
Enrica Medugno
Senior Sale Coordinator









Sold for £12,800 inc. premium
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Senior Sale Coordinator

Head of Department
Provenance
Patrick Jay Hurley, presented by King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud in 1944, and thence by descent.
Patrick J. Hurley (1883–1963) was an American military officer, lawyer, and diplomat whose career spanned several key roles in the U.S. government during the early to mid-20th century. Born in Oklahoma Territory, Hurley first rose to prominence as a lawyer and political figure before entering national service. He was appointed Secretary of War under President Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1933, becoming one of the few cabinet members without prior military experience to hold the post. Despite this, Hurley strongly supported military preparedness and modernization during his tenure.
During World War II, Hurley returned to government service in a diplomatic capacity. In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him as a special envoy to the Middle East and Asia, where he undertook sensitive missions to improve U.S. relations with key regional leaders, including a significant visit with King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. A photograph taken during the meeting depicts Hurley wearing the present lot whilst seated beside the king (see Don Lohbeck, Patrick J. Hurley, An American, Chicago 1956).