Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1921-02-22 | Page 1 | Dark Horse Selected Secretary of Navy

pK HORSE SELECTED SECRETARY OF NAVY I SELECTION OF I EDWIN DENBY I BIS SURPRISE I Harding Now Has Completed Cabinet to Take Charge After March 4 NEXT NAVY SECRETARY HAS INTERESTING LIFE Detroit Lawyer Served in Navy and Marine Corps as Enlisted Man ST. AUGT'STINE. Fla., Feb. 23. f By The Associated Press). President-elect Harding completed his cab- inet late today by virtually selecting Edwin Denby. of Detroit, Mich., as secretary of the niivy. Tho choice was the first big surprise anion? the cabinet selections, Mr DgnbS s name never having appeared lu newspaper speculation about tb-s navy post. He Is an attorney and a H I former member of congress and ha.i H served as an enlisted man In wartlm i In both the navy and marine corps. CERTAIN TO ACCEPT. It is understood a formal tender and I acceptance are yet to bo exchanged. but Mr Denby is regarded by those close to Mr Harding as practically cor-tain cor-tain to take the place- H There were also growing indications todiy that the virtual selection of Herbert Hoover, of California, to be j secretary of Commerce, and James J. i Davis, of Pennsylvania, to be secre-ttary secre-ttary of labor, soon would be deflnitelv H fixed, putting the complete cabinet la H Its final form. DARK HORSI M . Mr. Denby. who was drawn Into the 'cabinet situation as a dark horse after former Governor Frank O Lowdon, of Illinois, declined to be considered for the navy portfolio, is fifty years old and has an Intimate knowledge of Far Eastern affairs in addition to his naval experience. He went to China in lSi" with his father, who served there as an American minister and later h spent icu years in too ininese man- h time customs service. SERf.E.Wr OF M RIVF.S. Returning to the United Stales In 1897. Mr. Denby served as a gunner's w) mato in the American navy during the. war With Spain and at the age of 4 7 was a sergeant in the murine corps during the world war. He was a rep-resentative rep-resentative in the fifty-ninth, sixtieth and sixty-first congresses, making a particular study of naval affairs as a member of the naval committee HOOVER DOUBTFUL. NEW YORK, Feb 22. Herbert Hoover has not been asked to become a member of President-elect Hurd- n ing's cabinet and his friends say the department of commerce offors no such field for service as tho public Institutions with which he ls now connected, said a statement Issued here today by George Barr Barker, Identified with Mr. Hoover in relit f "Mr. Hoover had' hoped," said Mr. Baker, "that as soon as the funds for child rollef were secured, he could turn some of his attention toward his own profession of engineering, as he is not ti rich man and does not feel that he can continue indefinitely to give his entire time to public service. In fact. 1 know that he has had nego-tiatlons nego-tiatlons to this ehd "