Facts: - president: william mckinley theodore roosevelt - party: republican - predecessor: hilary w. harris a. herbert thomas talbot horatio g. knight benjamin - lieutenant: byron weston - birth date: 27 october 1838 - profession: lawyer , politician - order: 34th member of the u.s. house of representatives from massachusetts 's united 2nd district states secretary of the navy 32nd 31st - death date: 28 august 1915 - spouse: mary w. glover -lrb- her death -rrb- agnes pierce - office: governor of massachusetts lieutenant governor of massachusetts - term end: april march 3 , 1889 30 , 1902 january 4 , 1883 1880 - name: john davis long - death place: hingham , massachusetts - birth place: buckfield , maine - signature: johndlongsignature.png - successor: william a. morse henry moody benjamin franklin butler byron weston elijah - alma mater: harvard university - children: margaret long helen long pierce long - term start: march march 4 , 1883 6 , 1897 january 8 , 1880 1879 - image: jdlong.jpg - governor: thomas talbot Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of john davis long .
A:
john davis long -lrb- october 27 , 1838 -- august 28 , 1915 -rrb- was a american lawyer , politician , and writer .he served as the 32nd governor of massachusetts between 1880 and 1883 .he later served as the secretary of the navy from 1897 to 1902 , a period that notably included the spanish -- american war .born in buckfield , maine , long was educated a lawyer at harvard , and then settled in hingham , massachusetts .he became active in republican party politics in the 1870s , winning election to the state legislature in 1874 .he rose rapidly in prominence , and was elected lieutenant governor in 1879 and governor in 1880 .he advocated modest reforms during his three years as governor , which were relatively undistinguished .after returning to private practice he was offered a cabinet post by his friend president william mckinley in 1896 .he chose to become secretary of the navy despite lacking detailed knowledge of naval matters .he clashed with his under-secretary , theodore roosevelt , over expansion of the navy , but did so when the spanish -- american war broke out in 1898 .he resigned the post after roosevelt became president , and resumed his law practice .he died at his home in 1915 ; his publications include a lifelong journal , a history of the spanish -- american war , and a verse translation of virgil 's '' aeneid '' .