Edward Everett
Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Massachusetts, minister to Great Britain, and United States secretary of state. He also taught at Harvard University and served as its president.
For other people named Edward Everett, see Edward Everett (disambiguation).
Edward Everett
Samuel Turell Armstrong (Acting)
April 11, 1794
Dorchester, Massachusetts, U.S.
January 15, 1865 (aged 70)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
National Republican (Before 1834)
Whig (1834–1854)
Constitutional Union (1860–1864)
National Union (1864–1865)
Charlotte Gray Brooks
6
Alexander Hill Everett (brother)
Edward Everett Hale (nephew)
Lucretia Peabody Hale (niece)
Susan Hale (niece)
Charles Hale (nephew)
Henry Augustus Wise (son-in-law)
Everett was one of the great American orators of the antebellum and Civil War eras. He was the featured orator at the dedication ceremony of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in 1863, where he spoke for over two hours—immediately before President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous two-minute Gettysburg Address.
The son of a pastor, Everett was educated at Harvard, and briefly ministered at Boston's Brattle Street Church before taking a teaching job at Harvard. The position included preparatory studies in Europe, so Everett spent two years in studies at the University of Göttingen, and another two years traveling around Europe. At Harvard he taught ancient Greek literature for several years before starting an extensive and popular speaking career. He served ten years in the United States Congress before winning election as Governor of Massachusetts in 1835. As Governor he introduced the state Board of Education, the first of its type in the nation. In 1831, he was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.[1]
After being narrowly defeated in the 1839 election, Everett was appointed Minister to Great Britain, serving until 1845. He next became President of Harvard, a job he quickly came to dislike. In 1849, he became an assistant to longtime friend and colleague Daniel Webster, who had been appointed Secretary of State. Upon Webster's death Everett served as Secretary of State for a few months until he was sworn in as U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. In the later years of his life, Everett traveled and gave speeches all over the country. He supported efforts to maintain the Union before the Civil War, running for Vice President on the Constitutional Union Party ticket in 1860. He was active in supporting the Union effort during the war and supported Lincoln in the 1864 election.
Harvard presidency[edit]
Even before his departure from London, Everett was being considered as a possible successor to Josiah Quincy as President of Harvard. Everett returned to Boston in September 1845 to learn that the Overseers had offered him the post. Although he had some misgivings, principally due to some of the tedious aspects of the job and difficult matter of maintaining student discipline, he accepted the offer, and entered into his duties in February 1846.
The three years he spent there were extremely unhappy.[43] Everett found that Harvard was short of resources, and that he was not popular with the rowdy students.[72] One of his most notable achievements was the expansion of Harvard's academic programs to include a "school of theoretical and practical science", then known as the Lawrence Scientific School.[73] On April 15, 1848, he delivered the eulogy for John Quincy Adams, who had died two months earlier while serving in the House of Representatives.[74]
Everett's unhappiness with the post was apparent early on, and by April 1847 he was negotiating with Harvard's overseers about the conditions of the job.[75] These talks were ultimately unfruitful, and Everett, on the advice of his doctor, resigned the post in December 1848.[76] He had been suffering for sometime from a number of maladies, some of them prostate-related. In the following years, his health would become increasingly fragile.[77] He was somewhat rejuvenated by a visit to the springs at Sharon Springs, New York.[78]