author
George Washington Greene
1811–1883
Remembered as an American historian with a deep connection to the Revolutionary era, he spent years in Europe before returning home to teach and write. His best-known work was a major biography of his grandfather, General Nathanael Greene.
1 Audiobook
A short history of Rhode Island
by George Washington Greene
About the author
Born in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, in 1811, George Washington Greene grew up in a family already tied to American history: he was the grandson of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Poor health interrupted his college studies, but it did not stop his education. As a young man he spent many years in Europe, where he developed a lasting interest in literature, languages, and history.
Greene served as United States consul in Rome from 1837 to 1845. Later he taught modern languages at Brown University and also lectured in American history at Cornell. His life abroad and his scholarly interests shaped a body of writing that ranged from essays and historical studies to works on Italian subjects.
He is especially known for his multi-volume biography of Nathanael Greene, a project that joined family memory with serious historical research. Greene died in 1883, leaving behind the work of a writer who helped preserve both Revolutionary history and a wider nineteenth-century American interest in Europe.