The Principles of Charles Evans Hughes, Secretary of State, 1921-1925, in Directing the Foreign Policy of the United States
Charles Evans Hughes has the distinction of having twice served on the Supreme Court of the United States, first as Associate Jus­tice and twenty years later as Chief Justice, His superior legal talent won for him an enviable career as corporation lawyer and the presidency of the American Bar Association. While the general public associates his name with court work as both judge and advocate, others remember Hughes as the Republican candidate who lost the Presidency of the United States in 1916 to Woodrow Wilson by a narrow margin. few are aware of his successful governorship of the State of New York; his four years of service as Secretary of State are overshadowed by his later eminence as Chief Justice. The years when Hughes served as Secretary of State were unique in the diplomatic history of the United States. The country emerged from the First World War with new status and consequent responsibilities. The United States as a world power, however, refused the leadership she had earned and rejected participation in the diplomatic system centered in the League of Nations. President Warren Harding, m office for two years, and Calvin Coolidge, who succeeded Him, had neither the vision nor the inclination to conduct foreign affairs. The responsibility devolved upon Secretary Hughes whose legal, judicial, and administrative experience ably fitted him for the position. Personal diplomacy by heads of state was not in fashion when Hughes took office in 1921. He conducted the foreign affairs of the United States in the time-accepted manner. He forged new policies, gave broadened direction to traditional doctrines, and reorganized the Department of State. An analysis of the guiding principles of Secretary Hughes in directing American foreign policy merits attention. The basic information for this study comes from the Hughes collection donated to the Library of Congress by Mrs. Charles Hughes, Jr. The daughters of Secretary Hughes, Mrs. Chauncey Waddell and Mrs. William T. Gossett, permitted the use of these papers. The Library allowed access to the papers of Hughes* associates and granted special permission for those of President Harding. I am deeply grateful for these privileges and for the rewarding opportunity of working in the Congressional Library.
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