 Harrison had developed his foreign policy based largely on Blaine 's ideas , and at the start of his term , Harrison and Blaine had very similar views on the United States ' place in the world . In spite of their shared worldview , however , the two men became personally unfriendly as the term went on . Harrison was conscious that his Secretary of State was more popular than he , and while he admired Blaine 's gift for diplomacy , he grew displeased with Blaine 's frequent absence from his post because of illness , and suspected that Blaine was angling for the presidential nomination in 1892 . Harrison tried to limit how many " Blaine men " filled subordinate positions in the State Department and denied Blaine 's request that his son , Walker , be appointed First Assistant Secretary , instead naming him Solicitor of the Department of State . Despite the growing personal rancor , the two men continued , with one exception , to agree on the foreign policy questions of the day . 
