now a museum owned by Johns Hopkins University.

He died in Baltimore in 1942.