Interestingly enough, Cardashian actually was the representative for the Ottoman Embassy in the US. As he learned of the Ottoman government’s plans to exterminate his own people–including his mother and sister, who became victims of the Genocide–he resigned his post and transformed himself into a “one-man army” fighting for the Armenian Cause. His obituary claims otherwise. See also:
Mavi Boncuk |
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He emigrated to the United States in 1902. He got accepted at Yale University in 1904 and earned a Law degree in 1908. In 1907 he married Cornelia Alexander Holub, a women rights advocate. Cardashian entered the New York State Bar Association in 1909 and began practicing law. In 1913 he was the Fiscal Agent of the Ottoman Empire in the US. Prior to the Armenian Genocide of 1915, he served as a counselor and statistician to the Ottoman Chamber of Commerce in America and was a counselor for the Ottoman Embassy in Washington, D.C. and then to the Ottoman Consulate General in New York from 1910 to 1915[1]. He authored several books on the Armenian Question.
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In 1908, he wrote a book named "The Ottoman Empire of the Twentieth Century".
As he learned of the Ottoman government’s plans to exterminate his own people–including his mother and sister, who became victims of the Genocide–he resigned his post and transformed himself into a “one-man army” fighting for the Armenian Cause.
He did not abandon his post, but started a secret campaign of letter-writing to inform American officials of the ongoing annihilation. He had already warned Secretary of War Lindsay Garrison in July 1914: "I have information, bearing on the program of the Turkish Government, to be put into operation in the event of Turkey’s being involved in the European War with reference to all the native and foreign Christians in Turkey . . . Unless some powerful restraining forces are brought into play from without, you can rest assured that the Turk, with the opportunity for untrammeled action, such as he now believes to enjoy, will perpetrate upon helpless humanity the most ghastly horrors of his entire loathsome career."
When the Ottoman embassy discovered Cardashian’s backdoor work, he was fired. In early 1916, he sued for divorce from his wife. At the end of the war, Cardashian relied on his diplomatic and high society contacts to spearhead a lobbying effort, to which he committed his own personal resources.
In early 1919 he founded the American Committee for the Independence of Armenia (ACIA), the predecessor of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). He continued his efforts until his death.
[1] The Panama–Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) was a world's fair held in San Francisco, in the United States, between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery from the 1906 earthquake. The fair was constructed on a 635 acre (2.6 km2) site in San Francisco, along the northern shore, between the Presidio and Fort Mason, now known as the Marina District.
See this PDF for "Land Grabbing War, says Turk's Friend". May 30, 1912 article on the occupation of Tripoli.
Mavi Boncuk |
In his 1934 obituary it's stated that Cardashian was survived by his sister, mother and brother.
Vahan Cardashian (Armenian: Վահան Քարտաշեան; 1882/3 – 1934) was an Ottoman born Armenian-American political activist and lawyer. Born in the city of Caesarea (now Kayseri), Ottoman Empire on December 1, 1882 or 1883, Cardashian studied in the local French lyceum and Talas American College.
He emigrated to the United States in 1902. He got accepted at Yale University in 1904 and earned a Law degree in 1908. In 1907 he married Cornelia Alexander Holub, a women rights advocate. Cardashian entered the New York State Bar Association in 1909 and began practicing law. In 1913 he was the Fiscal Agent of the Ottoman Empire in the US. Prior to the Armenian Genocide of 1915, he served as a counselor and statistician to the Ottoman Chamber of Commerce in America and was a counselor for the Ottoman Embassy in Washington, D.C. and then to the Ottoman Consulate General in New York from 1910 to 1915[1]. He authored several books on the Armenian Question.
In 1908, he wrote a book named "The Ottoman Empire of the Twentieth Century".
As he learned of the Ottoman government’s plans to exterminate his own people–including his mother and sister, who became victims of the Genocide–he resigned his post and transformed himself into a “one-man army” fighting for the Armenian Cause.
He did not abandon his post, but started a secret campaign of letter-writing to inform American officials of the ongoing annihilation. He had already warned Secretary of War Lindsay Garrison in July 1914: "I have information, bearing on the program of the Turkish Government, to be put into operation in the event of Turkey’s being involved in the European War with reference to all the native and foreign Christians in Turkey . . . Unless some powerful restraining forces are brought into play from without, you can rest assured that the Turk, with the opportunity for untrammeled action, such as he now believes to enjoy, will perpetrate upon helpless humanity the most ghastly horrors of his entire loathsome career."
When the Ottoman embassy discovered Cardashian’s backdoor work, he was fired. In early 1916, he sued for divorce from his wife. At the end of the war, Cardashian relied on his diplomatic and high society contacts to spearhead a lobbying effort, to which he committed his own personal resources.
In early 1919 he founded the American Committee for the Independence of Armenia (ACIA), the predecessor of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). He continued his efforts until his death.
[1] The Panama–Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) was a world's fair held in San Francisco, in the United States, between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery from the 1906 earthquake. The fair was constructed on a 635 acre (2.6 km2) site in San Francisco, along the northern shore, between the Presidio and Fort Mason, now known as the Marina District.