Elihu Root
Elihu Root (February 15, 1845 – February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer and politician. Root was United States Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt and United States Secretary of War under President Roosevelt and President William McKinley. He was later a United States Senator from New York until 1915. In 1912, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in developing the International Court of Justice, a court where countries could solve legal disputes.[1]
Elihu Root | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 38th United States Secretary of State | |
| In office July 19, 1905 – January 27, 1909 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | John Hay |
| Succeeded by | Robert Bacon |
| 41st United States Secretary of War | |
| In office August 1, 1899 – January 31, 1904 | |
| President | William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Russell A. Alger |
| Succeeded by | William Howard Taft |
| United States Senator from New York | |
| In office March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas C. Platt |
| Succeeded by | James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 15, 1845 Clinton, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 7, 1937 (aged 91) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Clara Wales |
| Relations | Oren Root II (Brother) |
| Education | Hamilton College, New York (BA) New York University (LLB) |
| Signature |  |
Early life
Root was born in Clinton, New York in 1845. His father Oren Root was a mathematics professor at Hamilton College.[2] Elihu studied at Hamilton College and graduated in 1864. He taught physical education classes in Rome, New York for a couple years before going to law school at New York University in New York City.[3]
Career
After law school, Root began to work as a lawyer. His clients included future president Chester A. Arthur. When Arthur became President of the United States after the assassination of James A. Garfield, he hired Root as a US Attorney for the state of New York.[4]
Under President William McKinley and President Theodore Roosevelt, Root was United States Secretary of War from 1899–1904. While Secretary, Root made the United States Military Academy at West Point larger. When he left office he again worked as a lawyer.
President Roosevelt asked Root to return to office in 1905 after the death of United States Secretary of State John Hay.
Elihu Root Media
Though Root avoided politics to the extent possible, his relationship with President Chester A. Arthur culminated in appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
A Bob Satterfield cartoon depicts the forced retirement of Commanding General Nelson A. Miles.
Root and his successor, William Howard Taft, c. 1904.
- Elihu Root. Painting oil on canvas, 31½" x 25½".
Clara Frances Root (née Wales), Elihu's wife
Photo of Elihu Root Gold Medal
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References
- ↑ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1912". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
- ↑ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of the Republic, and of the Men and Women who are Doing the Work and Moulding the Thought of the Present Time, Volume 11 page 15
- ↑ "Constitutional Conservatives in the Progressive Era: Elihu Root, William Howard Taft, and Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr".
- ↑ Hartford, William J. (January 1, 1900). "Hon Elihu Root, Secretary of War". The Successful American (New York, NY: Press Biographical Company): 26. https://books.google.com/books?id=NmZMAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA26.