John George Nicolay (February 26, 1832 - September 26, 1901) was a German-born American author and diplomat who worked as President Abraham Lincoln's private secretary and later co-authored the biography Abraham Lincoln: A History. He belonged to the Nicolay family's German branch. Johann Georg Nicolai was born in Essingen, Kingdom of Bavaria. He moved to the United States with his father in 1838 and attended school in Cincinnati, Ohio. ohn Milton Hay (October 8, 1838 - July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official who served in government for nearly 50 years. He began as a private secretary and aide to Abraham Lincoln before becoming a diplomat. He was Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Hay was also a Lincoln biographer who published poetry and other works throughout his life. Hay, who was born in Salem, Indiana to an anti-slavery family who later migrated to Warsaw, Illinois, showed tremendous promise from an early age and was sent to Brown University by his family. After graduating in 1858, Hay studied law in his uncle's practice in Springfield, Illinois, next to Lincoln's. Hay worked on Lincoln's successful presidential campaign and later became one of his White House private secretaries.