Edward Everett (11 April 1794-15 January 1865) was a noted nineteenth-century educator and clergyman, and was one of the New England Brahmins whose credentials were not unlike those of George Bancroft, Edward Everett Hale, and others. The Everett name had been established firmly in New England since 1642, when Richard Everett settled at Dedham, Massachusetts. His descendant, Oliver Everett, father of Edward, graduated in 1779 from Harvard College and became minister of the New South Church in Boston. Poor health required that he move to Dorchester, where he was prominent in the Federalist Party and served as a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Edward Everett was born in Dorchester on 11 April 1794, one of eight children. In 1807 Edward graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. His delivery of the Valedictory Latin Address was the first sign of the recognition of his talents as an orator. In 1807 Everett entered Harvard...