By common consent gray hairs are a crown of glory the only object of respect that can never excite envy.
Dishonesty is so grasping it would deceive God himself, were it possible.
Where the people possess no authority, their rights obtain no respect.
George Bancroft Historian
- Gender: Male
- Citizenship: United States
- Born: Oct 3, 1800
- Died: Jan 17, 1891
George Bancroft was an American historian and statesman who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state and at the national level. During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1845. He was a senior American diplomat in Europe. Among his best-known writings is the magisterial series, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent.