Name/Title
William Lindsay ScruggsEntry/Object ID
Scruggs, William LindsayDescription
Three-quarters right oval profile of a middle-aged man with dark curly hair, mustache and long goatee. His is dressed in formal wear, including a white pleated shirt. His blue eyes have a piercing quality and his face has lines around his eyes, with a pronounced line alongside his nose and right cheek. The work is crisply painted, providing much detail and realism. Work is signed in the lower right.General Notes
Note
William Lindsay Scruggs (1836–1912) was an American author, lawyer, and diplomat. He was a scholar of South American foreign policy and U.S. ambassador to Colombia and Venezuela. He played a key role in the Venezuela Crisis of 1895 and helped shape the modern interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine. William L. Scruggs was born in Nashville in 1836. He was a lawyer and journalist in addition to being a diplomat. Scruggs was U.S. Minister to Colombia from July 24, 1873 to October 26, 1876 and again from July 19, 1882 to December 15, 1885. In 1884 he became known as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Colombia. Scruggs was U.S. Minister to Venezuela from May 30, 1889 to December 15, 1892. In 1889 he became known as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Venezuela. Scruggs appeared to resign his ambassadorship to Venezuela in December 1892, but in fact had been dismissed by the US for bribing the President of Venezuela.
He was born in Nashville in 1836 to Frederick Scruggs and Margaret Kimbrough Scruggs. He married Judith Ann Potts in 1858 and had 5 children. He died in 1912 and is buried in Westview Cemetery in Atlanta.Create Date
October 8, 2026Update Date
October 8, 2026