Goldstein Solves History Mystery
Sometimes lore and legend can embellish the legacies of historical figures. Such was the case for a long-dead diplomat from the city of Beverly, Massachusetts named Ellis Loring Dresel. But no longer, thanks to a collaboration between a professor from the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and a local historian.
Erik Goldstein, professor of International Relations and History, used his scholarship to assist the Beverly Heritage Project in determining Dresel’s role in the aftermath of World War I, in a bid to restore his tombstone in Beverly Central Cemetery.
Dresel (1865-1925) was the son of a German musician and served as an attache to the U. S. Embassy in Berlin from 1915 to 1917. It was thought by some that he was a signatory on the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I in 1919.
Seeking confirmation of Dresel’s role as his organization petitioned for funds to restore the stone, Lance Daly, the founder of the Beverly Heritage Project, turned to Goldstein. Through his scholarship at the Max Planck Institute of International Public Law, Goldstein was able to clarify Dresel’s exact contributions.
“Dresel was not one of the five official delegates that signed the Treaty of Versailles, but instead a member of the vast delegation staff,” Goldstein said. “But he did sign the 1921 bilateral treaty of peace at Berlin. The Versailles Peace Treaty had been intended as the final peace settlement with Germany, but the United States failed to ratify that treaty, which in turn led to a need for the 1921 treaty.”
Thanks to Daly and Goldstein, Beverly’s historians will be able to educate citizens on the exact role of one of their most famous residents. After final approval, the headstone will be restored this summer by the North Shore Cemetery Project.
“Dr. Goldstein helped me to clarify exactly what role Ellis Loring Dresel played on the world stage,” Daly said. “Dr. Goldstein helped make this restoration project possible.”