Jared Sparks

Jared Sparks (1789–1866) was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister renowned for editing 'The Writings of George Washington' and authoring biographies of figures like Benjamin Franklin and Gouverneur Morris. He served as president of Harvard University from 1849 to 1853 and pioneered historical research by collecting documents from multiple sources across the US and Europe. His efforts preserved key American historical records and established the first history department at Harvard.