America’s longest-serving Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, was born on October 2, 1871, in Olympus, Overton County (now Pickett County), Tennessee. As a child, Hull attended classes at a one-room schoolhouse built by his father. An excellent speaker from a young age, Hull delivered his first public speech at the age of 16. By the time he was 19, Hull was elected chairman of the Clay County Democratic Party. Meanwhile, he also attended Cumberland School of Law, where he graduated in 1891 and was then admitted to the bar.