author
John Hay
1838–1905
A close aide to Abraham Lincoln who later became one of America’s most influential diplomats, he moved from the Civil War White House to the center of U.S. foreign policy. He was also a writer and poet, giving his public career an unusually literary side.
6 Audiobooks
Pike County Ballads and Other Poems
by John Hay
Abraham Lincoln: a History — Volume 01
by John G. (John George) Nicolay, John Hay
Abraham Lincoln, a History — Volume 02
by John G. (John George) Nicolay, John Hay
The Bread-winners: A Social Study
by John Hay
Poems
by John Hay
Castilian Days
by John Hay
About the author
Born in Indiana in 1838, John Hay studied at Brown University and read law in Springfield, Illinois, where he came to know Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War he served as one of Lincoln’s private secretaries, a role that placed him near some of the most important decisions of the era.
After the war, Hay built a long career in journalism, diplomacy, and public service. He served in diplomatic posts in Europe, helped write the major historical work Abraham Lincoln: A History with John G. Nicolay, and also published poetry and fiction.
Hay is best remembered in government as U.S. secretary of state from 1898 until his death in 1905, serving under William McKinley and then Theodore Roosevelt. In that office he became closely associated with the Open Door policy toward China and with the expanding international role of the United States at the turn of the twentieth century.