John M. Hay (1838–1905)
Author of Lincoln and the Civil War in the Diaries and Letters of John Hay
About the Author
John Milton Hay was born in Salem, Indiana on October 8, 1838. He graduated from Brown University in 1858, studied law with an attorney in Springfield, Illinois, and became licensed to practice law in 1861. While living in Springfield, he became good friends with Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln was show more elected President of the United States in 1860, Hay became his personal secretary. Shortly before Lincoln's assassination, the president appointed Hay to the United States embassy in France. Hay spent the next several years performing various diplomatic assignments in France, Austria, and Spain. He resigned from government service in 1870. During the early 1870s, Hay became an editor for the New York Tribune. He also published a volume of poetry and a personal recollection of his time in Spain. In 1879, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Hay assistant secretary of state. He resigned this position in 1881. He spent the next fifteen years writing numerous books including a ten-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln co-written with John Nicolay. In 1897, President William McKinley appointed Hay to be the United States ambassador to Great Britain. The following year, Hay became the Secretary of State. During his term in office, Hay took the lead in negotiating an end to the Spanish-American War, implemented the "Open Door Policy," which called for free trade for Western powers with China, and negotiated the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, which granted the United States control of the Panama Canal Zone and the authority to construct the Panama Canal. He died on July 1, 1905. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by John M. Hay
Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln 2 copies
An idler John Hay's social and aesthetic commentaries for the press during the Civil War, 1861-1865 (2006) 2 copies
Abraham Lincoln: Complete Works Comprising His Speeches, Letters, State Papers and Miscellaneous Works Volume Two — Editor — 2 copies
Jim Bludso [poem] 1 copy
The Enchanted Shirt [poem] 1 copy
Associated Works
The Rubáiyat of Omar Khayyám (FitzGerald) (1120) — Contributor, some editions — 6,069 copies, 87 reviews
The Civil War: The First Year Told By Those Who Lived It (2011) — Contributor — 269 copies, 2 reviews
The Civil War: The Second Year Told By Those Who Lived It (2012) — Contributor — 194 copies, 1 review
The Lincoln Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Legacy from 1860 to Now (2008) — Contributor — 172 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hay, John Milton
- Birthdate
- 1838-10-08
- Date of death
- 1905-07-01
- Gender
- male
- Education
- John D. Thomson Academy
Brown University - Occupations
- diplomat
politician
journalist
private secretary
poet
US Secretary of State (1898-1905) (show all 7)
US Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1897-98) - Relationships
- Nicolay, John George (collaborator)
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Salem, Indiana, USA
- Places of residence
- Salem, Indiana, USA
Warsaw, Illinois, USA
Pittsfield, Illinois, USA
Springfield, Illinois, USA
London, England, UK
Washington, D.C., USA (show all 7)
Newbury, New Hampshire, USA - Place of death
- Newbury, New Hampshire, USA
- Burial location
- Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Discussions
DLE Abraham Lincoln: A History by Nicolay & Hay in Easton Press Collectors (March 2012)
Reviews
I picked this up because I was reading a biography of John Hay and thought it would be fun to read his novel, which made quite a stir when it was first published. It definitely did shed some light on Hay's mindset, and there are quite a few lines and moments that are unintentionally very entertaining for a modern reader, but I can't say I was left feeling like it's a terrible thing that the book is so little read these days.
If you're really interested in John Hay or in class conflict in show more 19th century Ohio from the perspective of the wealthy, this is worth taking a look at. Otherwise you can probably leave it on the shelf without missing out on too much... show less
If you're really interested in John Hay or in class conflict in show more 19th century Ohio from the perspective of the wealthy, this is worth taking a look at. Otherwise you can probably leave it on the shelf without missing out on too much... show less
This is more than a history of Lincoln, it is really a history of the United States through the Civil War. There are many chapters where Lincoln is not even mentioned. Often fascinating, but occasionally a bit dry (which is why I deducted a half star). This really explains a lot of the politics leading up to the Civil War that I found very interesting, and is not usually explained in most other Lincoln biographies.
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 31
- Also by
- 9
- Members
- 319
- Popularity
- #74,134
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 74