Hurley, Patrick J.

Hurley, Patrick J. (Jay)

(1883–1963) lawyer, diplomat; born in Choctaw Nation territory (near present-day Lehigh, Okla.). Of Irish descent, he became a millionaire through his law practice and real estate investments. As secretary of war (1929–33) he dealt severely with rioting U.S. war veterans and with the Philippine independence movement. He negotiated a settlement of claims between Sinclair Oil Company and Mexico (1940) and was ambassador to China (1944–45). He became a crusading anticommunist and attacked President Truman's China Policy.