George Otto Trevelyan

Born in 1838, George Otto Trevelyan was a British statesman and author who spent much of his life balancing public office with literary work. Reliable reference sources describe him as a historian and politician, and note that he served for many years in Parliament as a Liberal, with major ministerial roles including Chief Secretary for Ireland and, twice, Secretary for Scotland.

He came from a notably intellectual family and became especially well known for writing about his maternal uncle, Lord Macaulay. Reference works also remember him for his part in the political drama around Irish Home Rule in 1886, a question on which he first broke with Gladstone before later returning to the Liberal fold.

As an author, Trevelyan wrote with energy and confidence for a broad readership. Among the works most often associated with him are his life of Macaulay and his later history of the American Revolution, books that helped secure his reputation as one of the better-known historical writers of his generation.