Jan Masaryk

Jan Masaryk was born on 14th of September 1886 in villa Osvěta, Čelakovská street no. 165 in Prague. He was third child of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, associate profesor on the Prague university, and his wife Charlotta, Native American.

Masaryk´s family - Herbert, daughter Alice, son Jan; Charlotta Masaryk in the middle, Tomáš G. Masaryk; sitting on the ground daughter Olga - summer appartament in 1905, seclusion "Žabárna" near village Rouštka

Due to unsatisfactory academic results and discipline offenses parents decided in 1906, close to the graduation exam, send Jan "to get experiences" to the relatives in America. Here he changed many jobs. In 1907 he started to work in foundry of Charles R. Crane in Bridgeport.

Jan´s mental instability began to show. In autumn 1912 he was placed to sanatorium in Vineland (New Jersey), where he was diagnosed with a mild form of schizophrenia called hebefrenia. He probably inherited the disease from his mother, who also suffered from mental problems.

He returned from USA on New Year´s Day 1914  and it was not exactly a winning return. Oversease he did´t find a job and survived mainly thanks to the financial support of his parents, American relatives and family friend Charles R. Crane.

In January 1915 Jan enlisted to Austrian-Hungarian army. He reached rank of liutenant. Because of father´s foreign resistance activity he was listed as politicaly unreliable and he didn´t participate in direct combat operations at the front.

In March 1919 he was accepted to diplomatic services and appointed secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the end of this year he worked at the embassy in USA as chargé d'affaires. In 1925 he became embassador in London, where he worked until 1938.

In December 1924 he married Frances Crane Leatherbee (second from the right next to T. G. Masaryk). Unfortunately marriage didn´t last. In March 1931 the marriage ended in divorce and remained childless.

At the end of 1938 left to USA. When the World War II started in September 1939 he was back in Britain. In July 1940 the czechoslovak goverment in exile was created in London under leadership of ex president Edvard Beneš and Jan Masaryk was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In November 1941 he met American journalist, writer and musicologist Marcia Davenport, who became his girlfriend.

He returned to homeland on July 1945. He was always very close to the West and had a friendly relationship with many of western politicians. Post war orientation of our country was unfortunately comletely opposite. The Communist Party was gaining more and more influence.

In July 1947 he left to the negotiations to Moscow, where  Czechoslovak delegation was forced to renounce participation in the Marshall plan. After his return he expressed his feelings by following: "To Moscow I went as Czechoslovak minister and I returned as Stalin´s varlet!"

Last three years he lived under huge pressure. His dead body was found early morning on the 10th of March 1948 under the windows of service apartment in Černínský palace. Last investigation concluded in 2003 that it was a murder  committed by an unknown perpetrator.

Jan Masaryk´s death was devastating moment for the entire nation, which come to pay respect to him at the day of his funeral on 13th March 1948. People seemed to supect, that this is the end of democracy and Masaryk´s ideals and that  the totalitarian dictatorship begins.