He was second secretary to the American legation in Peking in 1907, and then served in a similar capacity in Saint Petersburg, Athens, Montenegro, and Paris.

[3] Laughlin then took an extended leave of absence from the Foreign Service in 1919, during which time he built the Meridian House at 1630 Crescent Place in Washington, D.C., on land he had purchased in 1912.

He returned to diplomacy in 1921 as secretary to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge at the Washington Naval Conference.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge appointed him Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Greece, a position he held for two years.

[3] During Laughlin's ambassadorship to Spain, King Alfonso XIII left the country and the Second Spanish Republic was established.

When the proclamation of the Republic was issued on April 14, 1931, Laughlin, who had supported Alfonso XIII's efforts to institute a constitutional monarchy, reacted cautiously.