Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
John W. Foster
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Foster, John W.
Read Next
The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.
14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered
Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.
U.S. Death Toll During Major Events
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
President's bingo. Guess and select to correct president based on images.
Britannica’s U.S. Presidents Bingo
Discover
Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.
Why Is It Called Black Friday?
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls
Pro and Con: School Uniforms
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Foster, John W.
Foster, John W. John W. Foster.

John W. Foster

American diplomat
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-W-Foster
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Also known as: John Watson Foster
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Quick Facts
In full:
John Watson Foster
Born:
March 2, 1836, Pike county, Indiana, U.S.
Died:
November 15, 1917, Washington, D.C.
Also Known As:
John Watson Foster
See all related content

John W. Foster (born March 2, 1836, Pike county, Indiana, U.S.—died November 15, 1917, Washington, D.C.) was a diplomat and U.S. secretary of state (1892–93) who negotiated an ill-fated treaty for the annexation of Hawaii.

After service in the Union army during the Civil War, Foster, a lawyer and newspaper editor in Evansville, Indiana, was active in state Republican affairs. He served as minister to Mexico (1873–80), minister to Russia (1880–81), and minister to Spain (1883–85).

Appointed secretary of state by President Benjamin Harrison in 1892, Foster tacitly encouraged American interests in Hawaii in their revolt against Queen Liliuokalani and negotiated a treaty (1893) for the annexation of Hawaii (which, at the urging of his successor, Secretary of State Walter Quinton Gresham, was withdrawn from Senate consideration by the newly installed administration of President Grover Cleveland). Foster resigned in early 1893 in order to represent the United States in the Bering Sea controversy before an arbitration tribunal at Paris.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.