Addie Viola Smith
A trailblazing diplomat who carved out a space for American women in international trade from her post in tumultuous Shanghai.
1893–1975 (age 82)·American Foreign Service officer·Birthday: November 14·The Lost Generation
Biography
Addie Viola Smith shattered glass ceilings with quiet, formidable competence. In 1928, as Addie V. Smith, she arrived in Shanghai as America's first female trade commissioner, a role within the Department of Commerce that placed her at the sharp edge of U.S. economic interests in Asia. For over a decade, she navigated the complex, often dangerous landscape of a China fractured by warlords, the growing Japanese threat, and civil war. Fluent in Mandarin and known locally as Shi Fanglan, she earned respect through her deep understanding of Chinese business practices and her unwavering professionalism in a male-dominated field. Her work involved everything from promoting American exports to gathering crucial economic intelligence. Smith's career proved that women could not only serve but excel in high-stakes foreign postings, paving the way for the formal integration of women into the U.S. Foreign Service.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Addie was born in 1893, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Addie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1893
Addie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1893Born
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Started school
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1906Became a teenager
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could drive
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1911Could vote
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Turned 21
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 30
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 40
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 50
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 60
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 70
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 80
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Died at 82
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Key Achievements
- Appointed as the U.S. Trade Commissioner to Shanghai in 1928, becoming the first woman to hold such a post.
- Recognized as the first female Foreign Service officer to serve under the U.S. Department of Commerce.
- Provided critical economic reporting from China during the tumultuous period leading up to World War II.
- Her success in Shanghai helped demonstrate the viability of women in professional diplomatic roles.
Did You Know?
She was an accomplished attorney, having earned her law degree from the University of Southern California.
Smith was fluent in Mandarin Chinese and used the Chinese name Shi Fanglan.
She continued to work for the U.S. government during World War II with the Board of Economic Warfare.
Later in life, she taught business law at UCLA and authored a book on her experiences, 'China and America: Past and Future.'
“My reports from Shanghai detail the exact tonnage of soybean and cotton shipments.”
