Lansing, Robert (1864-1928), served as United States secretary of state under President Woodrow Wilson from 1915 to 1920. He dealt with difficult problems resulting from World War I and attended the Peace Conference held at Versailles, France, as one of the five U.S. delegates in 1919 (see Versailles, Treaty of ).
Lansing was a specialist in international law before becoming secretary of state. He was a lawyer for the U.S. government in disputes over the Alaskan boundary and the North Atlantic fisheries. He wrote several books on international law and on the Versailles peace negotiations. Lansing was born on Oct. 17, 1864, in Watertown, New York. He studied at Amherst College. Lansing began his legal practice in 1889 in Watertown. He died on Oct. 20, 1928.
