The Fosters: Three Generations of Secretaries of State
One of the more politically prominent residents of Dupont Circle was John Watson Foster. Foster was born in Petersburg, Indiana in 1836. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he served in the Civil War under both Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William Sherman, entering the army as a major and eventually rising to the rank of general. After the war, Foster returned to Indiana and became editor of the Evansville Daily Journal.
During his second term as president and in gratitude for his political support, Grant launched Foster on a life-long diplomatic career with an appointment as Minister to Mexico in 1873 and again in 1880. President James A. Garfield then appointed Foster Minister to Russia, a post he held for only a year. After a brief return to private law practice, President Chester A. Arthur appointed Foster Minister to Spain, where he served until 1885, whereupon he returned to private practice and served as counsel representing foreig…
