The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-06-30
ROBERT. LANSING
SECRETARY OF STATE
COMPETENT MAN SUCCEEDS
w. J. BRYAN AS HEAD OF
STATE DEPARTMENT. .
An Able Man
For the Place
Fifty-One Years of Age, Secretary
Lansing Has Enviable Record
President May Leave Lansing to
Select His Counsellor.

Mr.. Lansing is 81 years old, ma
tive of Watertown, N. Y, and de-
scendant of the family of John Lam
sing, who represented New York in
the Constitutional Convention of
1887, at Philadelphia, and later was
chancellor of the State of New York.
After graduation from Amherst Col
lege, in 1888, Mr.. Lansing chose the
profession Of his father and ances-
tors-the law-and continued to
practice in private, except when re-
tanned by the American Government
or foreign nations in important cases,
international Arbitration.
He has represented the United
States in more international arbitra.
tions than any living man, and
French authority recently wrote that
Mr.. Lansing probably had a longer
and broader experience in interna-
tional arbitration and had appeared
more frequently before international
tribunals than any living lawyer.
In 1892 Mr.. Lansing was appointed
associate counsel for the United
States in the fur seal arbitration, and
attended the sessions of the inter-
national tribunal at Paris in 1898.
In 1s94-95, he was appointed by Sec
retary of State Richard Oiney coun-
sci for the Government before the
Bering Sea claims commission. In
1898-99 he was counsel for private
parties before the Canadian joint
highway commission and counsellor
for the Mexican and Chinese lega-
tons once more. He became soli-
citor and counsel for the United
States Government before the Alas
kan boundary tribunal in London,
was counsel in the Venezuelan as
phalt disputes in 1905; counsel for
the United States in the Atlantic fish,
cries arbitration at The Hague in
1908, testimonial delegate in the Fur
Seal Conference at Washington in
1911, and special counsel for the de-
partment Of State in various pending
diplomatic questions.
In British Claims.
In 1911 he became counsel for the
United States in the American and
British claims arbitration, and from
1918 until April 1, 1914 when he be-
came counsellor of the State depart
ment to succeed John Bassett Moore,
he represented the United States be-
fore this commission.
Mr.. Lansing was one Of the foun-
ders of the American Society of In
ternational Law and has written a
book on constitutional law.
For years, Mr.. Lansing, who is a
man Of considerable means, has lived
in Washington with his father-in-law,
John W. Foster, Secretary of State
under President Harrison. Mrs.
Lansing is one of the popular MEM
bers of the official and diplomatic
set. They have no children. Aside
from his success as a lawyer and a
diplomatist Mr.. Lansing is known to
his friends as devoted and success
full golfer and fisherman, somewhat
of a baseball fan, skillful landscape
painter, as we'll as craftsman and
professor of gift of verse, known to
his friends but not to general public.
The appointment of Mr.. Lansing
creates a vacancy in the Office of
counsellor of the State department.
1t is not expected that any immedi-
ate selection will be made. It is
considered likely that President Will
son will leave to Mr.. Lansing the
task of selecting his counsellor.