Diplomatically Speaking

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries three men from Evansville were high ranking diplomates in the United States government—Secretary of State John W. Foster, Minister to China Charles Denby, Sr., and Minister to Liberia George Washington Buckner. What follows are brief looks at their professional lives. I encourage you to do further research into the lives and legacies of these three fascinating men. If you do so, you will learn more about their links to our country’s history. 

Thomas R. Lonnberg

Chief Curator & Curator of History 

JOHN WATSON FOSTER

John Watson Foster (1836-1917) of Evansville was one of the most capable diplomats to serve the United States. Foster served in countries including Mexico, Russia, and Spain. He participated in important missions including negotiations of the Bering Sea Fisheries Dispute, the Hawaiian Treaty of Annexation, and the Alaskan Boundary Dispute. Foster served as Secretary of State of the United States from 1892-1893 under President Benjamin Harrison. While in private practice in international law, Foster advised the Chinese Government regarding the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ended the Sino-Japanese War, and at the Second Hague Conference in 1907. 

Gift of Eleanor Foster Lansing

Daughter of John W. Foster

Wife of Robert Lansing, U. S. Secretary of State, 1915-1920

1928.184.0000

John W. Foster was born in a log cabin near Petersburg, Indiana in 1836.  A decade later his parents, Matthew and Eleanor Foster, moved their family to Evansville. Foster attended Safford’s Academy in Evansville, Indiana University in Bloomington, and Harvard University School of Law.

During the Civil War, Foster fought with the Union. He participated in the battles of Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, and Knoxville. On May 23, 1864, he was promoted to colonel and took command of the 136thRegiment of Indiana Volunteers. 

After the Civil War, Foster returned to Evansville and purchased an interest in the Evansville Daily Journal--a prominent Republican newspaper. He was appointed postmaster of Evansville in 1869 as a reward for his ability as a soldier in the Civil War and for his role in bringing the Republican Party to prominence in Southern Indiana. In 1872, Foster was appointed chairman of the Republican State Committee. His diligent work on behalf of the Republican Party in this election and his previous experiences led to his initial diplomatic appointment when President Ulysses S. Grant named him Minister to Mexico in 1873. His legacy includes a son-in-law and grandson who also served as United States Secretary of State. 

CHARLES DENBY, SR.

Charles Denby, Sr. (1830-1904) was a prominent Evansville attorney who served as Minister to China from 1885 to 1898. Denby remained in China through the Sino-Japanese War and four presidential administrations: Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, the second term of Cleveland, and William McKinley.  During this period, China was opened to trade, largely due to Denby’s efforts. From the knowledge he acquired during his 13 years in China, Denby wrote many volumes regarding the country and the Far East. Portions of the Asian Collection at the Evansville Museum was donated by Denby and his family.

Gift of Henry Meyer

1963.232.0037

Charles Denby, Sr. was born in Mount Joy, Virginia, on June 16, 1830. He was educated at Tom Fox Academy in Hanover County, Virginia, Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., and Virginia Military Institute, where he graduated in 1850. He also spent time in Marseilles, France, where his father was Consul General. 

Denby came to Evansville in 1853 and was employed as an editor at the Evansville Enquirernewspaper. In 1854, he was admitted to the bar and formed a partnership with Judge James Lockhart. Denby was also active in politics and served in the Indiana General Assembly in 1856 and 1857. 

During the Civil War, Denby commanded the 42nd Indiana Volunteers and 80th Indiana Volunteers.  He was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel by Governor Oliver P. Morton of Indiana.  At the battle of Perryville, Kentucky, his horse was shot out from under him, and he was wounded by a minnie ball. As a result of his physical ailments, Denby left the military in 1863. From 1863 until his appointment to China in 1885, he was one of Evansville’s leading attorneys. 

DR. GEORGE WASHINGTON BUCKNER 

Dr. George Washington Buckner (1855-1943) was the first African American appointed as a United States diplomatic representative to another country. In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Buckner as United States Minister and Counsel General to Liberia. Buckner served in Liberia at a time of growing unrest as the outbreak of World War I was impacting this neutral country. Buckner’s diplomatic career was cut short by two attacks of African fever that caused him to return to Evansville in less than two years. He subsequently resumed his medical practice. In 1991 he was named one of Indiana’s “hidden treasures”.  

Gift of Zachariah Buckner

Son of George Washington Buckner

1965.136.0000

Born a slave in Green County, Kentucky, Buckner was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1867, he enrolled in a school operated by the Freedmen’s Association in Green County. After Buckner’s family moved to Indianapolis, he attended public school in that city. He subsequently enrolled at Indiana State Normal College (Indiana State University) in Terre Haute, and following graduation, embarked upon a career in teaching.  

The death of his first wife, Estella, from tuberculosis motivated Buckner to become a doctor. He attended Eclectic Medical College in Indianapolis and graduated in 1890. Buckner was one of six African American physicians in Evansville in 1900.

 While practicing medicine, Buckner was also involved in education and was a civic activist. He was the principal of the Independence Colored School; helped create the Cherry Street YMCA for African Americans; and worked to end the practice of vote buying in the African American community. His efforts in political reform and his attempts to convince African Americans to venture beyond the Republican Party garnered the attention of Democratic Party leaders and led to his assignment in Liberia. Today, the Buckner Towers housing community in Evansville is named in his honor.