George B. (George Blagden) Bacon

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1836, George Blagden Bacon was an American clergyman and author. He came from a notably religious family: his father, Leonard Bacon, was a well-known Congregational pastor, and several of his brothers also entered the ministry.

He studied at Yale and later served as a Congregational pastor in Orange, New Jersey. Alongside his church work, he wrote on religious subjects and published sermons and books intended for a general audience.

He is especially associated with Siam, the Land of the White Elephant, as It Was and Is, a travel and cultural work that helped introduce American readers to Thailand in the 19th century. He died in 1876, leaving behind a body of writing shaped by both pastoral work and wide-ranging curiosity.