John W. Foster

John Foster
32nd United States Secretary of State
In office June 29, 1892 – February 23, 1893
President	Benjamin Harrison
Preceded by	James G. Blaine
Succeeded by	Walter Q. Gresham
United States Minister to Spain
In office June 16, 1883 – August 28, 1885
President	Chester A. Arthur Grover Cleveland
Preceded by	Hannibal Hamlin
Succeeded by	Jabez Curry
United States Minister to Russia
In office June 11, 1880 – August 1, 1881
President	Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield
Preceded by	Edwin W. Stoughton
Succeeded by	William H. Hunt
United States Minister to Mexico
In office June 16, 1873 – March 2, 1880
President	Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes
Preceded by	Thomas H. Nelson
Succeeded by	Philip H. Morgan
Personal details
Born	John Watson Foster (1836-03-02)March 2, 1836 Petersburg, Indiana, U.S.
Died	November 15, 1917(1917-11-15) (aged 81) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Parke McFerson ​ (m. 1859)​
Children	2
Education	Indiana University, Bloomington (BA) Harvard University (LLB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States  • Union
Branch/service	United States Army  • Union Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	American Civil War

John Watson Foster (March 2, 1836 – November 15, 1917) was an American diplomat and military officer, as well as a lawyer and journalist. His highest public office was U.S. secretary of state under Benjamin Harrison, although he also proved influential as a lawyer in technically private practice in the international relations sphere.