Bancroft, Edward (1744–1821) physician, scientist, spy, and double agent, born in Westfield, Massachusetts. During the
Revolutionary War, Bancroft, sympathetic to the colonies' cause, was recruited as a spy for Americans. He was officially employed as a “secretary” for the American delegation in Paris, but also spied for British secret service, mainly for money. Bancroft often used his inside information to profit in the stock market.