FOSTER, JOHN WATSON: 1836-1917.
" John Watson Foster (Mar. 2, 1836-Nov. 15, 1917), lawyer, soldier, editor, diplomat, secretary of state, professor, was born in Pike County, Ind., where his father, Matthew Watson Foster, was a successful farmer. His mother, Eleanor Johnson, came of a Virginia family. Foster attended the Indiana University (B.A., 1855), where through study and in debate he page: 112[View Page 112] developed the anti-slavery convictions implanted by his father. After a year at the Harvard Law School he spent another year in a law office in Cincinnati before he associated himself in the practice of law at Evansville with Conrad Baker, one of the ablest lawyers of Indiana . In 1859 he married Mary Parke McFerson… When the Civil War broke out Foster's zeal for the anti-slavery cause and for the Union led him to enlist. Gov. Morton sent him a commission as major. For his share in the capture of Fort Donelson he was promoted lieutenant-colonel, and for his meritorious service at Shiloh he was made a colonel. He commanded a brigade of cavalry in Burnside's expedition into East Tennessee and was the first to occupy Knoxville in 1863 …
"After the war Foster became editor of the EVANSVILLE DAILY JOURNAL, the most influential paper in Southern Indiana . In 1872, he served as chairman of the Republican state committee. As such he was instrumental in bringing about the reëlection of Oliver P. Morton to the United States Senate and of Gen. Grant to the presidency. The next year President Grant designated him as minister to Mexico . He served there during the transition from the Lerdo to the Diaz regime and under trying circumstances succeeded in making himself highly agreeable to the Mexican government.
"Early in 1880, President Hayes transferred him to St. Petersburg . He remained there a year and had little to do except to attend ceremonies and to plead for leniency in the treatment of American Jews. He returned to Washington and set up in the practice of law. In 1883, President Arthur offered him the appointment as minister to Spain . Foster accepted. He negotiated a reciprocity treaty affecting the trade with Cuba , but the treaty failed to meet the approval of the Senate. During Cleveland's first administration Foster practised law. Harrison appointed him on a special mission to Madrid to negotiate another reciprocity treaty. This treaty became effective and for two years greatly facilitated American trade with Cuba and Porto Rico.
"During the latter part of Harrison's administration Foster became the agent for the U. S. in the Bering Sea or fur-seal arbitration …
"For about eight months during 1892 and 1893 and partly overlapping the period of the fur-seal arbitration Foster served as secretary of state. As such he negotiated a treaty of annexation with the Republic of Hawaii. This negotiation took place so shortly after the establishment of the republic under the domination of American citizens there and under such questionable circumstances that when Cleveland succeeded to the presidency he withdrew the treaty from the Senate …
"At the close of the Chino-Japanese War, December, 1894, the Chinese foreign office invited Foster, then a private citizen, to join the Chinese commissioners in the negotiation of peace with Japan . He accepted, and performed a creditable service in bringing about an agreement between Li Hung Chang and Marquis Ito. Later, in 1907, Foster represented China at the Second Hague Conference. In 1903 Great Britain and the U. S. agreed to arbitrate their differences about the Alaska-Canadian boundary. The U. S. designated Foster as agent to take charge of the preparation of the case. Greatly to his credit, the tribunal sustained substantially his arguments and conclusions. As a lawyer in Washington Foster represented various governments, notably the Mexican …
"Foster delivered numerous lectures on various phases of international relations which found their way later into periodicals and pamphlets. He was especially interested in foreign missions and in arbitration …"
Condensed from C. E. H., Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. VI.
- International Awards and National Honor.
Washington, D. G., 1886.
- Treaties and Conventions Between the United States and Other
Powers.
1889.
- Visit to Foreign Mission Lands.
New York, 1895.
- Biographical Sketch of Matthew Watson Foster,
1800-1863. Washington, D. C., 1896.
- The Civilization of Christ.
Philadelphia, n.d.
- A Century of American Diplomacy; Being a Brief Review of the
Foreign Relations of the United States, 1776-1876.
Boston, 1900.
- The Alaskan Boundary Tribunal.
Washington, D. C., 1903.
- American Diplomacy in the Orient.
Boston, 1903.
- Arbitration and the Hague Court.
Boston, 1904.
-
What the United States Has Done for International
Arbitration.
- Proper Grade of Diplomatic Representatives.
Washington, D. C., 1904.
- The Practice of Diplomacy as Illustrated in the Foreign
Relations of the United States. Boston, 1906.
- Armaments and the "Next War."
Washington, D. C., 1906.
- The Relation of Diplomacy to Foreign Missions.
Sewanee, Tenn., 1906.
- Present Conditions in China.
Washington, D. C., 1906.
- Diplomatic Memoirs.
Boston, 1909. 2
vols.
- War Not Inevitable.
Boston, 1911.
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- Hawallan Islands.
Washington, D. C.
- Limitation of Armament on the Great Lakes.
Washington, D. C., 1914.
- War Stories for My Grandchildren.
Cambridge, Mass., 1918.
- Las Memorias Diplomaticas de Mr. Foster Sobre Mexico, con un
Prologo de Genaro Estrada.
Mexico, 1929.
