Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-01-23
GEORGE BANCROFT.


The New York Sun has this sketch of
the distinguished historian, who died at
his home in Washington on Saturday:
George Bancroft, whose years number
those of the century, was the son Of New
England clergyman. He was born in
Worcester, Mass, on Oct. 3, 1900 He
received the best education which the
times afforded. After preliminary train
ing in the famous old school at Exeter.
he entered Harvard college and gradu-
ated at the early age of II. He then
went to Europe, and for some years was
close student under the best minds of
the day. He studied German literature
under Benecke, Italian and French litera-
ture 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
philosophy. His parents expected him
to enter the ministry, but the charms of
literary life oyerbOre the attractions of
New England parsonage, and he chose
history as his special branch. In 1920.
the university of Gottingen gave him the
degree of PHI. ID. He made the acquain-
lance of the historians of the day, includ-
ing Goethe, and he studied at Heidelberg
with Schlosser. In 1922 he returned to
the United States, and for a 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 volume of poems published
in 1923, a translation IN 1924 of Hereen's
"Politics of Ancient Greece" and in 1926
an Grafton in which he advocated univer-
sal suffrage and the foundation of the
State on the power of the whole people.
He had early determined upon his life
work, the prepal alton of his great history,
the first volume of which appeared in
1891.
During all his labor Mr.. Bancroft took
an active interest in contemporary public
affairs. In 1880 he was, without his
knowledge, elected to the legislature of
Massachusetts, 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,
collector of the port of Boston. In 1911
he was nominated by the Democracy for
governor, but failed of election by small
margin. On the accession of President
] 4.
While he held that office he established
on his own responsibility the Naval acad-
envy at Annapolis. Congress had never
been willing to establish the academy.
Mr.. Bancroft found that he could order
the place where midshipmen should wait
for orders: that he could direct instruct
ors 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 the midshipmen busy
at regular course of study at Annapolis.
The thing was done, ard congress ac-
cepted the situation, which has eyer since
been continued and developed.
While 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 exc
cuted before he retired from office. While
acting as secretary of war proI TEN. he
gave the order for the occupation of Tex
as by the United States.
From 1916 until 1910, Mr.. Bancroft was
minister to Great Britain, and he success
fully urged upon that government the
adoption of more liberal laws of naviga-
]
pointed minister to Prussia; in 1871 he
was accredited to the North German
Confederation, and in 1871 TO the German
Empire, whence he was recalled in 1874
at his own request.
| But it was as a historian that Mr.. Ban
crofts name will live 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
1881. The Others appeared at irregular
intervals, his public services interfering
more or less with the preparation of them.
The third volume appeared in 1910. AZ
ter the completion of his English mission
in 1919, Mr.. Bancroft came TO New
York. where he continued work on his
history, and volumes four to ten appear
ed between 1852 and 1874. In 1876 the
work was revised and reissued as cen
tenary edition. Two more volumes were
published under the title, "Iiistory of
the Formation of the Constitution of the
United States" OF the value of Mr.. Ban
croft's great historical work it would be
superfiuous to speak. Edward Everett
said of the early volume:
SIT is one of the ablest of the class
which has for years appeared in the
English language; it compares add
yantageously with the standard British
historians. As far as it goes it does such
Justice to its noble subject as to supersede
the necessity of any future work of the
same kind, and if completed as commence
ed will unquestionably forever be regard
ed both as an American and an English
classic"
Mr.. Bancroft's pen did much other i'm
portant work, and many of his best pro-
auctions were in the form of addresses
upon important occasions. His recent
years have been spent in Washington and
in Newport, where his familiar figure on
foot or horseback has been well known.
He has always been an interchangeable
worker, and his strict regularity of habits
probably accounts for his remarkable