John Hay

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John Milton Hay

John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838 – July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over nearly half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was United States Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Hay was also an author and biographer, and wrote poetry and other literature through much of his life.

Born in Indiana to an anti-slavery family that moved to Illinois when he was young, Hay showed great potential, and his family sent him to Brown University. After graduation in 1858, Hay read law in his uncle's office in Springfield, Illinois, adjacent to that of Lincoln. Hay worked for Lincoln's successful campaign, and became one of his private secretaries at the White House. Through the years of the American Civil War, Hay was close to Lincoln, and stood by his deathbed after the President was shot at Ford's Theatre.

After Lincoln's death, Hay spent seve…more

[close] John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838 – July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over nearly half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was United States Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Hay was also an author and biographer, and wrote poetry and other literature through much of his life.

Born in Indiana to an anti-slavery family that moved to Illinois when he was young, Hay showed great potential, and his family sent him to Brown University. After graduation in 1858, Hay read law in his uncle's office in Springfield, Illinois, adjacent to that of Lincoln. Hay worked for Lincoln's successful campaign, and became one of his private secretaries at the White House. Through the years of the American Civil War, Hay was close to Lincoln, and stood by his deathbed after the President was shot at Ford's Theatre.

After Lincoln's death, Hay spent several years at diplomatic posts in Europe. He then worked for the New-York Tribune under Horace Greeley and Whitelaw Reid. He remained active in politics, and from 1879 to 1881 served as Assistant Secretary of State. Hay afterwards remained in the private sector until 1897, when President McKinley, for whom he had been a major backer, made him Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The following year, Hay became United States Secretary of State.

Hay served for almost seven years as Secretary of State, under McKinley, and after his assassination, under Theodore Roosevelt. Hay was responsible for the Open Door Policy in China, and negotiated the Hay–Pauncefote Treaty (1901) with the United Kingdom, as well as the Hay–Herrán Treaty (1903) with Colombia, and the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty (1903) that cleared the way for the building of the Panama Canal. In addition to his other literary works, Hay co-authored a multi-volume biography of Lincoln with John Nicolay that helped shape the assassinated president's historical image.

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Books with John Hay

	Lincoln by Gore Vidal 4.25 avg rating — 9,844 ratings — published 1984 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons 3.48 avg rating — 4,296 ratings — published 2015 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	All the Great Prizes : The Life of John Hay, from Lincoln to Roosevelt by John Taliaferro 4.10 avg rating — 777 ratings — published 2013 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lincoln's Boys: John Hay, John Nicolay, and the War for Lincoln's Image by Joshua Zeitz (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 685 ratings — published 2014 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Statesman and the Storyteller: John Hay, Mark Twain, and the Rise of American Imperialism by Mark Zwonitzer 3.83 avg rating — 254 ratings — published 2016 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Power and Responsibility: The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt by William Henry Harbaugh 3.87 avg rating — 67 ratings — published 1961 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt by Lewis L. Gould 3.75 avg rating — 32 ratings — published 1991 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The War With Spain in 1898 by David F. Trask 3.67 avg rating — 27 ratings — published 1981 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Twelve Against Empire: The Anti Imperialists, 1898-1900 by Robert L. Beisner 3.53 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1968 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	John Hay, Friend of Giants: The Man and Life Connecting Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Henry James, and Theodore Roosevelt by Philip McFarland 2.89 avg rating — 18 ratings add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars