John Cooper Wiley

Wiley was born in Bordeaux, France, while his father served there as U.S. Consul.^[2] He was educated by tutors and studied at Union College, Columbia Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center. While at Union College, he joined the Theta chapter of the Psi Upsilon fraternity.

He entered the United States Foreign Service in 1915 and served in several positions in Europe and South America.^[3] Wiley was a Counselor of Embassy in Moscow in 1934. From 1935 to 1937, he served as the Consul General at Antwerp.^[2] In 1938, he was the Chargé d'Affaires ad interim in Austria, the Envoy Extraordinary, and the Minister Plenipotentiary to Latvia and Estonia (the last ambassador before the Soviet occupation in 1940). After World War II, Wiley headed the negotiations with the Soviet Union to liquidate lend-lease accounts that allowed the US to provide arms for the Allied Powers.^[2] He went on to receive appointments as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Colombia, Portugal, Iran, and Panama.^[1] While he was the ambassador to Portugal, Wiley negotiated the acquisition of US naval and air stations in the Azores.^[2]

He retired in 1953 and resided in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C. He died in Washington on February 3, 1967. He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

He was the son of Congressman John M. Wiley and the grandson of John J. Cooper, who served as Indiana State Treasurer. John Cooper Wiley was married to Irena Monique Baruch (1906-1972), a well-known sculptor and portrait painter.