Frank Knox
| Surname | Knox |
| Given Name | Frank |
| Born | 1874 |
| Died | 28 Apr 1944 |
| Country | United States |
| Category | Government |
| Gender | Male |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseWilliam Franklin Knox was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. After attending Alma College in Michigan, he served in the First Volunteer Cavalry, as known as the "Rough Riders", in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Returning to Michigan, he became a newspaper reporter. During WW1, he was an artillery officer in France. In 1930, he became part owner of the Chicago Daily News and became heavily involved in politics. In 1936, he was the vice presidential candidate for the Republican Party, though he lost the election terribly to Franklin Roosevelt of the Democratic Party. Despite being in an opposing political party, Roosevelt appoint Knox as the Secretary of the Navy in Jul 1940 for his internationalist views and for Roosevelt to gain unilateral support across political divides. Nevertheless, despite his earnest efforts in running the civilian side of the US Navy, he was often kept in the dark by both of his military and civilian colleagues. Assistant Secretary James Forrestal, for example, ran much of the department because he was closer to Roosevelt than Knox ever was. Knox had so much free time in this role despite the nation being in war that he still had time to run his newspaper in the afternoons.
ww2dbaseKnox passed away in Washington, DC after a series of heart attacks.
ww2dbaseSources: Naval Historical Center, Wikipedia.
Last Major Revision: Mar 2006
Frank Knox Interactive Map
Photographs
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Frank Knox Timeline
| 1 Jan 1874 | Frank Knox was born. |
| 11 Jul 1940 | Frank Knox took office as the US Secretary of the Navy. |
| 13 Aug 1940 | US President Franklin Roosevelt met with Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, and Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles regarding the possibilities of transferring destroyers to the United Kingdom. Later on the same day, Roosevelt sent a telegram to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill via Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles and Ambassador to London Joseph Kennedy, noting that "it may be possible to furnish to the British Government... at least 50 destroyers" in exchange for the promise of the Royal Navy never turning over its ships to the Germans even in the event of a Germany victory over the United Kingdom and for 99-year leases for land for military bases. |
| 24 Apr 1941 | In a statement, Frank Knox, the United States Secretary for the Navy, proclaimed: "We can no longer occupy the immoral and craven position of asking others to make all the sacrifices for this victory which we recognize as so essential to us." |
| 12 Dec 1941 | US Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox departed from Oahu, Hawaii after personally inspecting damages. |
| 28 Apr 1944 | Frank Knox passed away. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
26 Jul 2015 08:24:41 AM
I would like to know if my family tree goes back to Frank Knox. My family comes from Clark SD. My grandfather was Clifford Jackson Knox. Can you tell me the route the Knox family took as far as where some Knox family moved to?
23 Jul 2016 09:56:23 PM
Frank Knox''s parents came from Canada, his father from New Brunswick and his mother from Prince Edward Island. They moved to Boston and that is where William Franklin "Frank" Knox was born. Frank and his wife had no children.
3 Jul 2020 03:04:43 PM
My father was on the USS Baltimore as a machinest mate. Is it possible to find his records, he mentioned President Roosevelt was on the cruiser.
Frank Long ww2 veteran
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937
2 Apr 2006 09:36:10 PM
Searching for information on Frank Curtis. Worked for Frank Knox but not sure of position. I was told Undersecretary. I could be mistaken. Mr. Curtis commited suicide in Washington, D.C. around 1940.