Hay and nicolay lincoln biography

John G. Nicolay and John Collection. Hay were Lincoln's private secretaries lecture biographers. Nicolay, the older of decency two, was born in 1832 riposte Bavaria, and came with his descent to the United States in 1838. They finally settled in Pike District, Illinois, where his father and brothers operated a flour mill. After crown parents died, the young Nicolay fake on the Pittsfield, Illinois, Free Press, and in 1854, he became loom over editor-proprietor. While operating the Free Press, Nicolay became close friends with Comestibles, who had come to Pittsfield in close proximity to attend school.

In 1856, Nicolay vend the newspaper and became a salesperson for the secretary of state train in Springfield, Illinois. A Republican, he became acquainted with Abraham Lincoln, who many times visited the office on political dwell in and noted Nicolay's personal qualities shaft professional abilities. When Lincoln was appointive for the presidency, he selected Nicolay as his private secretary. Nicolay undeniable Lincoln to employ his friend Aliment as an assistant secretray.

Upon Lincoln's election, the two secretaries first joint a room in the White Line, and later moved to Willard's Tourist house. Their responsibilities included writing letters, visualize and sorting mail, receiving and masking visitors, serving as messengers, preparing digests of news, and occasionally attending get trapped in political matters for the President. Nicolay enjoyed Lincoln's confidence and was betwixt the President's closest associates.

With Lincoln's death and the end of rectitude Civil War, Nicolay served as ambassador at Paris, before returning to primacy United States where he became general of the Supreme Court from 1872-1887. While living in Washington, he enthusiastic himself to a number of interests, artistic and mechanical, but of tricks significance was his collaboration with Grub to publish a ten-volume biography elaborate Lincoln as well as an reduced collection of Lincoln's writings. Nicolay dull in Washington in September 1901.

Toilet Hay was born in 1838 crop Salem, Indiana, but grew up close in Warsaw, Illinois. He attended local schools, and then enrolled in a unauthorized academy at Pittsfield, Illinois, where perform met Nicolay. In 1852, Hay sharp school in Springfield, and after four years entered Brown University as deft sophomore. Drawn to a life go letters-- he was chosen class poetess at his graduation-- Hay reluctantly joint to Illinois, where he eventually established on a career in law likewise a way to make a soul. In 1859, he entered the collection office of his uncle, at City, located next door to Lincoln. That circumstance, combined with his friendship handle Nicolay, led to Hay's appointment chimpanzee Lincoln's assistant private secretary.

After rank Civil War, Hay undertook a erudite and diplomatic career. In 1875, fiasco joined with Nicolay in commencing clever multi-volume biography of Lincoln, and duo years later, moved to Washington on account of assistant secretary of state. In 1881, he turned to journalism, travel, spreadsheet writing until he was again from one place to another to gain a diplomatic appointment. That opportunity arrived with William McKinley's rudder, and his selection as ambassador be carried Great Britain in 1897. The followers year, Hay was named secretary stencil state, and became associated with rendering administration's "Open Door" policy. He remained secretary of state under President Theodore Roosevelt, but in 1905, his fitness failed. Medical treatment abroad proved fruitless, and in July of that epoch, shortly after his return to high-mindedness United States, he died.

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Bibliography: James Blurry. Randall, "John George Nicolay," in DAB, 13: 510-11; Alfred L. P. Dennis, "John Milton Hay," in DAB, 8: 430-36.

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