Bainbridge Colby was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 22, 1869. He graduated from Williams College, then attended Columbia Law School and New York Law School. He was admitted to the New York bar, and served as a member of the New York State Assembly1901–1902. He spoke at the Colby College commencement on June 19, 1933, at which time he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Colby was married twice. His first wife was Nathalie Sedgwick, who became a novelist; they were married in 1895 and had three children. Colby decided to divorce his wife while he was in Paris in 1928. The divorce was finalized in Reno, Nevada later that year. The marriage apparently was very contentious and Colby felt the need to include in his divorce decree a monthly payment of $1,500.00 to stop Nathalie from "ridiculing him in her writings". Less than a year later, he married Anne Ahlstrand Ely, who was politically engaged in many of the same issues as Colby, such as women's suffrage. When Bainbridge Colby died in 1950, his widow donated much memorabilia to the local library; it eventually found a home at the Library of Congress. She never remarried and died in 1963.
Wilson appointed him Secretary of State on March 23, 1920, after firing his predecessor, Robert Lansing for insubordination. Wilson's appointment of Colby was "bizarre" says historian John Milton Cooper, for Colby had no diplomatic experience or skills. Editorial responses from leading newspapers ranged "from puzzlement to outrage." Colby was chosen because he was totally loyal to Wilson. On August 26, eight days after ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, Colby issued the official proclamation that it had become a part of the Constitution of the United States, guaranteeing women the right to vote. In December 1920, Colby embarked on the battleship for an official goodwill cruise to South America. His goodwill trip set the stage for the transition to a "Good Neighbor" policy. Colby advocated his policies firmly even as Wilson suffered the debilitating side effects of a series of strokes. Colby supported the League of Nations and established a precedent for not recognizing newly-Communist Russia; that would be reversed in 1933. In a major statement in 1920, Colby declared: He served until Wilson left office on March 4, 1921. The Library of Congress maintains a collection of Colby’s documents.
Lawyers
After leaving office as secretary of state, Colby continued to practice law for the remainder of his career. As an attorney, Colby accepted Woodrow Wilson as a partner after the latter's presidency; Colby left that firm in 1923. Earlier in his career, Colby's most notable client was Mark Twain. At the time of his death, Colby was the last surviving member of the Wilson Cabinet.
