Sir Francis Walsingham, Secretary of State to Elizabeth I, late 16th century. English statesman Walsingham (1530-1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I from 1573 until th eyear of his death. He was a skilled diplomat whose knowledge of languages and capacity to organize espionage activities made him invaluable in the execution of Elizabeth's foreign policy. From Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain by Edmund Lodge, London, 1840.