Edward Everett

Edward Everett – Life, Career, and Words of an American Orator

Explore the life and legacy of Edward Everett (1794–1865), eminent American statesman, educator, and orator. Learn about his biography, public service, speeches (including at Gettysburg), and notable quotes.

Introduction

Edward Everett was one of the nineteenth century’s most celebrated American orators and public men. Born on April 11, 1794 and passing on January 15, 1865, he combined roles as a clergyman, educator, diplomat, governor, U.S. senator, secretary of state, and university president. He is perhaps best remembered today for delivering the two-hour oration at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery on November 19, 1863—just before President Abraham Lincoln’s now-famous Gettysburg Address.

Everett’s life weaves together intellectual ambition, public service, and the politics of a nation on the brink of civil war. Below we trace his early development, political path, oratorical standing, and enduring legacy.

Early Life and Education

Edward Everett was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts (now part of Boston) to Reverend Oliver Everett and Lucy Hill Everett.
His father died in 1802 when Edward was only eight, and the family relocated to Boston.

From a young age Everett showed prodigious academic promise. He attended Boston Latin School, briefly studied at Phillips Exeter Academy, and by age 13 was admitted to Harvard College.
He graduated from Harvard in 1811 as valedictorian of his class.

After graduation, Everett studied theology and became a Unitarian clergyman. He served briefly as pastor at Boston’s Brattle Street Church.
But his intellectual ambitions drew him to scholarship and public discourse. He accepted a professorship in Greek literature at Harvard, and the institution supported him in traveling to Europe for further studies.

While in Europe, his work included time at the University of Göttingen, and he traveled through continental cities—eventually acquiring Greek manuscripts for Harvard’s library.
He is sometimes credited as the first American to hold a Ph.D. from the University of Göttingen.

These years shaped Everett’s intellectual breadth, language skills, and oratorical style.

Political Career & Public Service

United States House of Representatives

Everett’s shift to politics began in the 1820s. In 1824 he delivered a celebrated Phi Beta Kappa lecture, which boosted his public profile.
He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1824 (serving from 1825 to 1835).
In Congress, Everett aligned initially with the National Republican / Adams-Clay faction, and later with the Whig Party.
During this time, he participated in debates on trade, infrastructure, foreign policy, and moral issues of the young republic.

One controversial moment came in 1826, when Everett delivered remarks regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to change how presidents would be selected. His comments on slavery at that time drew criticism and haunted his reputation in Massachusetts.

Governor of Massachusetts

After leaving the House in 1835, Everett pursued state office. He was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1836 and served until 1840.
As governor, he championed educational reform, helping to establish Massachusetts’s first state Board of Education and teacher training institutions (normal schools). Horace Mann, who became a major figure in public education, served as secretary under this board.
He also worked on infrastructure and border issues, including efforts to resolve tensions between Maine and neighboring British territories.

Everett lost his bid for reelection in 1839 in a close and contested campaign—he declined to challenge the results.

Diplomatic Service: Minister to Great Britain

In 1841, President John Tyler appointed Everett U.S. Minister (Ambassador) to Great Britain, a post he held until 1845.
During these years, Everett was involved in matters relating to the northeastern U.S.–British border, and claims relating to the seizure of ships in the Atlantic (particularly in connection with the slave trade).
He worked closely with the U.S. State Department and British officials to defend American interests in treaty negotiations and legal claims.

Harvard Presidency & Return to Politics

In 1846, Everett accepted the post of President of Harvard University, serving until 1849.
These years were reportedly unhappy for him: he struggled with administrative duties, student discipline, and resource constraints.
Nonetheless, under his leadership Harvard began to expand its scientific curriculum (e.g. the Lawrence Scientific School).

Everett reentered national public service under the Whig administration of Millard Fillmore. In late 1852, following Daniel Webster’s death, Fillmore appointed him Secretary of State (from November 1852 to March 1853).
During his short tenure, he drafted diplomatic correspondence regarding the Perry expedition to Japan, disputed territorial claims (e.g. Lobos Islands), and navigated U.S. foreign policy decisions in a fragile moment.

