William J. Calhoun

William James Calhoun (October 5, 1848 – September 19, 1916) was an American attorney, government official, and friend of President William McKinley. A noted corporation lawyer, Calhoun wrote a report that helped persuade McKinley to enter the Spanish–American War, served as a commissioner of the Interstate Commerce Commission and later served as a special envoy to China.

Early life Calhoun was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Robert Calhoun and the former Sarah Knox. After attending public school, the boy was sent to the Poland Seminary, where he became great friends with the young William McKinley, also a student there. He was still under 18 when he was mustered out. He represented such corporations as the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and served as a director of the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him to go to Venezuela and resolve the dispute between Venezuelan President Cipriano Castro and foreign powers. Calhoun was successful in this task.

In 1909, President William Howard Taft appointed Calhoun as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to China. He served there until 1913. Present in China during the Xinhai Revolution, he arranged for President Taft to send Marines to China to protect the legation the following year. In 1913, he resigned, and returned to Chicago, where his knowledge of China made him much in demand as a trade adviser.

In early 1916, Calhoun suffered a paralyzing stroke, and he died at his home in Chicago on September 19, 1916. He was buried at Graceland Cemetery.