George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 - January 17, 1891) an American historian and statesman who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts 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. Among his best-known writings is the magisterial series, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent caused him to be referred to as the "father of American History."