Cordell Hull
The quiet Tennessee lawyer who shaped modern global trade and built the framework for the United Nations.
1871–1955 (age 84)·American politician and diplomat·Birthday: October 2·The Gilded Age
Biography
Cordell Hull served as Franklin D. Roosevelt's secretary of state for nearly twelve years, a record of endurance that spanned the Great Depression and most of World War II. A folksy yet shrewd operator from the Tennessee hills, Hull brought a lawyer's precision and a deep-seated belief in economic diplomacy to the world stage. His signature achievement was the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934, which empowered the president to slash tariffs and which he saw as a tool to foster peace through interconnected prosperity. During the war, his department became the nerve center for planning a postwar world, with Hull a relentless advocate for a new international organization to maintain peace. Though often overshadowed by Roosevelt's more charismatic style, Hull's steady, persistent work laid the essential groundwork for what became the United Nations. His efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945, a recognition of his vision for a world governed by law and cooperation rather than brute force. He resigned due to ill health in 1944, having shaped American foreign policy during its most transformative modern era.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Cordell was born in 1871, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cordell Was Born
The biggest hits of 1871
Cordell's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1871Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1876Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1884Became a teenager
President: Chester A. Arthur
1887Could drive
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Could vote
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1892Turned 21
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 30
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 40
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 50
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 60
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1941Turned 70
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1951Turned 80
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1955Died at 84
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
Key Achievements
- Served as U.S. Secretary of State for a record 11 years under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- Architected the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act, a cornerstone of 20th-century U.S. trade policy.
- Was a primary architect and advocate for the creation of the United Nations.
- Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 for his pivotal role in establishing the UN.
Did You Know?
He was known as the 'Father of the United Nations.'
He represented Tennessee in Congress for over two decades before becoming Secretary of State.
He is the longest-serving Secretary of State in American history.
He helped found the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
“When we begin to think and speak in terms of the welfare of the world as a whole, a new light begins to shine.”
