The Washington herald., 1914-06-09
HISTORY BUILDERS.
The Man Who Negotiated The Pur-
chase Of Alaska.
written Expressly Tor The Hsraid-)
ny DIR. n. J. EDWARDS.

Su9SS VI f18SA2s
written Expressly kor The Hsraid.)
ny DR. q. ,. EDWARDS.
Probably the most intimate personal
association which was made by Frederick
w. Seward when serving a. Assistant
secretary Of State IN the administration
OF President Lincoln was one which he
maintained with Gustavus v. Fox, who
was Assistant Secretary Of the Navy.
The acquaintance established between
the Assistant Secretary Of the Navy and
the Assistant Secretary Of State was
based In part upon the admiration and
high respect which each OF the two men
entertained toward the other. But there
was also congeniaiity Of temperament. Of
IDEAS and Of views respecting the con-
duct Of the civil war.
Long after Mr.. Seward retired from the
State Department. he said to me: The
people did not know at the time Of the
war. and / suppose they never will know.
how invaluable were the services of Mr..
Fox to the Secretary Of the Navy. Mr..
Welles. Why" said Mr.. Seward impress
sively. ''it was due to the recommenda-
tion Of Mr. Fox that Farragut was se-
lected as the ofiicer in charge OF the
naval expedition which made possible
only one Of many very valuable recon-
mendations which were made by Mr.. Fox.
1T rs q curious fact In connection with
the career Of Mr.. Fox that he was twice
the manager Of great wooden mill prop
critics in Massachusetts,, once at Law
renee. a few years before the civil war.
and long afterward when the war was
ended and Mr.. Fox had retired from pub
lie service, when he was appointed man.
ager of great mill properties at Lowell.
The peculiar feature Of this Is found in
the fact that Fox first became the man.
ager Of a great mill after he had served
about twenty years as an ofiicer of the
navy. beginning as a midshipman. Then.
after his remarkable success In the Navy
DepsStment during the civil war he again
became manager of another great mill
property.
There Is another fact associated with
Mr. Fox's career Of which the public has
no knowledge. You will, Of course. re-
member that have often told you why
my father, when Secretary Of State, earn
estly advocated the purchase from Russia
of what was then known as Russian
North America, but Is now known as
Alaska.
Fox was appointed as official repre-
sentative of the Federal government to
carry tne expression OF synpdtny anu
of profound gratitude felt by the United
States that the Emperor of Russia Alex
ander II. escaped the act Of the would-be
assassin who tried to kill him when the
Emperor was upon a visit TO Paris. Fox
was privately and informally instructed
to undertake when upon this mission to
perfect negotiations with. the Emperor
which would make II possible for the
United States to buy Russian North
America. He carried out these instruc-
tions with great skill and delicacy. and
II was largely due to the service he then
performed that my father was able to
negotiate the arrangement with Russia
whereby for s.. so on the sovereignty over
Russian North America passed from Rus
sia 20 the United States.
tCbpyrtght, 1914. by r !. Edwards An rights
rrsnycd-l
Tomorrow Or. Edwards will tell of
The Man Who Was Thrice Offered
Cabinet Position