John Hay Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: John Hay
OCCUPATION: Lawyer, Writer, Government Official
BIRTH DATE: October 08, 1838
DEATH DATE: July 01, 1905
EDUCATION: Springfield College, Brown University
PLACE OF BIRTH: Salem, Indiana
PLACE OF DEATH: Newbury, New Hampshire
Full Name: John Milton Hay
AKA: John Hay

Best Known For

U.S. Secretary of State John Hay began his career as Abraham Lincoln’s private secretary, and was later known for promoting an "Open Door" policy in China.

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John Hay

APA Style

John Hay. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:29, May 25, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/john-hay-21010737.

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John Hay. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-hay-21010737 [Accessed 25 May 2013].

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"John Hay." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 25 2013, 09:29 http://www.biography.com/people/john-hay-21010737.

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"John Hay," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/john-hay-21010737 [accessed May 25, 2013].

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"John Hay," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/john-hay-21010737 (accessed May 25, 2013).

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John Hay [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 25] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-hay-21010737.

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John Hay, http://www.biography.com/people/john-hay-21010737 (last visited May 25, 2013).

AMA Style

John Hay. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/john-hay-21010737. Accessed May 25, 2013.

Hay issued the statement in the form of circular notes to Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Russia. The "Open Door" policy was extremely well-received in the United States and became a cornerstone of American foreign policy for decades to come.

Hay continued to work as secretary of state for the Theodore Roosevelt Administration until his death—the cause of which was possibly pulmonary embolism,

but never officially determined—on July 1, 1905, at his summer home in Newbury, New Hampshire.

Personal Life

Hay married Clara L. Stone in 1874.

Hay continued to write throughout his life. His literary work includes Pike Country Ballads and Other Pieces, a book of poems; the novel The Bread-Winners; and Abraham Lincoln: A History, a historical fiction book co-written by John Nicolay.