The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-07-01
WILSON APPOINTS LANSING AS
NEW STATE SECRETARY.
Acting Head of Department Accepts
Portfolio and Becomes Bryan's
Successor.

Washington, June 23.-President
Wilson before departing this evening
for Jew Hampshire, where he goes
for rest, announced that he had Of
fered the post of secretary OF state
, to Robert Lansing, the present coun-
sellor of the department Of state.
Mr.. Lansing has accepted the ap-
, pointment.
The fact that Mr.. Lansing would
be given the premiership of Presi-
dent Wilson's cabinet was predicted
in the Republics Washington dis
patches last week.
The announcement that Mr.. Lam
sing had been appointed to succeed
William j. Bryan was accepted with
general appreciation in Washington,
where for more than a year Mr.. Ian
sing has been known as the actual
| if not the nominal head of the state
department.
Mr.. Lansing was called to the
White House this afternoon to dis
cuss various international problems
with the president. 1t was at this
conference that the president offer
ed him the post and he accepted it.
When Mr.. Lansing left the White
House he attempted to maintain his
usual poise, but he fairly dubbed
over with pleasure when crowd of
newspaper reporters gathered about
him with congratulations.
you're a trifle premature, to say
the least" he said finally with a
broad smile.
AS soon as word was noised about
the building that the president had
selected him, many of the new secre7
tary's friends went to his office and
CONGRATULATED him. There was no
ceremony.
When the commission is made out
Secretary Lansing will be sworn in,
end then will move from his little Of
flee at the northeast corner of the
building to the commodious office oc-
cupied by his predecessor.
Mr.. Lansing is the second man in
the recent history of the state de-
partment who has been elevated from
a secondary position. When John
Sherman became incapacitated at the
outbreak of the Spanish war, assist
ant secretary William R. Day was
promoted and served until he was
sent to Paris as head of the Peace
Commission.
Mrs. Lansing has the distinction of
being the wife and the daughter OF a
secretary of state. Her father, John
w. Foster, succeeded James G.
Blaine as Harrison's secretary of
state. Secretary and Mrs. Lansing
reside with former secretary Foster
in Eighteenth street.
Mr.. Lansing became counsellor of
the state department upon the re-
tirement of John Bassett Moore, and
has been openly regarded as Presi-
dent Wilson's mainstay on questions
of international negotiations which
have been thrust upon the United
States by the European war.
1t is a matter of common remark
in Washington that he has command
ed the respect and admiration of the
foreign chancellories here to a mark
ed degree.
Mr.. Lansing's home is in Water
town, ~ Y, and he is just past so
years old. Since 1889 he has practic-
ed law and began his first diplomatic
work for the United States in 1892,
when he became counsel for the
United States in the Boring Sea ari-
trations.
Soon afterward he became counsel
for the United States Bering Sea
Claims Commission and following
that was solicitor for the Alaskan
boundary tribunal. In 1909 he be-
came counsel in the North Atlantic
coast fisheries at The Hague.
His last work before becoming
ounsellor for the state department
was as agent for the United States
in the Anglo-American claims arbi-
tration. He was graduated from Am
herst College. Only yesterday he re-
ceived an honorary degree at Colgate
University. His writings on inter-
national law have attracted wide at
teation. One of his pricipal papers
was Government; Its Origin,
Growth and Form in the United
States
Since 1902 he has been an associ-
ate editor OF the American Journal of
International Law. While the notes
to Great Britain and Germany have
dent Wilson and former Secretary
Bryan was consulted from time tc
time during the course OF their pre-
Daration, it was no secret that the
president was in almost constant
communication with Mr. Lansing on
the many intricate points of inter-
national law, upon which Mr.. Ian
sing was able to advise his chief
without any hesitation.
Recently the president invited
him to sit at the cabinet table while
the notes to Germany on the Lusi-
tania were being discussed and put
into final form. Secretary Bryan
was also present at these meetings,
and so far as is known Mr.. Lansing s |
presence was a precedent.
Mr.. Lansing has shown very little
in politics and at one time there |
seemed to be some doubt among the
presidents advisers if it would not
be necessary to select man who was
more prominent and probably had
performed greater service for his
party.