Choate, Joseph Hodges, 1832-1917

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1832-01-24
Death 1917-05-14
English,

Biographical notes:

Lawyer, author, and diplomat.

From the description of Joseph Hodges Choate papers, 1745-1929 (bulk 1852-1917). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79700965

Prominent New York lawyer, diplomat, and leader in humanitarian and cultural affairs.

From the description of Letter : New York, N.Y., to John H. Stephens, Chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., 1916 Apr. 3. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 34241616

Choate, a 1854 graduate of Harvard Law School, practiced law in New York City, gaining recognition for his work in the Tweed Ring prosecution and the Standard Oil antitrust case. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain (1899-1905) and as head of the American delegation to the Second Hague Conference of 1907.

From the description of Letters and telegram of Joseph H. Choate, 1882-1896. (Harvard Law School Library). WorldCat record id: 234337956

Biographical Note

1832, Jan. 24 Born, Salem, Mass. 1852 A.B., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 1854 LL.B., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 1855 1917 Practiced law with the firm of Butler, Evarts and Southmayd (later Evarts, Choate, Sherman and Leon), New York, N.Y. 1860 A.M., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass 1861 Married Caroline Dutcher Sterling 1869 1917 Founder and trustee, American Museum of Natural History, New York, N.Y. 1870 1917 Incorporator, trustee, and at times vice president, chairman of the law committee and member of the executive committee, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, N.Y. 1890 Member, commission to revise the judicial system of New York 1894 President, New York Constitutional Convention 1897 Candidate for the United States Senate 1899 1905 United States ambassador to Great Britain 1907 United States ambassador and first delegate, International Peace Conference at the Hague, Netherlands 1917, May 14 Died, New York, N.Y.

From the guide to the Joseph Hodges Choate Papers, 1745-1929, (bulk 1852-1917), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

Joseph Hodges Choate (1832-1917), a successful lawyer and diplomat, was born on January 24, 1832, in Salem, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard in 1852 followed by Harvard Law School in 1854. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1855 and then the New York bar in 1856, taking a position at the law office of Scudder and Carter in New York, New York. He then entered the firm of Butler, Evarts and Southmayd and in 1859 was admitted to the firm as a partner with its name changing to the firm of Evarts, Southmayd and Choate. In 1884, the firm changed its name again to Evarts, Choate and Beaman and became one of the leading law practices in New York. In 1871, Choate became a member of the Committee of Seventy, which was instrumental in bringing the reign of the corrupt “Boss” William M. Tweed (1823-1878) to an end. In addition, Choate also served as the president of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the New York City Bar Association.

In January 1899, Choate retired from his successful law career and was appointed United States ambassador to the United Kingdom by President William McKinley (1843-1901). Choate remained in this position until the spring of 1905 and was effective in fostering good relations between the two countries. In 1907, he was one of the United States representatives at the second Hague Peace Conference in the Netherlands. Choate was an ardent supporter of the Allies during World War I (1914-1918) and spoke publicly about the war at various speaking engagements in New York. Joseph Hodges Choate died suddenly at this home on 8 East Sixty-Third Street in New York City on May 14, 1917, after suffering a heart attack.

From the guide to the Joseph Hodges Choate letter, Choate (Joseph Hodges) letter, 1915, (Redwood Library and Athenaeum)

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Subjects:

  • Art objects
  • Art objects
  • Canals
  • Canals
  • Canals, Interoceanic
  • Charities
  • Charities
  • Collectors and collecting
  • Collectors and collecting
  • Correspondence
  • Diplomatic and consular service, American
  • Diplomatic and consular service, American
  • Eastern question (Far East)
  • Indians of North America
  • Indians of North America
  • Indians, Treatment of
  • Private libraries
  • Private libraries
  • Porcelain
  • Porcelain
  • Practice of law
  • Practice of law
  • World War, 1914-1918

Occupations:

  • Authors
  • Diplomats
  • Lawyers

Places:

  • Morocco (as recorded)
  • Great Britain (as recorded)
  • New York (State)--New York (as recorded)
  • Salem (Mass.) (as recorded)
  • France (as recorded)
  • China (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • China (as recorded)
  • Great Britain (as recorded)
  • New York (State)--New York (as recorded)
  • Alaska (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • New York (State) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Canada (as recorded)
  • France (as recorded)
  • Morocco (as recorded)
  • New York (State) (as recorded)
  • Canada (as recorded)
  • New York (State) (as recorded)
  • New York (State) (as recorded)
  • Alaska (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Central America (as recorded)

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