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George Bancroft

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Author

The Resume

    (October 3, 1800-January 17, 1891)
    Born in Worcester, Massachusetts
    Historian and statesman
    US Secretary of the Navy (1845-46)
    Minister to the United Kingdom (1846-49)
    Minister to Prussia/Germany (1867-74)
    Wrote ‘History of the United States of America, from the Discovery of the American Continent’ (ten volumes, 1834-78)
    Known as ‘the Father of American History’

Why he might be annoying:

    When he returned to Massachusetts from earning a doctorate in Germany, his Continental manners shocked his former colleagues; one professor at Harvard refused to ever recommend Bancroft for a position after being kissed on both cheeks.
    He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Massachusetts (1844).
    His diplomatic dispatches during the Franco-Prussian War were so biased in favor of Germany that the French government sent a complaint to Washington.
    A 20th-century historian noted, ‘His grandiose style with its lofty sentiments and purple passages is off-putting to today’s readers.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    He entered Harvard at age thirteen.
    During his brief time as Secretary of the Navy, he established the Naval Academy at Annapolis.
    After Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, he was chosen by Congress to deliver the eulogy for the martyred President.
    He was the first American historian to emphasize using primary sources.
    German-American historian Hermann von Holst wrote, ‘Every historian of the United States must stand on Bancroft’s shoulders.’
    When he died, President Benjamin Harrison ordered the flags in Washington, DC, flown at half-mast.

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 76.92% Annoying