author
John Watson Foster
1836–1917
A Civil War officer turned diplomat, he went on to represent the United States abroad and briefly served as Secretary of State under President Benjamin Harrison. His long public career also connected him to a political family that would shape American foreign policy in the next generation.
1 Audiobook
War Stories for my Grandchildren
by John Watson Foster
About the author
Born in Indiana in 1836, he trained as a lawyer and later served in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he worked in journalism and politics before moving into diplomacy, building a reputation as a skilled negotiator.
He served as U.S. minister to Mexico, Russia, and Spain, and then as Secretary of State from 1892 to 1893. Reference works also note his role in negotiations over Hawaii, one of the most debated episodes of his time in office.
He died in Washington, D.C., in 1917. He is also remembered as the grandfather of John Foster Dulles, which places him at the start of a family line that remained influential in American diplomacy.