Cordell Hull [1871–1955]

Cordell Hull [1871–1955] was an American politician from the US state of Tennessee. He was a US Congressman 1923-1931 & US Senator 1931-1933 but is best known as the longest-serving US Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years [1933–1944] in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt [1882-1945] during much of World War II. Hull received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 for his role in establishing the United Nations, and was referred to by President Roosevelt as the "Father of the United Nations."

Right click image to enlarge.

B I R T H

October 2, 1871 - Birth of Cordell Hull [1871-1955], near Byrdstown, Tennessee (US). Birth cabin is now part of Cordell Hull State Park (qv). Birthplace seal quotes Hull as saying in 1936, "Peace must be our passion.

H I G H W A Y

1935 - Cordell Hull Highway, Kentucky & Tennessee (USA). "In 1935 [sic], the Kentucky & Tennessee legislatures designated the route connecting Mammoth Cave & the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in honor of Cordell Hull [1871-1955] as a tribute to his services to the nation. Hull, a Tennessee native of Pickett County, had a successful law practice in nearby Celina, Gainesboro & Carthage, Tennessee. He was a member of the House of Representatives 1907-31 & served many years as a US Senator beginning in 1931. As Secretary of State under Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hull became known universally as 'The Father of the United Nations,' an achievement for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945." /// "The Cordell Hull Parkway is a 57 mile ribbon of road that threads through a most scenic & historical route from Mammoth Cave, KY, to the Tennessee state line." /// "The Cordell Hull Scenic Byway begins at the entrance to Mammoth Cave National Park, extends to the Tennessee state line & on to Celina, Tennessee, which is the site of Hull’s original office." /// Click here for information on the annual Rollercoaster Yard Sale on the Cordell Hull Highway (map).

C O N F

June 12-July 27, 1933 - World Economic Conference, Geological Museum, London (England). "A meeting of [1,000 top finance & government officials] from 66 nations. Its purpose was to win agreement on measures to fight global depression, revive trade & stabilize currency exchange rates. The Conference was 'torpedoed' by US President Roosevelt in early July, when Roosevelt denounced currency stabilization." Right image is a German cartoon showing central bank governors parading in a Roman arena & saluting conference president Ramsay MacDonald [1866-1937] with "Hail Caesar!"

C O N F

December 1-23, 1936 - Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, Buenos Aires (Argentina). "US President Franklin D. Roosevelt's concern over the rise of fascism in Europe prompted him in early 1936 to suggest a meeting of the American republics to discuss the maintenance of peace in the Western Hemisphere. Such a meeting would allow Roosevelt to promote his 'Good Neighbor Policy' toward Latin America, which drastically limited US definitions of intervention. Latin American leaders agreed to a conference & placed neutrality, arms limitations & foreign intervention high on the agenda. Argentina's Minister of Foreign Affairs & Nobel Peace Prize winner Carlos Saavedra Lamas [1878-1959] presided, & US Secretary of State Cordell Hull [1871-1955] led the American delegation. As a show of good faith, the US gave up some of its intervention rights. The American republics agreed to a policy of nonintervention toward one another & to collaborate on responses to disagreements. Lamas, however, clashed with Hull when the US attempted to form a block of nations opposed to European fascism. Unlike the isolationist US, Argentina had crafted a foreign & economic policy tied to Europe. The nations reached no agreement on the American initiative." /// Preceeded by Cordell Hull's famously saying, "Peace must be our passion," in Rio-de-Janeiro (Brazil) on November 19, 1936.

T I M E

April 17, 1933 - Time Magazine.

T I M E

December 6, 1936 - Time Magazine.

L I F E

October 2, 1939 - Life Magazine.

T I M E

January 8, 1940 - Time Magazine.

L I F E

September 4, 1944 - Life Magazine.

P A R K

September 2, 1940 - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), Tennessee & North Carolina (USA). 814 square miles (2,108 square kilometers) divided almost equally between the two states. Only US national park created entirely from privately owned land. Dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Never called a "peace park" but meets all of the criteria of a "transfrontier conservtion area" (TFCA) as defined by the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) or of a "transboundary protected area" (TBPA) as defined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Click here for other peace parks.

