Evening star., 1944-04-28

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the summer of 1910 and had devoted
his whole energies since to building
up the Navy for its tremendous war
time role. Under his leadership he
had seen it grow into the mightiest
sea force Of world history.
He was popular with newspaper
men who covered the Navy Depart
ment, and was credited with having
conducted the best press confer
ences among Government officials.
He was always frank with the press
and enjoyed joking with them when
members tried to force an answer to
a question.
He was the first to announce the
great losses which the United States
sustained In the taking of Tarawa
in the Gilbert Islands. During his
press conferences, particularly after
some notable exploits of the vastly
expanding Pacific task forces, he
took delight In reading the jap
anese claims Of victory and damage
done to the American units.
In Spanish-American War.
Col. Knox rounded out his biblical
allotment Of three-score years and
10 by achieving eminence in the two
fields that always dominated his
heart and nd-journalisn and ma
tional defense.
He left college to serve in the
Spanish War as a private
and followed Theodore Roosevelt up
San Juan ELL. He died as Secretary
Of the Navy and head of the most
powerful fleet the world has ever
known.
He began his professional career
as q $10-per-week reporter for an
obscure Michigan newspaper. He
ended it as publisher Of one of the
six largest newspapers in the United
States, the Chicago Daily News.
A lifelong and vigorously active
Republican who in 1896 ran for the
vice presidency on the G. O. p.
ticket, Col. Knox nevertheless had
the independence to abandon its
ranks when challenged by a higher
loyalty. In 1912 he supported his
personal idol, Theodore, Roosevelt,
against William Howard Taft. And
in June, 1910, on the eve of ma
ttonal election campaign, his con-
viction that America must prepare
urgently for war caused him to en-
ter. the Democratic administration
OF President Roosevelt, whose New
Deal" he had criticized bitterly.
Urged Larger Army.
With the outbreak of the war in
Europe In 1889, Col. Knox had
turned the editorial columns of the
Chicago Daily News into daily
warning to the American people to
prepare for battle. He urged 4
vastly expanded Army. Even more
vigorously, he insisted on rushing
enlargement Of the fleet. Unexpect-
edW, he received q summons to
Washington to take over direction
Of the latter job.
He Joined the cabinet in June, 1910
at the same time Henry l.. Stimson
also Republican leader, became
Secretary Of War.
Seated in the Navy Department
Col. Knox threw himself at once
into the work of preparing the fleet
for war. First, he considered, he
must know the Navy. So he started
out on a 25,0oo-mile tour to see it,
BY September, 1910, he was able to
announce with assurance that the
United States had the most power
full fleet in the world. At the time
of his death. although military
secrecy prevented the publication of
exact figures. 1t was generally un-
derstood that the fleet he headed
matched those Of the rest of the
world combined.
A solidly built, sandy haired,
blunt-spoken man who had worked
his way up from boyhood OF pov-
erty, Col. Knox exemplified the
ruggedness and simplicity associated
with America. From one of his own
editorials comes this summary of
his philosophy of life:
"The most useful life is the best;
the most unpretentious and genuine
the most worthy. Let us aim to be
genuine, to seek simplicity and be
unassuming, unostentatious, to keep
our hearts tender and pure and our
minds on the higher level"
Native of Boston.
The colonel was born on January
/, 1874, in Boston, of Scotch English
parents and was christened William
Franklin Knox. But Frank" he
became to parents and playmates
and in later life he always used the
abbreviated form.
When he was a lad of z, his fam.
lily moved from New England to the
raw manufacturing town of Crane
Rapids, Mich. His father had diff.
Guilty caring for rapidly increasing
family, and young Frank supple.
mented the family income by deliv.
ering papers to 100 families befor.
school each morning-his first con.
tact with the raw materials tha
eventually were to make his for.
tune.
After a public school education
young Knox enrolled at Alma
(Mich) College, but shortly befor,
the end of his senior year he left II
fight the Spaniards in Cuba, and hi
degree was awarded in absentia.
Highly descriptive letters Of Arm,
life in Cuba. written to his mothe