John Work Garrett was the son of Thomas Harrison and Alice Dickinson (Whitridge) Garrett. He was raised in Baltimore County, Maryland. He graduated from Princeton with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in 1895. He married Alice Warder 24 Dec 1908 in Washington D.C.
John Work Garrett began his diplomatic service when he was appointed Secretary of the Legation at The Hague in 1901. He was Secretary in the American-Russian Sealing Arbitration at The Hague in 1902; Secretary of Legation to The Hague and Luxembourg in 1903; and he was Secretary to the Arbitral Tribunal in the Venezuelan Preferential Treatment Case at The Hague, 1903-1904. He was a delegate to the Hospital Ship Conference on 21 Dec, 1904; he was second Secretary to the American Embassy at Berlin in 1905; he was first Secretary of the Embassy at Rome in 1908. John Work Garrett was Charge d'Affaires eleven times at The Hague, seven times at Luxembourg, three times at Berlin and four time at Rome. He was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Venezuela on 15 Dec 1910. He was also a delegate from Maryland to two National Irrigation Conferences, at Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1898 and Phoenix, Arizona in 1906.

John Work Garrett was the son of Thomas Harrison and Alice Dickinson (Whitridge) Garrett. He was raised in Baltimore County, Maryland. He graduated from Princeton with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in 1895. He married Alice Warder 24 Dec 1908 in Washington D.C.
John Work Garrett began his diplomatic service when he was appointed Secretary of the Legation at The Hague in 1901. He was Secretary in the American-Russian Sealing Arbitration at The Hague in 1902; Secretary of Legation to The Hague and Luxembourg in 1903; and he was Secretary to the Arbitral Tribunal in the Venezuelan Preferential Treatment Case at The Hague, 1903-1904. He was a delegate to the Hospital Ship Conference on 21 Dec, 1904; he was second Secretary to the American Embassy at Berlin in 1905; he was first Secretary of the Embassy at Rome in 1908. John Work Garrett was Charge d'Affaires eleven times at The Hague, seven times at Luxembourg, three times at Berlin and four time at Rome. He was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Venezuela on 15 Dec 1910. He was also a delegate from Maryland to two National Irrigation Conferences, at Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1898 and Phoenix, Arizona in 1906.