Cordell Hull

1871- 1955

American Politician

Cordell Hull wasborn on October 2, 1871 in Olympus Tennessee. Hull went to law school . He served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1893 to 1897. He served in Cuba as a captian during the Spanish American War. He served in the US House of Representatives from 1907-1923 and from 1923--1931 He was elected ot the Senate in 1930.

From 1933 through 1944, he served as Secretary of State, a stint longer than any previous Secretary of State in US history.
Hull concentrated at first on economic relations, an area in which he had always been keenly interested. He then played a key role in the negotiations with the Japanese, in an attempt to head off war.

He was, however, often undercut by the personal diplomacy that Roosevelt pursued. Hull did not take part in the major wartime conferences.