Strong, George Templeton

Strong, George Templeton (1820–75) lawyer, diarist; born in New York City. A precocious child, he read history at age six and had soon mastered Greek, Latin, and many classic works. He was a lawyer, a trustee of Columbia College, and helped to found that institution's law school. He was treasurer of the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War. Most notably, he kept an extensive, humorous, and insightful diary (October 5, 1835–June 25, 1875), now recognized as a treasure trove of information about the events and personalities of 19th-century America. The diary was not published until 1952.