Knox won re-election to the Senate in 1905 and unsuccessfully sought the 1908 Republican presidential nomination . In 1909 , President William Howard Taft appointed Knox to the position of United States Secretary of State . From that post , Knox reorganized the State Department and pursued dollar diplomacy , which focused on encouraging and protecting U.S. investments abroad . Knox returned to private practice in 1913 after Taft lost re-election . He won election to the Senate in 1916 and played a role in the Senate 's rejection of the Treaty of Versailles . Knox was widely seen as a potential compromise candidate at the 1920 Republican National Convention , but the party 's presidential nomination instead went to Warren G. Harding . While still serving in the Senate , Knox died in October 1921
1920 Republican National Convention
1920 Republican National Convention
Philander C. Knox