European Statesmen & Prime Ministers Codexery

Elihu Root

American statesman, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and architect of U.S. international law.

Last updated

Elihu Root was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and statesman who served as Secretary of War and Secretary of State.[1] He received the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize and is considered a prototype of the 20th-century political "wise man"[1] Root pioneered the American practice of international law in both his cabinet positions and legal career.[1]

Life and work

Root was born on February 15, 1845, in Clinton, New York, to a mathematics professor father.[2] He graduated from New York University School of Law in 1867 and was admitted to the bar that year.[3][4] As a young lawyer, Root defended Tammany Hall boss William M. Tweed, a case that later fueled political attacks against him.[3] William McKinley, the president at the time, asked Root to become Secretary of War in July 1899, and Root held that cabinet post until he resigned on February 1, 1904.[3][5]

What the cited sources add

The Akiboh account notes that Root was present when Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as President in 1881.[4] Root was the primary author of the Platt Amendment, which limited Cuba's independence.[4] He sponsored the first Central American Peace Conference in 1907 and helped establish the Central American Court of Justice.[4] Root negotiated the "Gentleman's Agreement" with Japan, where the U.S. agreed not to formally restrict Japanese immigration while Japan prohibited further emigration.[4]

The Akiboh account reports that Root removed all tariffs on merchandise brought from Puerto Rico into the mainland United States.[4]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Elihu Root" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Akiboh, "'No anecdotes are told of Elihu Root': America's Twentieth Century Wise Man", U.S. History Scene (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Elihu Root" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of t (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Elihu Root" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jessup 1938, p. 54 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Akiboh, "'No anecdotes are told of Elihu Root': America's Twentieth Century Wise Man", U.S. History Scene. facts only, no text reused. ushistoryscene.com
  5. Wikipedia, "Elihu Root" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Scott 1928, p. 202–06 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Elihu Root (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in European Statesmen & Prime Ministers

Edith CowanEdith WilsonEdmund BartonEdvard BenešEleftherios VenizelosFelix DzerzhinskyFumimaro KonoeGaleazzo CianoGeorge-Étienne CartierGeorge Brown (Canadian politician)George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of KedlestonGeorge Grenville

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year did Elihu Root die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1937.

2. In which place was Elihu Root born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Clinton, New York, U.S..

3. In what year was Elihu Root born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1845.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →