George M. (George Makepeace) Towle

Born in Washington, D.C., on August 27, 1841, he studied at Yale and then Harvard Law School before beginning legal practice in Boston. He went on to serve in public life as well, including work in Massachusetts politics and city government.

Alongside that career, he became a prolific writer and editor. He is especially remembered for his English translations of Jules Verne, with Around the World in Eighty Days often noted as his best-known translation.

He also wrote many historical and biographical works, including books on figures such as Marco Polo and Magellan, often aimed at making big stories of exploration and history accessible to a broad audience. He died on August 9, 1893.