Concurrently or soon after, he was elected U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, serving from March 1853 until his resignation in June 1854.
Everett opposed the Kansas–Nebraska Act, calling it “horrible” and “detested.”
However, poor health and political pressures (especially from abolitionist critics in Massachusetts) led him to resign his Senate seat in May 1854.

Later Years, Oratory & Civil War Involvement

Freed from political office, Everett devoted his energy to public speaking, touring the country and delivering lectures on American history, George Washington, and national unity.
He also took up the cause of preserving George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, contributing proceeds from his lectures.

With the intensification of sectional tensions, Everett embraced the Constitutional Union Party in 1860. He was nominated (somewhat reluctantly) as their vice presidential candidate (paired with John Bell).
Their ticket won 39 electoral votes, all from Southern states.

During the Civil War, Everett emerged as a staunch Union advocate. He traveled, lectured, and wrote in support of the war effort.
Most famously, on November 19, 1863, he delivered a two-hour oration at the Gettysburg National Cemetery dedication—preceding Lincoln’s address.
After hearing Lincoln’s brief address, Everett famously wrote to Lincoln, saying:

“I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”

His final public engagement was in January 1865, when he attended a fundraiser for impoverished people in Savannah. He fell ill shortly after and died on January 15 in Boston.
He was interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Personality, Oratory Style, and Influence

Everett was often described in his time as a master of polished rhetoric, having “an extraordinary memory, brilliant style, and careful preparation.”
His speeches blended classical allusion, historical analogy, moral exhortation, and formal structure.

Critics sometimes saw his style as overly ornate or too learned for mass appeal. One contemporary wrote that he “spoke like some superior intelligence, discoursing to mortals … but as if [he] himself were too far exalted…”

Everett’s influence extended through his roles in education and cultural institutions. Under his leadership Harvard began to modernize its curriculum. His efforts in public education in Massachusetts became a model for other states.
Moreover, his standing as an orator made him a figure many Americans admired—even as the political currents shifted dramatically in his era.

Selected Quotes

Here are a few representative quotations attributed to Edward Everett (or derived from his speeches):

• “He who knows only his own generation remains always a child.”

• “Numbers have no yet perished of penury; and the world will not perish for want of matter of discourse.”

• “If we are to have peace on earth — in the world, in our country, and in our own hearts — it must be by mutual concession, and mutual forbearance.”

• On Gettysburg, he alluded to the moral and historic gravity of the moment, comparing that battle to conflicts of antiquity and emphasizing reconciliation. (Paraphrases derived from his published orations.)

(Exact original texts of his speeches are available in his collected works, including Orations and Speeches on Various Occasions.)

Lessons & Legacy

From Edward Everett’s life, a few enduring lessons and reflections emerge:

• Preparation and memory matter: He invested deeply in research, language, and rhetorical structure, making him effective in public address.

• Balance ambition and service: Everett moved between clergy, scholarship, and politics with a conviction for public purpose.

• Adapt with integrity: Though he held moderate and conciliatory stances on slavery and sectional tensions, he ultimately embraced the Union cause when conflict erupted.

• Use voice to foster unity: His role at Gettysburg and his late-career speeches aimed to remind Americans of shared ideals rather than inflame divisions.

• Cultural investment outlasts office: His work in education, institutions, and oratory outlived his brief political terms.

His name lives today in the city of Everett, Massachusetts, the borough of Everett in Pennsylvania, and various schools and landmarks.

Conclusion

Edward Everett was a singular figure in nineteenth-century America: a man of letters, faith, and public life whose oratory earned him renown in his own time, and whose attempts to bridge divisions in a fracturing nation remain historically resonant. While his speech at Gettysburg has been overshadowed by Lincoln’s, the dignity and effort of Everett’s career offer a window into the aspirations, tensions, and ideals of his age.