Noted in diplomatic history as the first U.S. minister to Persia (now Iran), Samuel Green Wheeler Benjamin pursued a varied career as journalist, painter, author, diplomat, editor, and amateur sailor. Most of his work was connected in some way to travel overseas; he was a cosmopolitan adventurer who became sickly only when he stayed in one place too long. Contemporaries describe him as a sociable, energetic man of small stature, with a confident pose, intelligent eyes, and an imposing mustache. Critics generally found his books interesting and accurate although not scholarly or well edited. Benjamin prided himself on using firsthand experience in his works, and his enthusiastic recounting of the dangers he met during his many voyages added interest to his writings.

Benjamin was born in Argos, Greece, on 13 February 1837, one of five children of American missionaries, the Reverend Nathan Benjamin and Mary Glading Wheeler Benjamin. The...