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George Bancroft: United States
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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. During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1845. Among his best-known writings is the magisterial series, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent.
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A graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, 6'2," 195-pound George Bancroft briefly served in the Navy before entering show business as a theater manager. He worked in a minstrel show for a time then tried his luck (which turned out to be very good indeed) on Broadway. In 1921, he...Read More
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George Bancroft received his early education at Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and entered Harvard College at the age of 13. After graduation he pursued post-graduate theological studies in Germany, earning a Ph.D. there before returning to the United States in 1822.
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Bancroft was born on Oct. 3, 1800, in Worcester, Mass., and was educated at Harvard University and the University of Göttingen, where he prepared for the ministry. From 1823 to 1831 he was a teacher at Round Hill School, a preparatory school that he helped to establish, in Northampton, Mass. He then moved to Springfield, Mass., where he began his career as a historian. In 1834 he completed the first volume of History of the United States, his most important work, nine additional volumes of which appeared during the next 40 years. Meanwhile Bancroft had become prominent in Democratic party circles in Massachusetts, and in 1838 President Martin Van Buren appointed him collector of the Port of Boston, a position he held until 1841. In 1844 he was an unsuccessful candidate on the Democratic ticket for the governorship of Massachusetts. He was appointed secretary of the navy by President James Polk in 1845; his most notable achievement in that office was the establishment of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. He became U.S. minister to Great Britain in 1846, serving until 1849.
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Bancroft, keenly interested in American history, published An Essay on the Life of George Washington, Commander in Chief of the American Army, through the Revolutionary War; and the First President of the United States in 1807. Five years later, he was one of the incorporators of the American Antiquarian Society, of which he remained a member for the rest of his life. Many of his sermons published during his lifetime are preserved in the manuscript collections at the Society.(1) In later years, Bancroft was described by Massachusetts Governor Levi Lincoln (1782-1868) as a man 'of spare and slight habit but of elastic and firm step, his manners and personal address courteous and affable and his general appearance and bearing that of the accomplished gentleman of the old school. The slightness of his figure was made more apparent by the style of his dress, he having continued throughout his life to wear the knee-breeches and hose.(2)
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Bancroft was born on October 3, 1800, in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was educated at Harvard University and the University of Göttingen, where he prepared for the ministry. From 1823 to 1831 he was a teacher at Round Hill School, a preparatory school that he helped to establish, in Northampton, Massachusetts. He then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he began his career as a historian. In 1834 he completed the first volume of History of the United States, his most important work, nine additional volumes of which appeared during the next 40 years. Meanwhile Bancroft had become prominent in Democratic Party circles in Massachusetts, and in 1838 President Martin Van Buren appointed him collector of the Port of Boston, a position he held until 1841. In 1844 he was an unsuccessful candidate on the Democratic ticket for the governorship of Massachusetts.
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