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William Wallace Smith Bliss | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Daguerreotype by unknown photographer, circa 1848 | |
| Private Secretary to the President | |
| In office March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850 | |
| President | Zachary Taylor |
| Preceded by | Joseph Knox Walker |
| Succeeded by | Millard Powers Fillmore |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 17, 1815 Whitehall, New York |
| Died | August 5, 1853 (aged 37) Pascagoula, Mississippi |
William Wallace Smith Bliss (August 17, 1815 – August 5, 1853) was a United States Army officer and mathematics professor. A gifted mathematician, he taught at West Point and also served as a line officer.
In December 1848 Bliss married Mary Elizabeth Taylor, youngest daughter of President-elect Zachary Taylor, whom he would serve as presidential secretary. Five years later Bliss contracted yellow fever in New Orleans and died at the age of 37.
Having become interested in the various Native American tribes, Bliss learned a number of their languages and studied their cultures. He was a member of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries of Copenhagen, Denmark, and an Honorary Member of the American Ethnological Society. Gifted at languages, he was able to read thirteen and could speak a number of those fluently.