Hay, John Milton (1838-1905), was an American diplomat and statesman. He is best remembered for his Open-Door Policy in China.
In 1899, powerful European nations and Japan were trying to extend their influence over the weak Chinese Empire. Hay was United States secretary of state at that time, and he feared that the division of China would hurt American trade. He asked Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom to respect the rights of all nations to trade in China on an equal basis. This he called the Open Door Policy (see Open Door Policy ). Other Western countries and Japan joined the policy over the next few years. In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion broke out in China against Western and Japanese influence there (see Boxer Rebellion ). Because of European reaction to the rebellion, Hay went beyond the Open Door to ask the other countries to keep China undivided and independent. The nations did not give the strict promises Hay wanted, but American policy did help prevent the breakup of China.
Hay was born on Oct. 8, 1838, in Salem, Indiana. He graduated from Brown University and began practicing law in Springfield, Illinois, in 1861. When Abraham Lincoln became president in 1861, he made Hay his assistant private secretary. After Lincoln’s death in 1865, Hay served as a U.S. diplomat in Paris, Vienna, and Madrid.
In 1870, Hay became an editorial writer on the New York Tribune. For several years, he spent most of his time writing. In 1897, Hay was appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. From 1898 until his death, he served as secretary of state under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
Hay based his foreign policy on close cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom. He worked with the British in his policy toward China, in settling a dispute over the boundary between Alaska and Canada, and in preparing the way for the Panama Canal (see Hay-Pauncefote Treaty ). Hay and American writer John G. Nicolay coauthored the 10-volume Abraham Lincoln: A History (1886-1890). Hay also wrote poems, fiction, and essays. He died on July 1, 1905.
