Frank Knox
A Republican newspaper magnate who put party aside to serve FDR, mobilizing the U.S. Navy into a global force that won a world war.
1874–1944 (age 70)·47th Secretary of the Navy of the United States·Birthday: January 1·The Gilded Age
Biography
Frank Knox's career was a study in American contrasts: a Rough Rider with Teddy Roosevelt, a fierce critic of the New Deal, and finally, the man Franklin Roosevelt tasked with building a two-ocean navy. A self-made newspaper publisher from Michigan, Knox was a lifelong Republican who believed in vigorous nationalism. After serving as the GOP's vice-presidential nominee in 1936, he seemed a permanent opposition figure. Yet as war clouds gathered, FDR performed a masterstroke of unity, appointing Knox Secretary of the Navy in 1940. The Democrat and the Republican formed an effective, if unlikely, partnership. Knox threw himself into the colossal task of naval expansion, overseeing the construction of thousands of ships and the mobilization of millions of sailors. He managed the Navy's response to the disaster at Pearl Harbor and championed the carrier groups and amphibious forces that turned the tide in the Pacific and Atlantic. He died in office, having helped transform the U.S. fleet into the most powerful maritime force in history.
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.
Frank was born in 1874, 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 Frank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1874
Frank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1874Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Started school
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1887Became a teenager
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Could drive
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1892Could vote
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Turned 21
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1904Turned 30
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1914Turned 40
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Turned 50
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1934Turned 60
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1944Turned 70
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
Key Achievements
- Served as Secretary of the Navy throughout most of World War II, overseeing its unprecedented expansion and mobilization.
- Was the Republican nominee for Vice President in 1936, running alongside Alf Landon against Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- Served as a Rough Rider in Theodore Roosevelt's famous 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish-American War.
- Built a major newspaper chain, owning publications like the Chicago Daily News.
Did You Know?
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his World War I service as an artillery officer in France.
The USS Frank Knox, a destroyer, was named in his honor.
Despite his political differences with FDR, he was a strong advocate for military preparedness and supported the Lend-Lease Act.
“A navy must be built in peacetime to be ready for war.”
