| Date | Event |
|---|
| 1820, Nov. 14 | Born, New Berlin, N.Y. |
| 1847 | Married Jane Cornelia Livermore |
| 1852 | Elected to Massachusetts senate |
| 1855 | Elected to Congress |
| 1861 | Appointed minister to Austria, which declined to receive him Appointed minister to China |
| 1865 | Returned to United States for a visit |
| 1867 | Resigned to become head of Chinese delegation to Europe |
| 1868 | Negotiated and signed Burlingame Treaty between the United States and China establishing friendly relations and granting most favored nation status to China |
| 1870 | Visited Europe |
| 1870, Feb. 23 | Died, St. Petersburg, Russia |
