Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1909-05-22


The new secretary of state like his chief
IN the White House, is a lawyer His seec-
tion although made at the very outset of
Taft's deliberations as to the personnel of his
cabinet, fitted in with the policy later adopted
by the new president to include in his official
family as many lawyers as possible With the
best of legal training as a foundation stone,
Knox served his apprenticeship in the cabinet
as attorney general under Presidents Mckinley
and Roosevelt and then his grasp of all phases
OF American life was strengthened during
years of service a member of the brain
trust of the United States senate
Philander Chase Knox, who this month cele-
brates his ifty-sixth birthday anniversary, is a
small man physically and in personal appear
ance comes pretty close to filling the ideal of
the shrewd, observant lawyer. David S. Knox
father of Philander was a banker in the town
OF Brownsville, Pa, where the present secre
tary Of state was born and enabled to
give his son educational and other advantages
much the elder Taft was enabled to give the
president a fair start in life.
The young attended Mount Union col
lege located at Alliance, o., not great many
miles over the boundary line from Pennsylva-
MIA. and from this institution he graduated
with a creditable record in 1872, when he was
10 years of age. Then he entered the law
Office of II. b. Swope at Pittsburg, preferring
the good odfashioned plan of familarizing
himself with the law by practical work as a
subordinate to a successful attorney. Almost
from the outset he seems to have had leanings
toward political career rather to public
life, and In 1876, just one year after he
admitted to the bar, Knox occupying the
position of assistant United States district at
toruey for the western district of Pennsylva-
MA
The atmosphere of Pittsburg-the worlds
workshop-evidently had its influence, how
ever in drawing Knox away from the uncer-
tainties of politics and toward the more tan
gible rewards of lucrative private practice.
In 1877 he resigned as assistant district attor-
ney In order to engage in practice with James
H. Reed, and thereafter his progress was rapid
in that most alluring branch of the profession
corporation practice He became the trusted
legal adviser of the Carnegie Steel Company
and other great concerns and incidentally
found an opportunity to lay by the tidy for
tune that has in later years enabled him to
accept places of public trust without any
worry over the comparatively Insignificant sal
aries attached.
Knox attained to the eminence of national
figure in public affairs at one bound when in
1901 he was made attorney general on the
cabinet of President Mckinley to succeed John
William Griggs of New Jersey who had re-
s,vned Mr. Knox was likewise the choice of
president Roosevelt for the position of head
NJ the department of justice, when the first
pooseyelt cabinet was formed, and in that
capacity he it was who mapped out the origi-
nal campaign in the courts against the trusts
and other violators of the federal statutes In
Iune. 1904 Mr.. Knox resigned from the cabi-
not TO accept the appointment of United States
senator rendered by Gov Pennypacker of
pennsylvania to fill the vacancy caused by
The death of the late Senator Quay. who was,
oute To Secretary Knox, resident of western
pennsylvania In January, 1905, Knox was
elected by the Pennsylvania legislature to
serve six-year term in the upper house of
congress, that would not have expired until
1911 However, early in 1909 he resigned to
become the premier of President Tafts cabi-
net and many of his admirers are confident