Stefan Panaretov

Stefan Panaretov (4 October 1853 - October 19 1931) was a prominent Bulgarian and professor at "Robert College". He became the first Special Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria to the U.S. after presenting his Letter of Credence to President Woodrow Wilson on December 10, 1913.

From the summer of 1918, Panaretov was the only official diplomatic representative of a member country of the Triple Axis, that continued his work in the capital of the United States. Upon his retirement on June 1, 1925, Panaretov and his wife chose to remain in Washington, where he planned to devote himself to lecturing at George Washington University.

In his will Panaretov left 2,523,450 lev to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, with which it established a library and reading room named after him for use by professors and students of the University of Sofia and seating thirty-two persons.