George Bancroft
17th United States Secretary of the Navy
In office March 11, 1845 – September 9, 1846
Preceded by	John Y. Mason
Succeeded by	John Y. Mason
Born	October 3, 1800(1800-10-03) Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	January 17, 1891 (aged 90) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sarah Dwight Elizabeth Davis Bliss
Profession	Politician, Writer

George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian and statesman who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state and at the national level. George Bancroft ( September 30, 1882 - October 2, 1956) was an American actor The United States Secretary of the Navy ( SECNAV) is the Civilian head of the Department of the Navy. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian For the game see 1846 (board game. Year 1846 ( MDCCCXLVI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display John Young Mason ( April 18, 1799 &ndash October 3, 1859) was an American politician and diplomat John Young Mason ( April 18, 1799 &ndash October 3, 1859) was an American politician and diplomat Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday. Worcester (ˈwʊstɚ is a City in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 1891 ( MDCCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 1891 ( MDCCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it A statesman or stateswoman or statesperson is usually a Politician or other notable figure of State who has had a long and respected career in Australia See also Education During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1845. The United States Secretary of the Navy ( SECNAV) is the Civilian head of the Department of the Navy. The United States Naval Academy is an undergraduate college in Annapolis, Maryland, United States that educates and commissions officers of the United States Annapolis is the capital of the US state of Maryland, as well as the County seat of Anne Arundel County. Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Among his best-known writings is the magisterial series, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent.

Early life and education

His family had been in Massachusetts Bay since 1632, and his father, Aaron Bancroft, was distinguished as a revolutionary soldier, a leading Unitarian clergyman^[1] and author of a popular life of George Washington. Massachusetts Bay is one of the large bays of the Atlantic Ocean that form the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U Aaron Bancroft ( 10 November, 1755 - 19 August, 1839) was an American clergyman Bancroft was born in Worcester, and began his education at Phillips Exeter Academy and entered Harvard College at thirteen years of age. Phillips Exeter Academy (also called Exeter, Phillips Exeter or PEA) is a Co-educational independent Boarding school for grades 9–12 Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a Private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts Abroad, he studied at Heidelberg, Göttingen and Berlin. Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2006 over 140000 people live within the city's area Göttingen ( ˈgœtɪŋən, Low German: Chöttingen is a College town in Lower Saxony, Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. At Göttingen he studied Plato with Arnold Heeren, New Testament Greek with Albert Eichhorn and natural science with Johann Friedrich Blumenbach. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren ( October 25, 1760 – March 6, 1842) was a German Historian. Koine Greek (Κοινὴ Ἑλληνική, "common Greek" or, ciˈni ðiˈale̞kto̞s "the common dialect" is the popular form of Greek which emerged in Albert Eichhorn (Karl Albert August Ludwig Eichhorn 1 October 1856-3 August 1926 the author of Das Abendmahl im Neuen Testament was one of the founders of the discipline In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of Johann Friedrich Blumenbach ( May 11, 1752 – January 22, 1840) was a German doctor and Physiologist,

Bancroft concluded his years of preparation by a European tour, in the course of which he sought out almost every distinguished man in the world of letters, science and art; among others, Goethe, Humboldt, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Byron, Niebuhr, Bunsen, Savigny, Cousin, Constant and Manzoni. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (ˈʃlaɪɐmaxɐ ( November 21, 1768 &ndash February 12, 1834) was a German theologian Barthold Georg Niebuhr ( August 27, 1776 &ndash January 2, 1831) was a German statesman and Historian. Christian Charles Josias Baron von Bunsen ( August 25, 1791 &ndash November 28, 1860) was a German Diplomat and scholar Friedrich Carl von Savigny ( February 21, 1779 in Frankfurt am Main - 25 October, 1861 in Berlin) was one of the most respected Victor Cousin ( 28 November 1792 - 13 January 1867) was a French Philosopher. This article concerns the European writer and politician for others see Benjamin Constant (disambiguation. Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Manzoni ( March 7, 1785 May 22, 1873) was an Italian Poet and Novelist.

Bancroft's father had devoted his son to the work of the ministry; but the young man's first experiments at preaching, shortly after his return from Europe in 1822, were unsatisfactory.

Career in education and literature

His first position was that of tutor at Harvard. Instinctively a humanist, Bancroft had little patience with the narrow curriculum of Harvard in his day and the rather pedantic spirit with which classical studies were pursued there. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal Moreover, he had brought from Europe a new manner, imbued with ardent Romanticism and this he wore without ease in the formal, self-satisfied and prim provincial society of New England; the young man's European air was subjected to ridicule, but his politics were sympathetic to Jacksonian democracy. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Jacksonian Democracy refers to the political philosophy of United States President Andrew Jackson and his supporters

A little volume of poetry, translations and original pieces, published in 1823 gave its author no fame. As time passed, and custom created familiarity, his style, personal and literary, was seen to be the outward symbol of a firm resolve to preserve a philosophic calm, and of an enormous underlying energy which spent itself in labor. He found the conversational atmosphere of Cambridge uncongenial, and with a friend he established the Round Hill School at Northampton, Massachusetts. The Round Hill School for Boys in Northampton Massachusetts, founded by George Bancroft and Joseph Cogswell in 1823 though it failed as a viable venture— Northampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. This was the first serious effort made in the United States to elevate secondary education to the plane on which it belonged.

