Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-02-06
Sketch of His Career.

George Bancroft, whose years number those
Of the century, was the son of a New Eng
land clergyman. He was born in " orcester,
Mass. on October B. 1900. He received the
best education which the times afforded. AT.
ter preliminary training in the famous old
school at Exeter, he entered Harvard
College and graduated at the early
age of seventeen. He then went to
Europe, and for some years was a close
student under the best minds of the day He
studied German literature under Benecke,
Italian and French literature under Bunsen
and Artand; Arabic, Hebrew, and Scripture
Interpretation under Eichhorn; history under
Planck and Hereen, and the antiquities and lit
erature of Greece and Rome under Dissen,
with whom he took course in Greek philoso-
ply. His parents expected him to enter the
ministry, but the charms of literary life over
bore the attractions of a New England par
sonage, and he chose history as his special
branch. In 1920 the University of Got
tingen gave him the degreee of Ph.D.
He made the acquaintance of the historians
of the day, including Goethe, and
he studied at Heidelberg with Schlosser.
In 1922 he returned to the United States, and
for year he acted as Professor of Greek at
Harvard. He also preached several sermons
which were well received. That, however,
was his only experience with the duties of a
clergyman. His early literary work
comprised q volume of poems pub
ished i'll 1923, a translation in 1924
OF Hereen's "Politics of Ancient Greece"
and in 1926 an grafton in which he advo-
Gated universal suffrage and the foundation
OF the State on the power of the whole peo-
pie. He had early determined upon his life
work, the preparation Of his great history,
the first volume Of which appeared in 1884
During all his labor Mr.. Bancroft took an
active interest in contemporary public
affairs In 1886 he was. without his knowl-
edge, elected to the Legislature of Massa-
chusetts, but he refused to take his
seat. The following year he declined
election to the State Senate. In 1888 he
was appointed by President Van Buren, Col
lectOr of the Port of Boston. In 1914 he was
nominated by the Democracy for Governor,
but failed OF election by small margin On
the accession Of President Polk he be-
came Secretary of the Navy. While he
held that office he established on his own
responsibility the Naval Academy at An
napOis. Congress had never been willing
to establish the academy Mr.. Bancroft found
that he could order the place where midship-
men should wait for orders; that he could di-
rect instructors to give them lessons at sea;
that he possessed the same authority over
them at the waiting station on shore, and that
the Secretary Of War could assign for his use
an abandoned military post. He used all this
authority, and when Congress next met it
found tue midshipmen at a regular course
OF study at Annapolis The thing was done,
and Congress accepted the situation. which
has ever since been continued and developed
w lille at the head of the Navy Depart
ment Mr. Bancroft gave the order for the
seizure OF California in the event of war
with Mexico, and the order was executed be-
fore he retired from Office While acting as
Secretary of War pro tenn. he gave the order
for the occupation of Texas by the United
States.
From 1916 until 1s49 Mr. Bancroft was
Minister to Great Britain and he success
1ully urged upon that Government the adop-
ton of more liberal laws of navigation and
and allegiance. In 1867 he was appointed
Minister to Prussia: in 1871 he was accredited
10 the North German Federation, and in 1871
TO the German Empire, whence he was re-
called in 1874 at his own request
but 1t was a historian that Mr. Ban
crotts name will hive as long as the language
IN which he wrote. The first volume of his
history OF the United States was issued,
as has been said. in 1884. The others an
peared at Irregular intervals, his public ser
wees interfering more or less with the
preparation Of them. The third voI.
ume appeared in 1910. After the
competition of his English mission, in
1919 Mr.. Bancroft came to New York. w here
he continued work on his history. and
volumes four 10 ten appeared between 1852
and 1874. In 1876 the work was revised and
felS>ued as centenary eIitiOn. Two more
volumes were published Under the title,
history of the Formation of the Consti.
tutlon OF the United States
DURING the last year sixty-eight parsons
had their names changed in New York, in the
Qannar had xvIo