Elihu Root

Elihu Root (February 15, 1845 – February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer and politician. Root was United States Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt and United States Secretary of War under President Roosevelt and President William McKinley. He was later a United States Senator from New York until 1915. In 1912, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in developing the International Court of Justice, a court where countries could solve legal disputes.

Early life
Root was born in Clinton, New York in 1845. His father Oren Root was a mathematics professor at Hamilton College.The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of the Republic, and of the Men and Women who are Doing the Work and Moulding the Thought of the Present Time, Volume 11 page 15 Elihu studied at Hamilton College and graduated in 1864. He taught physical education classes in Rome, New York for a couple years before going to law school at New York University in New York City.

Career
After law school, Root began to work as a lawyer. His clients included future president Chester A. Arthur. When Arthur became President of the United States after the assassination of James A. Garfield, he hired Root as a US Attorney for the state of New York.

Under President William McKinley and President Theodore Roosevelt, Root was United States Secretary of War from 1899–1904. While Secretary, Root made the United States Military Academy at West Point larger. When he left office he again worked as a lawyer.

President Roosevelt asked Root to return to office in 1905 after the death of United States Secretary of State John Hay.

References

Category:International Court of Justice
Category:1845 births
Category:1937 deaths
Category:Lawyers from New York City
Category:Politicians from New York City
Category:United States Secretaries of State
Category:United States Secretaries of War
Category:Nobel Peace Prize winners