Death of Cotton

Three months ago Undersecretary of State Joseph Potter Cotton, No. i man in the Hoover sub-Cabinet, entered Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treat-ment of a nervous ailment. In January surgeons removed a tumor from his spine. Fortnight later a general toxemia developed. His right eye was cut out. A third operation opened his leg to relieve the infection. He failed to improve. One night last week, Secretary of State Stimson was informed that Mr. Cotton could not live much longer. He sped from Washington to Baltimore, spent a midnight half-hour at the bedside of his good friend. It was their last meeting for late the next afternoon Death came quietly to the Undersecretary of State.

Aged 55, "Joe" Cotton, a Harvard man, had won great renown as a corporation lawyer in Manhattan when he specialized in organizations (Radio Corp., International Harvester Co.) and reorganizations (N. Y. Rys. Corp.; Childs Restaurants; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; Dodge- Chrysler; Goodyear Tire & Rubber). During the War as head of the meat division of the Food Administration under Herbert Hoover he controlled the "biggest packing trust in the world." In May 1929 the President picked him as one of his "new patriots" who would sacrifice a $100,000 per year private practice for a $10,000 per year Federal job, made him Undersecretary of State. He ran the State Department when Statesman Stimson was away at the London Naval Conference, continued thereafter to exert a dominant influence upon its affairs.

Quick-witted, capable, industrious, ironic, "Joe" Cotton preferred informality to diplomatic pomp. He smoked an old corncob pipe, cocked his feet up on his desk, "cut" dull official ceremonies, eschewed a silk hat. He had a forthright manner of cutting through diplomatic cir- cumlocution, which at first startled and later delighted foreign envoys in Washington. Once asked why he did not play medicine ball with the President, he replied: "Because it wasn't in the contract for my job."

Official Washington sincerely mourned his death. The State Department was closed for a half-day as a mark of respect. President Hoover paid this tribute: "... A great loss to the Government and to our country. He was my friend for over 20 years. He has given much of his life to public service and had never refused a demand of the public interest. His abilities, his character, his devotion to the highest of purposes made him a great citizen."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.