George Bancroft
George Bancroft | |
|---|---|
Bancroft c. 1860 | |
| United States Minister to Germany | |
| In office May 10, 1871 – June 30, 1874 | |
| President | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Himself (Minister to Prussia) |
| Succeeded by | Bancroft Davis |
| United States Minister to Prussia | |
| In office August 28, 1867 – May 10, 1871 | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Joseph A. Wright |
| Succeeded by | Himself (Minister to Germany) |
| 17th United States Minister to the United Kingdom | |
| In office November 12, 1846 – August 31, 1849 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Louis McLane |
| Succeeded by | Abbott Lawrence |
| 17th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office March 11, 1845 – September 9, 1846 | |
| President | James K. Polk |
| Preceded by | John Y. Mason |
| Succeeded by | John Y. Mason |
| 5th Collector of the Port of Boston | |
| In office 1837–1841 | |
| Appointed by | Martin Van Buren |
| Preceded by | David Henshaw |
| Succeeded by | Levi Lincoln Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 3, 1800 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | January 17, 1891 (aged 90) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
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| Education | |
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.