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Rh York, he entered Western Reserve college, Hudson, Ohio, and was graduated in 1871. He has received the degrees of A.M. and Litt.D., from his alma mater. During his college course he worked as a reporter on the "Leader," Cleveland, Ohio. He applied for work as a printer at that office while a freshman, when in need of money; and was given reporting to do instead. His natural determination to win, gave him success, and he has remained in active newspaper work since he was seventeen.

In May, 1872, he joined the staff of "The Inter-Ocean," and was on the force of that paper sixteen years — being editor-in-chief from 1880-1884, inclusive. In 1887 he joined the staff of the Chicago "News," and has since continued with that paper, which, in the meantime, has changed its name, first to the Chicago "Record," and later, by consolidation, to the Chicago " Herald." He has spent most of these years as a correspondent in Washington, and in traveling about the world. He was envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the republics of Central and South America (1884-85); special envoy to the court of Spain, in 1891, bearing an invitation from the congress of the United States to the King and Queen Regent to attend the World's Columbian exposition; special envoy to the Vatican, bearing a request from the congress of the United States to his Holiness the Pope of Rome that the archives of the church be examined for evidence of pre-Columbian discoveries of America, in 1892; executive officer International American Conference, 1889; founder and director of the Bureau of American Republics, 1890-93; Commissioner of the United States to the Columbian exposition at Madrid, 1892; chief of the Historical and Latin American Departments, World's Columbian exposition, 1893; special commissioner to Pope Pius X. from the Louisiana Purchase exposition, 1903.

Mr. Curtis was the author of the law under which the nations of Central and South America were invited to meet in what is familiarly known as the "Pan-American Conference," Washington, 1889, and had immediate charge, under the direction of Secretary Blaine, of all the affairs of that body. He conducted the delegates on an excursion of nine thousand miles in a special train, during which they visited the principal cities of the United States. He was the actual author of the reciprocity policy of the Harrison administration, and assisted in the negotiation of treaties of reciprocity with nine