George Perkins Marsh
George Perkins Marsh | |
|---|---|
Marsh, 1855–1865 | |
| 1st United States Minister to Italy | |
| In office June 23, 1861 – July 23, 1882 | |
| President | Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur |
| Preceded by | Diplomatic relations established |
| Succeeded by | William Waldorf Astor |
| 3rd United States Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire | |
| In office March 11, 1850 – December 19, 1853 | |
| President | Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore Franklin Pierce |
| Preceded by | Dabney Smith Carr |
| Succeeded by | Carroll Spence |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's 3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1843 – May 29, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | Horace Everett |
| Succeeded by | James Meacham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 15, 1801 |
| Died | July 23, 1882 (aged 81) |
| Party | Whig, Republican |
| Education | Dartmouth College |
| Signature | |
George Perkins Marsh (March 15, 1801 – July 23, 1882) was an American lawyer, diplomat, politician, and philologist. After serving in the United States Congress in the 1840s, he went on to be a diplomat in Turkey and the first United States Minister to Italy. Marsh is also considered by some to be America's first environmentalist and by recognizing the irreversible impact of man's actions on the earth, a precursor to the sustainability concept, although "conservationist" would be more accurate. The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Vermont takes its name, in part, from Marsh. His 1864 book Man and Nature had a great impact in many parts of the world.