West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-02-03

NcE UcSb vi OhttSst&--
he was early nsde 70 see the bene-
fits of educatioassna refinement. At
the early age Of thirteen years, hav-
log completed nis355eparatory stud
les at Exeter, n. - he entered Har-
ward College. ~be& he graduated
with high honors four years later.
He then. went ta Germany, where he
continued ms studies under such
learned professors Eichborn, Hee-
rem, Dissen and Bpmenback until
1920, when he 'receif Jed the degree of
Doctor Of Philosopty In 1921 he
began tour d CO fany and other
parts Of fEdfope. Hemade q pedestfi-
an tour through switzerland, spent
month in England and eight months
in Italy,teturning' to America in
1922. He was then appointed Pro-
fessor of Greek at Harvard, remain
ing in the position for one year. In
1928. he aud DR.. J.. G. Cogswell es-
tablished the Round Hill school at
Northampton. About this time he
began his collections of materials
for his history of the United States,
the first volume of (which was pub
lished in 1884. He was elected to
the Massachusetts, Legislature in
1880 without his knowledge, but de-
clined to accept. "a year later he
refused the nomination to the State
Senate.
In 1888 President Van Buren ap
pointed him Collector of the Port of
Boston, and at the expiration of his
term every bond taken by him had
been paid up, and his collections
amounted to large part of the en-
tire revenue of the United States.
He was Secretary of the Navy under
President Polk, and during his sd-
ministration he designed and car
ried into effect the establishment of
the naval academy at Annapolis; he
has since been styled the father of
the United States navy. He was
also Secretary of war pro TEN for a
month, and gave the first order for
troops to march into Texas.
In 1914 he was nominated by the
Democratic party for Governor OF
Massachusetts, and, though not
elected, received more votes than any
candidate has received, either before
or siuce, ON the purely Democratic
ticket. He was an old fashioned
Democrat then; he is an pld-fash-
ioned Democrat naw He was ap-
pointed Minister Plenipotentiary to
Great Britain in 1916. He then de-
voted himself to history until 1867,
when he became Minister to Prus-
sia. In the next year he was ac-
credited to the North German Con-
federation and in 1871 to the Ger
man empire. The tenth and last
volume of his ''History Of the United
States" was published in 1863,
During the pasS ten OF twelve
years Mr.. Z ucroit has busted him
self with literary work of a miscel-
laneOus character only, and has thus
given the impression that his pen
had. to all intents and purposes, be-
come idle.
But this is not so, and even now
Mr.. Bancroft is engaged upon what
will undoubtedly prove one of his
greatest works-the life of James
Knox Polk, the eleventh President of
the United States, of whose Cabinet
Mr.. Bancroft was member. Last
winter this eminent and venerable
historian was busying himself with
c'.leciing and arranging the mate
rials for this work, having most OF
the time no less than eight girl stem
ographers and copyists besides his
private sectary to help him.
Mr.. Bancroft was prompted to this
great work through his respect for
the memory of President Polk and a
strong desire to show his esteem for
a friend to whom Justice had not
been done 1t seems that Polk kept
diary during his presidential term
and this important record is now in
the possession of Bancroft, who has
had it copied. II makes two thous-
and pages of typewriting, and it was
this work which gave so many young
ladies employment last winter
NJ. c. York, Mr.. Bancroft's pri
vate secretary, is permanent fix
ture in the historians household,
and has made many warm friends
in Newport as we'll as at the capital.
He has been with Bancroft since
January Is, 1878, with the excep-
tion of couple of years which he
spent in the department of justice.
Another fixture at the Bancroft man.
sion is Hermann, who has been va
let to Bancroft for the past thirteen
years, having joined him in Berlin
in 1874.
George Bancroft, to use his own
words, is mot vet old enough to give
up work." and he enters upon his
eighty eighth year one of the bust
est literary workers in this country.
LONDON AND NEW YORK.
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