Brief Biography

Cordell Hull’s fifty plus years of public service significantly contributed to the transformation of Tennessee and the United States during the first half of the twentieth century and forever altered the world of international relations. He was a key actor in American politics and foreign relations during a crucial time in our country’s history. His record is truly impressive and includes service in the Tennessee House of Representatives, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as Secretary of State for President Franklin Roosevelt. He also served as a judge for Tennessee’s Fifth Judicial District and was Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He is justly regarded as the principle architect of the United Nations and was the recipient of the Noble Peace Prize.

Hull’s accolades are evidence that he transcended limitations imposed upon him by social standing, wealth, or place of birth in order to climb to the highest echelons of American politics. Despite his important role in molding the modern world, most Americans know little about Cordell Hull. Yet his career was crucial to the development of modern diplomacy. His tenure at the State Department occurred during critical years as the United States entered the world stage dealing with the rise of fascism, the emergence of Central America, World War II and the emerging effort to form a lasting peace. Hull embodied progressivism by championing a modern world economy through trade agreements and low tariffs. His commitment to internationalism led to his support of the United Nations. Indeed, President Franklin Roosevelt called Hull the “father of the United Nations”.

*Image Courtesy of The Cordell Hull Birthplace and Museum State Park,
Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved.

During his tenure of public service, Hull witnessed a period of profound change in key aspects of American history. His documents record the insight and influence of an engaged historical participant with perspective on social, economic, public policy, and political issues in the international and domestic political arenas and from a variety of platforms during the first half of the twentieth-century. Many of those issues, such as the redistribution of wealth through taxation, globalization, and the role of the U.N. are central in today's political discourse.

The accomplishments of his later career, however, often overshadow his important work in both houses of Congress. In 1907 he entered the political arena at the National level with his successful election to the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee’s Fourth District, a position he held until 1931 (except for a two year term as chairman of the Democratic National Committee).

Hull soon developed a reputation as an expert on fiscal affairs. He was a proponent of low tariffs and was subsequently selected by his party to serve on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, a position he held from 1911 until 1921. He subsequently drafted some of the most important pieces of fiscal legislation in our nation’s history. In 1913, he served as the primary author of the first Federal Income Tax Bill. In 1916, he authored the Revised Tax Act in response to a Supreme Court decision that struck down parts of the 1913 Income Tax Act. It was also during this time that Hull penned the Federal and State Inheritance Tax Law.

In 1920, the people of Tennessee, following the national trend of dumping Wilsonian Democrats in the aftermath of World War I and seeking a “return to normalcy,” did not re-elect Hull to Congress. Members of his party elected him Chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1921. He held this position until 1923 when the people of Tennessee's fourth district sent him back to Congress. He would serve in that capacity till 1930.

In 1930, Hull chose to run for one of the two Senate seats from Tennessee. Tennesseans responded by electing Hull to the United States Senate for the 1931-1937 Congressional session. His tenure in the Senate was short lived, however, as he resigned in March of 1933 upon his appointment as Secretary of State by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He held that position for nearly twelve years, longer than anyone else in our nation’s history.