William Smith Culbertson (August 5, 1884 – August 12, 1966) was an American diplomat and soldier. U.S. Ambassador, Romania, 1925–1928, Chile, 1928 - 1933. Colonel, United States Army. President, United States Tariff Commission 1922 - 1925. Member, United States Tariff Commission, 1916–1922, American Bar Association, Council on Foreign Relations, American Economic Association, Phi Alpha Delta, Phi Beta Kappa. Early history He was born in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania on August 5, 1884. He graduated from College of Emporia B.A. Alexander Hamilton Essay, 1910 In 1910, after graduation from the Yale Law School J.D., Culbertson's 153-page essay on Alexander Hamilton was awarded the John Addison Porter Prize. The Porter Prize is awarded by The Kingsley Trust Association (The Scroll and Key Society) for a work of scholarship which, through original effort, gathers and relates facts and/or principles to make a product of general human interest. A review of this work by Worthington C. Ford appeared in September 1912. Ford reviewed the essay positively, noting nationalism is the "key-note" of the essay, lauding its "breadth and candor," but stating that "more could be made of Hamilton's own venture into a manufacturing concern..." William S. Culbertson Papers, 1923 Culbertson was a member of the Institute of Politics, an organization that promoted the study of international problems and relations "with a view to creating a more sympathetic understanding of the ideals and policies of other nations." To carry out its ideas, the Institute of Politics in July and August 1923 held a series of roundtable conferences at Williams College, Massachusetts. In addition to the roundtable conferences, there were two open conferences, one of which was led by Culbertson who at that time was president of the U.S. Tariff Commission (now called the United States International Trade Commission). Culbertson discussed "Problems of Raw Materials and Foodstuffs in the Commercial Policies of Nations." International Economic Policies, A Survey of the Economics of Diplomacy, 1925 In 1925, Culbertson published a book looking at post World War I economics and international interests. This book shows Culbertson's early leanings toward a U.S. foreign policy of reciprocity. According to a review by E. L. Bogart of the University of Illinois at Urbana, Culbertson spends most of the book discussing commercial treaties, tariffs, and open-door policy. Bogart believes that Culbertson truly understands the "gravity and complexity of the international problems presented by the unequal geographical distribution of raw materials and fuels."