John W. Foster

John Foster
32nd United States Secretary of State
In office
June 29, 1892 – February 23, 1893
PresidentBenjamin Harrison
Preceded byJames G. Blaine
Succeeded byWalter Q. Gresham
United States Minister to Spain
In office
June 16, 1883 – August 28, 1885
PresidentChester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland
Preceded byHannibal Hamlin
Succeeded byJabez Curry
United States Minister to Russia
In office
June 11, 1880 – August 1, 1881
PresidentRutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield
Preceded byEdwin W. Stoughton
Succeeded byWilliam H. Hunt
United States Minister to Mexico
In office
June 16, 1873 – March 2, 1880
PresidentUlysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
Preceded byThomas H. Nelson
Succeeded byPhilip H. Morgan
Personal details
Born
John Watson Foster

(1836-03-02)March 2, 1836
Petersburg, Indiana, U.S.
DiedNovember 15, 1917(1917-11-15) (aged 81)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
(m. 1859)
Children2
EducationIndiana University Bloomington (BA)
Harvard University (LLB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
 • Union
Branch/service United States Army
 • Union Army
Years of service1861–1865
Rank Colonel
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

John Watson Foster (March 2, 1836 – November 15, 1917) was an American diplomat and military officer, as well as a lawyer and journalist. His highest public office was U.S. secretary of state under Benjamin Harrison, although he also proved influential as a lawyer in technically private practice in the international relations sphere.