William Bancroft

Early life Bancroft was born on April 26, 1855, in Groton, Massachusetts, to Charles Bancroft and Lydia Emeline (Spaulding) Bancroft. He attended Lawrence Academy in his hometown and Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. After graduating from Phillips Exeter, he attended Harvard College, where he enlisted in the fifth regiment of the state militia in his Freshman year. He eventually rose to the rank of brigadier general. He was a member of the Harvard crew in 1877, 1878, and 1879.

Death Bancroft died on March 11, 1922, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was buried in Groton Cemetery alongside his parents.