Hale, William Bayard

Hale, William Bayard, 1869–1924, American journalist, b. Richmond, Ind. An Episcopal minister, he served in several parishes before attaining a national reputation as a journalist. In 1900, Hale became managing editor of Cosmopolitan. He wrote (1912) the campaign biography of Woodrow Wilson and helped in the publicity campaign to elect him president. His report (1913) as confidential agent in Mexico implicated ambassador Henry Lane Wilson in the murder of Francisco Madero by Victoriano Huerta. The report influenced the president to recall Wilson and initiate a campaign to drive Huerta from Mexico. In 1915, Hale turned propaganda adviser for Germany until the United States entered World War I. His book, American Rights and British Pretensions on the Seas (1915), stirred American resentment of the British blockade. Denounced and ostracized in the United States, he lived in Europe after the war.