The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page

by Burton J. Hendrick, Walter Hines Page

Volume One of a Three Volume Set In three vast and illustrated volumes, written by Burton J. Hendrick, this set is considered by many to be the definitive work on the life and labors of one of America's premier diplomats and a pioneer in publishing. Walter Hines Page (1855-1918) was an editor, publisher and diplomat, born in Cary, N.C. As editor of the Atlantic Monthly (1895-98), he added a political dimension to its coverage, boosting its popularity and prestige. In January 1900 he and Frank N. Doubleday founded the publishing house of Doubleday, Page and Company (afterward Doubleday and Company, Inc.) and the magazine The World's Work, which he edited until 1913. In 1911 Page was one of the first to propose Woodrow Wilson as a presidential candidate. One of Wilson's first acts after his inauguration in March 1913 was to appoint Page ambassador to Great Britain. Page served during a crucial period as U.S. ambassador to Britain (1913-18). During World War I, he worked strenuously to maintain close relations between the two countries while the United States remained neutral and who, from an early stage of the war, urged U.S. intervention on an unwilling President Woodrow Wilson. Page was largely responsible for the repeal of an U.S. Panama Canal toll schedule that the British considered discriminatory. When a German submarine sank the British steamship Lusitania (May 7, 1915), with the loss of more than 100 American lives, Page called for an U.S. declaration of war. He insisted then and later that U.S. intervention at that time would have resulted in a swift victory for the Allies. In April 1917, when Wilson did ask Congress to declare war on Germany, he used the arguments that Page had been using for two and a half years. Always in precarious health and further weakened by his labors as ambassador, Page became so ill in August 1918 that Wilson accepted his retirement. Page died shortly after returning home.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

Associate editor of World's Work 1913-27. Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner: in American History for the co-written A Victory at Sea (1920) and in American Biography for the first volume of The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page (1922) and The Training of an American (1928).

Reviews

[William Whalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who the (insert preferred expletive) is Walter H. Page? I asked this very question upon beginning the 1921 Pulitzer winning biography. Aside from founding Doubleday books, Page's claim to fame was his role as U.s. ambassador to Britain during WWi. This makes for a truly insightful look at the Great War from within the government as we see the letters written back to the U.S. about the situation in England. Well worth reading for anyone interested in diplomacy and/or the WWI.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Very interesting bio of someone I had never heard of. Tedious and aged narrative at times but recommend regardless. Especially of interest is his role as Ambassador to England during WWII.