September 24, 1940 - Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). "Early on, Rafael Trujillo [1891-1961] determined that the financial affairs of the DR needed to be put in order, & that included the termination of the role of the USA as the administrator of Dominican customs - a situation which had existed since 1905 - & finances — a situation that had existed since 1924. Negotiations started in 1936 & lasted four years. On September 24, 1940, Trujillo & Cordell Hull signed the Hull-Trujillo Treaty whereby the USA relinquished its control of customs & finances & the DR made arrangements to repay its debts. /// "The monument conmemorating the signing of the treaty between Hull & Trujillo is popularly called "Obelisco embra/Clutch obelisk" because of its likeness to two upright female legs. Here's a picture of both - the monument & the signing of the treaty."

B U S T

1943 - Bronze bust of Cordell Hull, Organization of American States (OAS), Virginia Avnue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). Modelled from life in his 72th year. Inscription: "CORDELL HULL, 1874-1955. LET EACH AMERICAN NATION VIE WITH THE OTHER IN THE PRACTICE OF THE POLICY OF THE GOOD NEIGHBOR. 'PEACE MUST BE OUR PASSION.'" /// Cordell Hull [1871-1955] is the longest serving US Secretary of State [1933-1944].

1945 - Bronze bust of Cordell Hull, US Senate, Washington, DC (USA). By George Conlon [1888 - 1980]. Overall measurements: Height: 28.38 inches (72.1 cm), width: 21 inches (53.3 cm) & depth: 13.63 inches (34.6 cm). "It is said that Conlon admired Cordell Hull, & records indicate that, after his return from France, the artist sought a meeting with the secretary of state to gain approval to model his portrait bust. Conlon was subsequently provided space at the Corcoran Gallery of Art for sittings with the secretary. Once the clay model was completed & Secretary Hull had announced his resignation in 1944, the Cumberland (Maryland) Evening & Sunday Times decided to honor Hull by presenting Conlon’s bust to the nation. In a joint resolution, adopted on December 4, 1944, Congress authorized the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the newspaper’s gift. The bronze bust of Cordell Hull was unveiled in the Senate Reception Room the following year."

T I M E

December 4, 1944 - Time Magazine: "For the past five weeks, with an occasional bedside visit from Franklin Roosevelt, good, grey Cordell Hull has lain abed in the Naval Hospital at Bethesda, Md., under observation & treatment for a throat ailment & exhaustion. This week, reluctantly & on his doctor's advice, Cordell Hull resigned as Secretary of State. // To Franklin Roosevelt, Cordell Hull is "Father of the United Nations," and he hoped that Cordell Hull would be able to preside when the first, triumphant UN assembly is held. // Old Fighter. In many ways, Cordell Hull's place was unique. Among his diplomatic victories he could list such achievements as the reciprocal trade agreements, the Good Neighbor policy, the 1943 Moscow Declaration and the Dumbarton Oaks agreement. The Hull failures have also been impressive. In success or failure, Mr. Hull usually preserved his native dignity. That dignity was sore beset when Franklin Roosevelt torpedoed the 1933 London Economic Conference from under him. It did not desert him (though it called to its aid some white-hot Tennessee cuss words) when Pearl Harbor caught him politely conferring with two grinning Japanese diplomats. It kept him at least outwardly calm when New Deal left-wingers shrilly accused him of appeasing Petain, Darlan, Franco & Badoglio. // The scramble for Hull's job was short, eager & one-sided. The biggest & fastest boom billowed up for OWM Boss Jimmy Byrnes. The dopesters had other names, too, especially the three "Ws" - Wallace, Winant & Welles. But most of the dopesters were wrong. // At his noon press conference, Franklin Roosevelt had no news about a successor. Three hours later, he suddenly nominated and sent to the Senate the name of platinum-topped Edward R. ("Junior") Stettinius Jr. [1900-1949], 44, acting Secretary of State. The choice was a surprise."

June 26, 1945 - War Memorial Building, United Nations Plaza, , San Francisco, California (USA). Signing of the United Nations Charter at the United Nations Conference on International Organization by 50 of the 51 original member countries. (Poland signed later). "Cordell Hull & his staff drafted the charter in mid-1943." It entered into force on October 24, 1945. The auditorium was renamed the Herbst Theatre in 1977.

