Introduction

Biography

Hay gra­du­ated from Brown Uni­ver­si­ty, Pro­vi­dence, Rhode Is­land, in 1858, then stu­died law with fu­ture Am­er­ican pre­si­dent Ab­ra­ham Lin­coln.

He be­came an at­tor­ney in Spring­field, Il­li­nois, in 1861. He was Lin­coln’s as­sist­ant pri­vate sec­re­ta­ry un­til Lincoln’s death in 1865. Hay then served as sec­re­ta­ry of the Am­er­ican le­ga­tion in Pa­ris (1865–67), Vi­en­na (1867–69), and Ma­drid (1869–70).

Upon re­turn­ing home, he be­came an ed­it­or­i­al writ­er at the New York Her­ald Tri­bune.

Hay re-entered pub­lic ser­vice as First As­sist­ant Sec­re­ta­ry of State (1879–81), and up­on Will­iam Mc­Kin­ley’s in­au­gu­ra­tion, was ap­point­ed Am­er­ican am­bas­sa­dor to Bri­tain.

In 1898, he be­came Sec­re­ta­ry of State, hold­ing that post un­til his death. He is per­haps best re­mem­bered for his Op­en Door pol­i­cy to­ward Chi­na.

Works

• Pike Coun­ty Ball­ads, 1871
• Castilian Days, 1871
• Poems, 1890
• Abraham Lin­coln: A His­to­ry, 1890, with John G. Ni­co­lay