Sumner Welles occupies a queer place in American history. Despite his prominence, his reputation among diplomatic historians has been overshadowed by the sex scandal that occasioned his demise. Conversely, he has attracted cursory attention from scholars of the history of sexuality. This article examines that historiographic dialectic. By analyzing literature about Welles, conducting a close reading of sources that catalogued Welles's sexuality, and applying an intersectional lens to the scandal that ended his career, this article seeks to redress historiographic misunderstandings and omissions about Welles. Additionally, this article explores ethical questions historians must contend with when analyzing historical queer figures.

萨姆纳·威尔斯在美国历史上占有一个奇怪的地位。尽管他声名显赫，但他在外交历史学家中的声誉却因导致他去世的性丑闻而黯然失色。相反，他引起了性史学者的粗略关注。本文探讨了这种史学辩证法。通过分析有关威尔斯的文献，仔细阅读记载威尔斯性取向的资料，并对结束他职业生涯的丑闻应用交叉视角，本文试图纠正有关威尔斯的史学误解和遗漏。此外，本文探讨了历史学家在分析历史酷儿人物时必须应对的伦理问题。