author
Robert Lansing
1864–1928
A key American diplomat of the World War I era, this lawyer-turned-statesman served as U.S. Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson and helped shape major foreign policy debates of the 1910s. His writing reflects a close-up view of international law, diplomacy, and the pressures of wartime government.
1 Audiobook
The Peace Negotiations: A Personal Narrative
by Robert Lansing
About the author
Born in Watertown, New York, in 1864, Robert Lansing trained as a lawyer and built a reputation in international law. He graduated from Amherst College, joined his family's law practice, and later became closely involved with U.S. foreign affairs through legal work for the State Department.
Lansing served as Counselor to the Department of State before becoming the 42nd U.S. Secretary of State in 1915. During his years in office, he worked through the diplomatic tensions of World War I and took part in major questions involving neutrality, intervention, and the peace settlement that followed the war.
He left office in 1920 after breaking with President Woodrow Wilson over policy and procedure, especially during the fight over the postwar peace process. Lansing died in 1928, and he remains best remembered as a careful legal mind and influential voice in American diplomacy at a turning point in world history.