Patrick J. Hurley

First published in 1956, this is the biography of Patrick Jay Hurley (1883-1963), a highly decorated American soldier, statesman, and diplomat who served as the U.S. Secretary of War (1929-1933), President Roosevelt’s personal representative in the Near and Middle East (1943), and U.S. ambassador to China (1944-1945). It details the historic events with which Major-General Hurley came in contact; the absorption of the American Indian; the civilizing of the frontier; the Great Depression; the industrialization of the American nation; the Second World War; and, ultimately, his entrance into the contest for world power.

A fascinating read.

“The life of Patrick J. Hurley is the story of America, the land of opportunity. From the coal fields of the frontier land of Indian Territory, to a foremost place in the cabinet of the President of the United States, to a position as trusted confidant and personal diplomatic representative of the Commander-in-Chief—in his life is brought to fulfillment the American dream that integrity and ability, fortified by hard work and ambition, will receive rewards that no bond of poverty or class can nullify.”—Prologue