Hull, Cordell (1871-1955), an American statesman, won the 1945 Nobel Peace Prize for his peace efforts while serving as United States secretary of state from 1933 to 1944. One of his greatest achievements was making the Good Neighbor Policy between the United States and Latin American countries effective. Hull believed in free trade, and he helped negotiate trade treaties that strengthened economic ties between nations of the Western Hemisphere. The treaties helped achieve political unity in the hemisphere during World War II (1939-1945). Also during the war, Hull led the drive to create the United Nations (UN). Before he resigned in 1944, he helped complete the first plans for the UN.
Hull was born on Oct. 2, 1871, in Overton County (now Pickett County), Tennessee. He graduated from Cumberland Law School. He served in the Tennessee legislature, fought as a captain in the Spanish-American War in 1898, and was a circuit court judge in Tennessee. In 1907, Hull was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. A follower of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, Hull supported low tariffs as a basis for international economic cooperation.
Hull served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in the 1920’s. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1930. At the 1932 Democratic National Convention, he helped gain the presidential nomination for Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hull died on July 23, 1955.
