George Bancroft

George Bancroft
Bancroft c. 1860
United States Minister to Germany[a]
In office
August 28, 1867 (1867-08-28) – June 30, 1874 (1874-06-30)
President
Preceded byJoseph A. Wright
Succeeded byBancroft Davis
United States Minister to the United Kingdom
In office
November 12, 1846 (1846-11-12) – August 31, 1849 (1849-08-31)
MonarchVictoria
President
Preceded byLouis McLane
Succeeded byAbbott Lawrence
17th United States Secretary of the Navy
In office
March 11, 1845 (1845-03-11) – September 9, 1846 (1846-09-09)
PresidentJames K. Polk
Preceded byJohn Y. Mason
Succeeded byJohn Y. Mason
Personal details
Born(1800-10-03)October 3, 1800
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJanuary 17, 1891(1891-01-17) (aged 90)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Sarah Dwight
    (m. 1827; died 1837)
  • Elizabeth Davis Bliss
Education
Bancroft's bookplate and signature. "Eis phaos" is Greek for "Towards the Light".

George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts and at the national and international levels.

During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He was a senior American diplomat in Europe, leading diplomatic missions to Britain and Germany. 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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