Facts: - party: whig , free-soil , republican - succeeded: benjamin william b. calhoun thompson , from march 4 , 1851 . - birth date: may 2 , 1796 - death date: 26 april 1881 - spouse: mary ann hammond - office: 10th representatives massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth massachusetts house of - district: 4th - term end: march 3 , 1849 1848 1843 - name: john gorham palfrey - death place: cambridge , massachusetts - birth place: boston , massachusetts - restingplace: mount auburn cemetery - state: massachusetts - alma mater: phillips school . exeter academy , harvard university , harvard divinity - preceded: benjamin thompson john a. bolles - term start: march 4 , 1847 1844 1842 - image: john gorham palfrey.jpg - religion: unitarian Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of john g. palfrey .
The answer to this question is:
john gorham palfrey -lrb- may 2 , 1796 -- april 26 , 1881 -rrb- was an american clergyman and historian who served as a u.s. representative from massachusetts .a unitarian minister , he played a leading role in the early history of harvard divinity school , and he later became involved in politics as a state representative and u.s. congressman .