Works in the Collection      Manuscript Materials      Biographies      Other Resources

John Hay, poet and politician, was born in Indiana. Educated in law, he came to Washington in 1861 to serve as personal secretary to President Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, Hay served as Linclon's adjutant and aide-de-camp. He was brevetted Colonel for this and other military service. Later, Hay served in diplomatic posts in France, Austria, and Spain. Hay served as Secretary of State from 1898 until his death in 1905. Among his achievements in that post was the drafting of the OPen Door policy. Among Hay's notable literary works are a collection of poems, Pike County Ballads, and a biography of his friend Lincoln which he co-authored with J. G. Nicolay.

Works in the EAF Collection

"The Blood Seedling" from Not Pretty, but Precious (1872) (Restricted)

EAF Manuscript Materials

Manuscript: Questionnaire with autobiographical data

Document: Proclamation by Theodore Roosevelt upon Hay's death

Letter: Hay to Cunningham (June 20, 1876)

Photo: Hay as Ambassador to Great Britain

Photo: Hay as Secretary of State

Contemporary Biographies

From Oscar Fay Adams, A Dictionary of American Authors (1901)

From Samuel Austin Allibone, A Critical Dictionary of English Literature (1900)

Other Resources

Guides to John Hay manuscript holdings from UVA Special Collections :

Hay, John, Papers of: #7053

Hay, John, Papers of: #7053-a

Hay, John, Papers of: #7053-b