Frank Knox
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| William Franklin Knox | |
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| In office July 11, 1940 – April 28, 1944 |
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| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Charles Edison |
| Succeeded by | James V. Forrestal |
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| Election date November 3, 1936 |
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| Running mate | Alf Landon |
| Opponent(s) | John Nance Garner (D) |
| Incumbent | John Nance Garner (D) |
| Preceded by | Charles Curtis |
| Succeeded by | Charles L. McNary |
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| Born | January 1, 1874 Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | April 28, 1944 (aged 70) Washington, D.C., USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Annie Reed Knox |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
William Franklin "Frank" Knox (January 1, 1874 – April 28, 1944) was the Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt during most of World War II. He was also the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936.
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[edit] Biography
William Franklin Knox was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Alma College, in Michigan, where he was a founding member of the Zeta Sigma Fraternity.
He served in Cuba with the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.[1]
Following that conflict, Knox became a newspaper reporter in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the beginning of a career that grew to include the ownership of several papers.
He changed his first name to Frank around 1900. In 1912 as founding editor of New Hampshire's Manchester Leader, forerunner to the New Hampshire Union Leader, he supported Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive ticket. During World War I, Knox was an advocate of preparedness and United States participation. He served as an artillery officer in France after America entered the hostilities.
In 1930, Frank Knox became publisher and part owner of the Chicago Daily News. An active Republican, he was that party's nominee for vice president in the 1936 election, under Alf Landon. Landon and Knox were the only supporters of Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 to be later named to a Republican ticket. They lost by a landslide, winning just Maine and Vermont.
Knox, who was an internationalist and supporter of aid to Britain, became Secretary of the Navy in July 1940, as President Roosevelt strived to create bi-partisan appeal for his foreign and defense policies following the defeat of France.
As Secretary, Frank Knox followed Roosevelt's directive to expand the US Navy into a force capable of fighting in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Chief of Naval Operations Ernest J. King had full control of naval operations during the war, and often kept Knox in the dark about plans. Knox was able to block King's efforts to control procurement of war supplies, but on the whole the civilian side of naval affairs was run by Assistant Secretary James Forrestal, who was closer to Roosevelt than Knox. Secretary Knox had so much free time that after hours he ran the business affairs of his Chicago newspaper.
Following a brief series of heart attacks, Secretary Knox died in Washington, D.C. on April 28, 1944 while still in office. He was buried on May 1, 1944 in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.[2]
[edit] Posthumous honors and memorials
The Gearing-class destroyer USS Frank Knox, commissioned in December 1944, was named in his honor.[3][4] Following his death, his wife, Annie Reid Knox, established the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships, which enable students from various countries in the Commonwealth to attend Harvard University for graduate study.[1]
[edit] Family
Knox was married to Annie Reid Knox.[2] They were the parents of actress/model Elyse Knox, the mother of actor Mark Harmon, and grandmother of musicians Matthew and Gunnar Nelson.
[edit] Quotation
Knox is well known for his public comments on the German massacre of civilians in the Czech village of Lidice in June 1942 following the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich: "If future generations ask us what we are fighting for [in World War Two], we shall tell them the story of Lidice."[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Department of the Navy.
- Frank Knox (1874-1944) — 46th Secretary of the Navy, 11 July 1940 - 28 April 1944. Online Library of Selected Images. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
- USS Frank Knox (DD-742, later DDR-742 and DD-742), 1944-1971. USN Ships. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
- Who was Frank Knox?. The Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships. Harvard University. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
- William Franklin "Frank" Knox — Major, United States Army; Secretary of the Navy; Newspaper Publisher. Arlington National Cemetery website. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Charles Curtis |
Republican Party vice presidential candidate 1936 (lost) |
Succeeded by Charles L. McNary |
| Preceded by Claude A. Swanson |
United States Secretary of the Navy 1940 – 1944 |
Succeeded by James V. Forrestal |
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