1. Robert Lansing was an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 42nd United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson from 1915 to 1920.
15 Facts About Robert Lansing
1. 2.
When Bryan resigned on June 8,1915 over Wilson's policy toward Germany, Robert Lansing was elevated to succeed him.
3.
However, Wilson made Colonel House his chief foreign policy advisor because Robert Lansing privately opposed much of the Treaty of Versailles and was skeptical of the Wilsonian principle of self-determination.
4.
Robert Lansing was born in Watertown, New York, the son of John Lansing and Maria Lay Lansing.
5.
Robert Lansing graduated from Amherst College in 1886, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1889.
6.
In 1914 Robert Lansing was appointed counselor to the State Department by President Woodrow Wilson.
7.
Robert Lansing was a founding member of the American Society of International Law and helped establish the American Journal of International Law.
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Woodrow Wilson 8.
Robert Lansing initially advocated for the United States to adopt a position of "benevolent neutrality" after the outbreak of World War I and opposed the blockade of Germany by the Allied powers.
9.
In 1916, Robert Lansing hired a handful of men who became the State Department's first special agents in the new Bureau of Secret Intelligence.
10.
In 1919, Robert Lansing became the nominal head of the US Commission to the Paris Peace Conference.
11.
Robert Lansing stepped down from his post on February 12,1920.
12.
Robert Lansing died in New York City on October 30,1928 at the age of 64, and was buried at Brookside Cemetery in Watertown, New York.
13.
In 1890, Lansing married Eleanor Foster, the daughter of Secretary of State John W Foster.
14.
New York State Senator Robert Lansing was his grandfather; Chancellor John Lansing Jr.
15.
Robert Lansing kept a voluminous archive of US government communications during WWI, which are a key resource on US thinking and decision making in this period.