Henry H. Riggs
| Henry H. Riggs | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
March 2, 1875 Sivas, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | August 17, 1943 (aged 68) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Occupation | Christian missionary and witness to the Armenian Genocide |
| Notable work | Days of Tragedy in Armenia: Personal Experiences in Harpoot, 1915-1917 |
Henry H. Riggs (March 2, 1875 – August 17, 1943) was a Christian missionary stationed in Kharpert during the Armenian Genocide. In his book Days of Tragedy in Armenia: Personal Experiences in Harpoot, 1915-1917, Riggs provides an important eyewitness account of the Genocide and concluded that the deportation of Armenians was part of an extermination program organized by the Ottoman government. The book is considered to be one of the most detailed accounts of the Armenian Genocide in the English language.
Henry Harrison Riggs was born to a family of Christian missionaries in Sivas, Ottoman Empire in March 2, 1875 and was the son of Edward Riggs. He joined the church of Marsovan in 1889. After growing up in the area, Riggs traveled to the United States where he acquired his education at the Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and the Auburn Theological Seminary, and graduated from 1902. The same year, Riggs was appointed missionary to Turkey by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Upon arrival in the Ottoman Empire, Riggs studied at the Talas American College near Kayseri. Riggs eventually became the president of the Euphrates College from 1903-1910. After his presidency, he began his Evangelist work in the Kharpert province.
Henry Riggs first wrote about the propaganda that was initiated by the government prior in entering World War I. He recalls that "the Turkish authorities began a systematic build-up of hostility," dispensing "a great deal of fiction to prove that the Armenians were a disloyal element menacing the safety of the Turks." He declared that the case brought up against the Armenians was ultimately "in the minds of the common Turkish people, in preparation of atrocities which were to follow." Riggs further noted concerning self-defense measures Armenians had taken in response to being massacred:
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