William Franklin Knox was an American newspaper editor and publisher. He was also the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936, and Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt during most of World War II. Knox was mentioned by name in Adolf Hitler's speech of December 11, 1941, in which Hitler asked for a German declaration of war against the United States.
Background
William Franklin Knox was born on January 1, 1874 in Boston, Massachussetts. His parents were both Canadian: his mother, Sarah C. (Barnard), was from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and his father, William Edwin Knox, was from New Brunswick. When he was nine, his family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where his father ran a grocery store.
Education
Knox studied at Alma College in Michigan, and in 1898 joined the First U. S. Volunteer Cavalry (the Rough Riders), serving with it in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
Career
In 1901 Knox became publisher of the Sault Sainte Marie News, a position that he retained until 1912. In that year he joined the "Bull Moose" movement and supported Theodore Roosevelt for the presidency. He bought the Manchester (New Hampshire) Leader in 1912, merged it with the Manchester Union, and published it until his death. He served in France in World War I as a major in the field artillery.
At the end of the war he resumed his newspaper publishing and entered politics, acting as chairman of the New Hampshire delegation to the Republican National Convention in 1920. In 1927 Knox became general manager of the Hearst publications, at the same time serving as publisher of Hearst's Boston American. In 1931 he severed his Hearst connection to become publisher of the Chicago Daily News, retaining control of that publication until his death. In 1936 Knox was nominated for vice-president on the Republican national ticket, running unsuccessfully with Alfred M. Landon. To give his administration a bipartisan character at a time of great international stress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on July 11, 1940, appointed Frank Knox secretary of the Navy. Knox accepted the appointment as a Republican and served in that position through much of World War II, until his death. Knox died at Washington, D. C., on April 28, 1944.