Famous People Who Died In 1869

Franklin Pierce was an American politician who served as the 14th president of the US. A northern Democrat, Franklin Pierce's actions leading up to the American Civil War are believed to have contributed to the commencement of the war. Scholars and historians rank Pierce as one of the least memorable and worst US presidents.

Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic conductor and composer who was highly regarded in places like Russia, Britain, and Germany. Although he did not achieve fame as a composer, Berlioz became renowned internationally for his skills as a conductor. He also wrote musical journalism, which includes his influential work, Treatise on Instrumentation. 

Mirza Ghalib was an Indian poet whose works give a detailed description of the beginning of British rule and the subsequent events in India. A respected poet, who wrote in Urdu and Persian languages, Ghalib remains popular among the Hindustani diaspora across the world. Several films and TV shows have been made in his honor.

French poet and historian Alphonse de Lamartine is best remembered for his collection of poems Méditations poétiques. He was a chief force behind the formation of the Second Republic of France. The allowances he gave his sisters depleted his finances, and he died struggling and in oblivion.

Carl Gustav Carus was a German painter and physiologist. He is best remembered for creating the concept of the vertebrate archetype. A man of many talents, Carl Gustav Carus was a renowned naturalist, psychologist, scientist, and doctor.

Legendary Italian opera singer Giulia Grisi was the opera world’s prima donna for over 3 decades. She was 17 when she made her debut with Zelmira. She later also soared to fame in Paris and London. She later married opera singer and Italian nobleman and knight Giovanni Matteo Mario.

Hiram Bingham I was an American missionary who led the first group of American missionaries in an attempt to spread Christianity in the Hawaiian islands. An important figure in the history of Hawaii, Bingham continues to be revered in the US state. Punahou School, which is located in Honolulu, has a math building named in his honor.

Born to a doctor, Ōmura Masujirō initially studied Confucian ethics and Dutch, before being sent to Osaka study Western medicine. However, he later deviated to Western naval sciences and became a prominent military strategist, revolutionizing the Imperial Army with the introduction of conscription and thus going beyond the samurai system.

Allan Kardec was a French educator, author, and translator. The founder of Spiritism, Kardec is best remembered for writing five books which are collectively known as the Spiritist Codification. His work with Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi helped lay the foundation for the teaching model in France and Germany.

Greek poet Andreas Kalvos is best remembered for his works such as Lira and Neas Odas. Part of the Ionian, also known as the Heptanese or Romantic school of Greek poetry, he introduced Italian Neoclassical elements to Greek literature, as he was born and raised in Italy.

Alexander Dreyschock was a Czech composer and pianist. He is best remembered for playing the arpeggios of Frédéric Chopin's Étude on the Bombardment of Warsaw in octaves using only his left hand. Alexander Dreyschock also taught at St. Petersburg Conservatory where Arkady Abaza was one of his students.