Elihu Root
Elihu Root was born and grew up in the immediate vicinity of this house, which became his home as an adult. He graduated from Hamilton College and the New York University School of Law. He served as both United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention. President William McKinley appointed him Secretary of War in 1899 and he continued in this capacity under Theodore Roosevelt. Root made many changes to the structure of the American Army, including the establishment of the U.S. Army War College and creation of the General Staff. Root was Secretary of State from 1905–1909. He was instrumental in improving relations with Japan and with Latin America during this time. Root also was an advocate of the World Court. He won the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1912. After leaving the cabinet, Root was a United States Senator from New York. He was a bitter critic of Woodrow Wilson.
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Famous quotes containing the word root:
“There is a certain class of unbelievers who sometimes ask me such questions as, if I think that I can live on vegetable food alone; and to strike at the root of the matter at once,—for the root is faith,—I am accustomed to answer such, that I can live on board nails. If they cannot understand that, they cannot understand much that I have to say.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)