Gaillard Hunt

Gaillard Hunt (September 8, 1862 – March 20, 1924) was an American writer and civil servant. He is notable for his authorship of several works on James Madison and early American history.

Early life

Hunt was born in New Orleans. He was the seventh child of his parents, William Henry Hunt, an attorney, and his second wife, Elizabeth Augusta Ridgely. Hunt attended the Ancient Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, Connecticut, and at the Emerson Preparatory School Institute in Washington, D.C.. Hunt along with his family relocated there in 1878.

Career

Beginning in 1882, Hunt began working for the government. His first five years he served as a clerk in the Pension Office. In 1887 he began employment with the Department of State, this lasted until 1909. From 1909 to 1917 he was chief of the division of manuscripts at The Library of Congress. He played an important role in the drafting of legislation on citizenship and naturalization, for which he wrote a book about, along with a work about the history of the Department of State in 1914.