George Washington Greene

Born in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, in 1811, George Washington Greene was the grandson of General Nathanael Greene. He entered Brown University while still very young but left before graduating because of poor health, and much of his early adult life unfolded in Europe.

Greene served as the United States consul in Rome from 1837 to 1845 and later taught modern languages at Brown. He also lectured on history at Cornell, and his writing ranged from language manuals and essays to historical studies shaped by his long experience abroad.

He is remembered most for his multi-volume biography of Nathanael Greene, a work that helped preserve the memory of one of the American Revolution’s key generals. Greene died in 1883, leaving behind a career that blended scholarship, public service, and a deep interest in both American and European culture.