In spite of the exacting and severe routine of the Round Hill School, Bancroft contributed frequently to the North American Review and to Walsh's American Quarterly; he also made a translation of Heeren's work on The Politics of Ancient Greece. The North American Review ( NAR) was the first literary magazine in the United States. Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren ( October 25, 1760 – March 6, 1842) was a German Historian. In 1834 appeared the first volume of the History of the United States, which would appear over the next four decades (1834–74) and established his reputation. The work covers the period from the discovery of the continent to the conclusion of the Revolutionary War in 1782. His other great work is The History of the Formation of the Constitution of the United States (1882). His writing is clear and vigorous, and his facts generally accurate, but he is a good deal of a partisan.

His first wife was Sarah Dwight, of a rich family in Springfield, Massachusetts; they married in 1827 but she died in 1837 His second wife was Mrs Elizabeth Davis Bliss, a widow with two children to add to his two sons; she bore him a daughter. Springfield is a City in and the County seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States.

Career in politics

George Bancroft in his office (c. 1889)

His entry into politics came in 1837 with his appointment by Martin Van Buren as Collector of Customs of the Port of Boston. Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Martin Van Buren (December 5 1782 July 24 1862 was the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841 In 1844, he was the Republican candidate for the governorship of Massachusetts, but he was defeated. In 1845, in recognition for his support at the previous Democratic convention, he entered Polk's cabinet as Secretary of the Navy, serving until 1846, when for a month he was acting Secretary of War. James Knox Polk ( November 2 1795&ndashJune 15 1849 was the eleventh President of the United States, serving from March 4 1845 to March 4 1849 The United States Secretary of the Navy ( SECNAV) is the Civilian head of the Department of the Navy. The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration During this short period in the cabinet he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, gave the orders which led to the occupation of California, and sent Zachary Taylor into the contested land between Texas and Mexico. The United States Naval Academy is an undergraduate college in Annapolis, Maryland, United States that educates and commissions officers of the United States Annapolis is the capital of the US state of Maryland, as well as the County seat of Anne Arundel County. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Zachary Taylor (November 24 1784 &ndash July 9 1850 was an American military leader and the twelfth President of the United States. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. He also continued his pleadings for the annexation of Texas, as extending "the area of freedom," and as a democrate, took high moral ground as to the propriety of slavery.

He likewise made himself the authority on the Oregon boundary dispute, with the result that in 1846 he was sent as Minister Plenipotentiary to London, where he lived in constant companionship with the historian Macaulay and the poet Hallam. The Oregon boundary dispute (or Oregon question) arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest of For the game see 1846 (board game. Year 1846 ( MDCCCXLVI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. With the election of Zachary Taylor his post was not renewed; on his return to the United states in 1849 he withdrew from public life, residing in New York and writing history. Zachary Taylor (November 24 1784 &ndash July 9 1850 was an American military leader and the twelfth President of the United States. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

In April of 1864, at Bancroft's request, President Lincoln wrote out what would become the fourth of five known manuscripts of the Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Gettysburg Address is a speech by US President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. Mr. Bancroft planned to include this copy in "Autograph Leaves of Our Country's Authors," which he planned to sell at a Soldiers' and Sailors' Sanitary Fair in Baltimore.

In 1866, Bancroft was chosen by Congress to deliver the special eulogy on Lincoln; and in 1867 he was appointed minister to Berlin, where he remained until his resignation in 1874. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Then he lived in Washington, D.C., summering at Rose Cliff, Newport, Rhode Island. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Rosecliff, built 1898-1902 is one of the Gilded Age Mansions ref>Newport summer houses were always referred to as "cottages" no matter how grand they were Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles (48 km south of Providence

His latest official achievements are considered the greatest. In the San Juan arbitration he displayed great versatility and skill, winning his case before the emperor with brilliant ease. The naturalization treaties, named the "Bancroft treaties" in his honor, which he negotiated successively with Prussia and the other north German states were the first international recognition of the right of expatriation, a principle since incorporated in the law of nations. The Bancroft treaties, also called the Bancroft conventions were a series of agreements between the United States and other countries that 1 recognized the right of each Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state An expatriate (in abbreviated form expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing

Several ships have been named USS Bancroft for him. Three ships of the United States Navy have been named Bancroft in honor of George Bancroft. Bancroft was the last surviving member of the Polk cabinet.

Notes

Published Works

• Bancroft, George. History of the United States of America, from the discovery of the American continent. (Boston: Little, Brown, and company, numerous editions in 8 or 10 volumes 1854-78). online edition

External links

• Obituary at New York Times site

References

• Howe, M. A. Dewolfe The Life and Letters of George Bancroft - Vol. 1 (1971 reprint)
• Wish, Harvey. The American Historian: A Social-intellectual History of the Writing of the American Past (1960) ch 5 on Bancroft
• Handlin, Lillian. George Bancroft: The Intellectual as Democrat. (New York, 1984).
• Nye, Russel B. George Bancroft, Brahmin Rebel (New York, 1944).
• Cornell University, Guide to the George Bancroft papers