Philander Knox served as U.S. Attorney General under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. After serving in the U.S. Senate, he also served as Secretary of State under President William Taft.
Early Life
Knox was born in 1853 in Pennsylvania. He attended Mount Union College, where he developed a lifelong friendship with future President William McKinley. After graduating from law school, Knox became a successful Pittsburgh attorney, forming a partnership with James Hay Reed that continues now Reed Smith LLP. He also served as a director of the Pittsburgh National Bank of Commerce, alongside business magnets Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Mellon.
Political Career
In 1901, President McKinley asked Knox to serve as his Attorney General. He remained in the position during the Administration of his successor, President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1904, Knox was appointed U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania to fill a vacancy and was later confirmed to fill the seat for the remainder of the term.
In 1908, Knox unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination. That same year, his former rival, President Taft, appointed him Secretary of State. In his position, he organized the State Department into regional divisions, extended the civil service system to to the Diplomatic Service, and focused on protecting U.S. investments overseas. His efforts to use trade to foster democracy and stability became known as “Dollar Diplomacy.”
In 1916, Knox was elected to the Senate and served until his death in 1921. He was a vocal critic of the Treaty of Versailles, saying “this Treaty does not spell peace but war — war more woeful and devastating than the one we have but now closed.”
