The *Other* Gettysburg Orator

Ever hear of Edward Everett? Unless you’re a serious history student, probably not -- although he was a Massachusetts governor, Harvard president, U.S. congressman and minister to Great Britain. He also was one of the most popular orators of the mid-1800s. In fact, it was Everett, not President Abraham Lincoln, who was billed as the key speaker at the dedication of a national cemetery at Gettysburg, PA, in November 1863. Everett’s two-hour speech duly impressed journalists in attendance. They gave him front-page tribute with flattering editorial review. Lincoln’s two-minute statement, in stark contrast, was reported on inside pages.

Lincoln’s speech began with the words “Fourscore and seven years ago. . . .” and became known as the Gettysburg Address -- probably one of the five most famous documents in American history. You’ll have to dig a mite deeper in the books to find a record of Everett’s "Gettysburg address."