N O B E L

December 10, 1945 - Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo (Norway). Awarded to Tennesseean Cordell Hull [1871-1955] who was unable to be present in Oslo for the award ceremony. "When WW-II ended in 1945, six years had already passed since the prize was last awarded. The International Committee of the Red Cross & the Red Cross organizations in Sweden & Norway were nominated for their wartime humanitarian efforts. Another nominee was American Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, primarily for his role in the planning of a new world organization, the United Nations. On November 27, 1944, the day Hull resigned from his post as US Secretary of State, former Norwegian Foreign Minister, adviser & Nobel Committee member Halvdan Koht, sent a letter to the committee containing a list of nominees: Cordell Hull, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt & Josef Stalin." Click to enlarge the left image which shows Philip Noel-Baker's nomination of Cordell Hull as written on a war ministry's letterhead.

F O U N D

1951 - Cordell Hull Foundation for International Education (CHF), 501 Fifth Avenue (Suite 307), New York City, New York (USA). "A not-for-profit organization dedicated to continuing the work of Cordell Hull. Offers programs to improve relations between the USA & other countries, primarily through educational & cultural exchange." Chartered in 1951 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, by Hull's friends & colleagues. Moved to New Orleans in 1954, back to Nashville in 1965, to New Orleans in 1967 & to New York City in 1999. Images show part of the menu of a CHF dinner in Nashville on March 1, 1957.

D E A T H

July 23, 1955 - Death of Cordell Hull, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland (USA). Hull's wife since 1917 died the year before. The couple had no children.

C R Y P T

After July 23, 1955 - Crypt of Cordell Hull, National Cathedral, Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). Inscription: "In God's everlasting flory and in memoruy of His servant CORDELL HULL 1872-1955, Secretary of State 1933-1944, faithful soldier - wise judge, p____ s_____, and his wife, ROSE FRANCES WITZ HULL, 1875-1954, his understanding p____ not by might nor by power but by My spirit saith the Lord on High." [Zech. 4:6]

L A K E

November 1973 - Cordell Dam & Hull Lake, Tennessee (US), Nashville District, US Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee (USA). "Authorized by Congress through the River & Harbor Act of 1946. Construction of the project began in May 1963 & was completed for full beneficial use in November 1973."

B L D G

Date? - Cordell Hull State Office Building, Nashville, Tennessee (USA). "A secure 17 story building located at the base of Capital Hill. Contains the offices of Attorney General & Health & Child Services."

B R I D G E

Date? - Cordell Hull Bridge, Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee (USA). Through truss bridge over Cumberland River on NFA A392. Built in 1934. Rehabilitated in 1992. Now closed to all traffic. Slated for $18 million rehab to be bid in 2011.

C O U R T

Date? - Cordell Hull, Moot Court Room, Cumberland School of Law, Birmingham, Alabama (USA). This is Hull's law school. It continues to honor him with a Cordell Hull Speaker's Forum. His portrait is at the head of the moot court room named in his honor.

M A R K E R

1976 - "United Nations Visit to Nashville" (historical marker), Nashville, Tennessee (USA). Text: "On June 7, 1976, 101 permanent representatives of the UN made a historic and unprecedented group visit to Nashville... [They] attended a forum at nearby Vanberbilt University, a special Tennessee luncheon in Centennial Park, and a special performance of the Grand Ole Opry. UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim [1918-2007] was presented the Cordell Hull Peace award [sic]... Historical Commission of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. No. 70. Erected 1976." Cordell Hull [1871-1955] received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945. President Roosevelt called Hull the "Father of the UN." Click here for monuments related to all Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Click here for monuments related to the United Nations.

M U S E U M

1997 - Cordell Hull Museum, Cordell Hull Birthplace & Museum State Park, 1300 Cordell Hull Memorial Drive, near Byrdstown, Tennessee (USA). Preserves Hull's birthplace & various personal effects Hull donated to the citizens of Pickett County, including his 1945 Nobel Peace Prize. Cordell Hull [1871-1955] was Secretary of State 1933-1944. President Roosevelt called hime the "Father of the United Nations." Click here for monuments to all Nobel Peace Prize laureates.