At 73 years old (which is like 200 in 19th century years) he was way too old to adequately carry out the essential role of Secretary of State. Hell, he only took the job to avoid what would have been a rough reelection in ohio for the senate race of 1897 (points lost for running from a fight) President McKinley, who was kind enough to give him the job, was depending on Sherman to carry out much needed diplomacy with Spain after the USS Maine exploded in Havannah harbor, but guess what? The old geezer didn’t even go to a single meeting at the State Department! Who knows what he was doing, probably taking one old man nap after another. McKinley basically had to rely on the Secretary OF the Secretary of State, William Day, to run the entire department during a geopolitical crisis. The only good thing Sherman did was realize how totally useless he was and resign in disgrace only a year into the job.