EVERETT, Edward, American statesman and orator, brother of A. H. Everett (q.v.) : b. Dorchester, Mass., 11 April 1794; d. Boston, 15 Jan. 1865. He was graduated from Harvard in 1811, pursued studies in divinity, became in 1813 pastor of the Unitarian Church, Brattle street, Boston, and in 1814 published his (Defence of Christianity' in reply to the of Christianity Examined' of George G. English. In 1814 he was also chosen to occupy the newly established chair of Greek literature. To qualify himself for the post he went to Europe in 1815 for a course of travel and study. He was for two years at the Uni versity of Gottingen, and later sojourned in France, England, Italy and Greece. In 1819 he returned to enter on the duties of his professor ship. He became also in 1820 the editor of the North American Review, and in 1820-24 con tributed to it about 50 papers. He was elected to Congress in 1824, and by successive re elections held his seat until 18.34. Throughout this period ht was a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations and in the 20th Congress its chairman. He drew either the majority or the minority report of many select committees, In politics he was a National Republican (Whig). He declined a renomination to Con gress in 1834. In 1835 he was elected governor of Massachusetts, subsequently was three times re-elected, holding the office for four years, and in 1839 was defeated by a majority of one vote. While in Europe in 1840 he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to England. At a time when there were many points of controversy be tween England and the United States he was successful in the adjustment of numerous im portant questions. He declined in 1843 an ap pointment as commissioner to China, and in 1845 was recalled. In 1846-49 he was president of Harvard, and in 1852 he be came Secretary of State in Fillmore's Cabinet for the last four months of the latter's administration. During this brief term of office he settled several difficult matters. In a diplomatic note he declined the joint proposition of Great Britain and France that the United States should enter a tripartite conven tion which should guarantee to Spain exclusive possession of Cuba in perpetuity. Before he left the Department of State he was elected to the Senate. There he vigorously opposed the Kansas-Nebraska bill for the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. He resigned his seat in May 1854. From 1856 to 1859 he pronounced his well-known lecture on Washington in all on 122 occasions, realizing thereby nearly $60,000, which he turned into the treasury of the Mount Vernon Association for the pur chase of Mount Vernon by private subscrip tion. He prepared a collective edition of the orations and speeches of Daniel Webster, with an introductory biographical notice; wrote a life of General Stark for Sparks' American Biography); and prepared for the (Encyclopedia Britannica,' at the instance of Macaulay, a life of Washington, afterwards separately published (1860). In 1860 he reluctantly became a candidate for the Vice-Presidency on the Con stitutional-Union, or, as it was sometimes known, the Bell-Everett ticket— John Bell (q.v.) being the Presidential candidate. The
ticket received 39 electoral votes,— those of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. During the Civil War he was a staunch Unionist, but dis posed also toward a policy of reconciliation. He delivered the address at the dedication of the national cemetery at Gettysburg, Pa., 19 Nov. 1863, and in the Presidential election of 1864 as an elector-at-large he cast his ballot for Lincoln and Johnson. His last public appear ance was at Faneuil Hall, 9Jan. 1865, where he spoke on behalf of the sufferers at Savannah.
Everett was noteworthy in his versatility,— a preacher and theologian, a Greek scholar, an editor and author, orator, diplomat and states man. He attracted much attention by his pul pit eloquence. As a Grecian he was thoroughly eciuipped and gave in his time a considerable stimulus in America to the study of Greek let ters, antiquities and history. His literary pro ductions were carefully wrought and marked by his scholarship; but, through interruptions by other activities, they were limited, so far as pub lished, chiefly to his North American articles and the above-mentioned 'Defence of Christian ity.' He did not complete a treatise on public law — a subject he was eminently fitted to ex pound,— on which he was for some time at work. His utterances in Congress showed him rather the orator than the debater, and while a member of the lower house he stood apart from much of party contention as it there ap peared. He took, however, a prominent part in discussion, and, as indicated above, was a most valuable committee member. While he was a foreign minister the general negotiations re garding the northeastern boundary and Oregon difficulties were transferred from him through the appointment by Great Britain of Ashburton as special ambassador, yet many of the points in dispute were left to Everett's skilful adjust ment. As representative, secretary and senator he held to the possibility of saving the Union by compromise on the slavery question, but, the war once begun, he was among the ablest sup porters and advisers of the Federal government. It is as an orator that Everett is best known. His addresses were generally written with elaborate care, and were of the Ciceronian type in the knowledge and culture displayed as well as in their finished rhetoric. More fully than any other American orator he combined the re sources of learning with the arts of the speaker. He lacked Webster's fire and Phillips' magic, but his manner was always impressive and well poised. Even in his own time, however, his oratory did not escape criticism for lack of directness and artificiality, and this charge has frequently been made against it. He may be called the pioneer in the American alyceum,p which long had such a reputation. His 'Ora tions and Speeches on Various Occasions> were collected in four volumes in 1853-68. Consult also Dana, An Address upon the Life and Services of Edward Everett' (Cambridge 1865) ; (A Memoir of Edward Everett' ton 1865) ; and Whipple's remarks in acter and Characteristic Men,' pp. 243-252 (1866).