Marsh, George Perkins, 1801-1882
Dates
- Existence: 1801 - 1882
Biography
George Perkins Marsh was born on March 15, 1801 in Woodstock, Vermont. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1820. He studied law in Burlington, Vermont and was admitted to the bar in 1825. In 1835 he was appointed to the Executive Council of Vermont, and from 1843 to 1849 was a Whig representative in Congress. In 1849 President Zachary Taylor appointed Marsh United States minister resident in the Ottoman Empire. In 1852–1853, he discharged a mission to Greece in connection with the imprisonment of American missionary Jonas King. Marsh returned to Vermont in 1854. In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Marsh the first United States minister to the Kingdom of Italy. Marsh would go on to be the longest-serving chief of mission in U.S. history, serving as envoy for 21 years until his death at Vallombrosa in 1882.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
George Marsh papers
George P. Marsh (1801-1882), diplomat. Dartmouth College Class of of 1820. The collection contains letters written while he was a congressman, some on political matters including letters describing a journey to Turkey and tour of Palestine, letters written while an ambassador to Turkey (1850-1853) and a letter to George Ticknor on etymology.