Josephus Daniels

Josephus Daniels (1862-1948), American editor, publisher, and statesman, born in Washington, North Carolina. He studied law at the University of North Carolina. In 1885 he became editor of the State Chronicle, a daily newspaper in Raleigh. Nine years later, he founded the Raleigh News and Observer, of which he was editor and publisher until his death. Long prominent in the affairs of the Democratic party, he was appointed (1913) secretary of the navy by President Woodrow Wilson, holding the position until 1921. Criticized as a pacifist, Daniels nevertheless effectively expanded the U.S. naval forces in World War I. From 1933 to 1941, he was ambassador to Mexico, where he improved relations despite Mexico's seizure of American oil and agricultural properties. His works include Life of Worth Bagley (1898), Our Navy at War (1922), and Life of Woodrow Wilson (1924). He also edited In Politics (1940) and The Wilson Era (1944).