Walter Hines Page

Walter Hines Page (August 15, 1855 – December 21, 1918) was an American journalist, publisher, and diplomat. He was the United States ambassador to Great Britain during World War I. After World War I broke out in 1914 Page was so enthusiastically in favor of Britain during the period of American neutrality (before April 1917) that Wilson and other top officials increasingly discounted his views. Page was instrumental in negotiating the sale of American war materials, including munitions, food and supplies, to the British, helping to ensure that it had the resources it needed to continue the fight against Germany.

Page made important contributions to the fields of journalism and literature. He founded the State Chronicle, a newspaper in Raleigh, North Carolina, and worked with other leaders to gain legislative approval for what is now known as North Carolina State University, which was established as a land-grant college in 1885. He worked on several newspapers, including the New York World and Evening Post, served as the editor of the Atlantic Monthly for a year between 1895 and 1896, and he also played a major role in establishing Doubleday, Page & Company, a prominent publishing house that produced the works of numerous well-known authors such as Rudyard Kipling and Henry James. In addition Page was a literary critic who actively promoted the works of Southern writers, and he played a crucial part in shaping the development of Southern literature.