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Biographical History
r
OF
FREMONT AND MILLS COUNTIES
IOXV.A.
Compendium of National Biography
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO
The Lewis Puin.isiiiNd Compaw
1901
THE NEW YORK
Mr UBHARY
S55152H
ASTOn, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
R 1943 L
Biography is the only true History. — Emerson.
A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors
will nevei achieve anything worthy to be remembered with
pride by rem.ote generations. — MacaiUay.
PREFACE.
■ ^ ' s;l?l ^^^-'cr^ ^ ^ ^ aj UT of the depths of his mature wisdom Carlyle wrote,
" History is the essence of innumerable biof^raphies. "
Believing this to be the fact, there is no necessity of
advancing any further reason for the compilation of
such a work as this, if reliable history is to be the
ultimate object.
The section of Iowa comprised within the limits of this volume has sus-
tained within its confines men who have been prominent in the history of the
State, and even the nation, for half a century. The annals teem with the
records of strong and noble manhood, and, as Sumner has said, " the true
grandeur of nations is in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the
individual." The final causes which shape the fortunes of the individuals and
the destinies of States are often the same. They are usually remote and
obscure, and their influence scarcely perceived until manifestly declared by
results. That nation is the greatest which produces the greatest and most
manly men and faithful women; and the intrinsic safety of a community
depends not so much upon that true and normal development from the deep
resources of which proceeds methods as upon all that is precious and per-
manent in life. But such a result may not consciously be contemplated by
the actors in the great social drama. Pursuing each his personal good by
exalted means, they work out as a logical result.
The elements of success in life consist in both innate capacity and deter-
mination to excel. Where either is wanting, failure is amost certain in the
outcome. The study of a successful life, therefore, serves both as a source
of information and as a stimulus and encouragement to those who have the
capacity. As an important lesson in this connection we may appropriately
quote Longfellow, who said : " We judge ourselves by what we feel capa-
ble of doing, while we judge others by what they have already done. " A
faithful personal history is an illustration of the truth of this observation.
PRE FA CE.
In this biographical history the editorial staff, as well as the publishers,
have fully realized the magnitude of the task. In the collection of the ma-
terial there has been a constant aim to discriminate carefully in regard to the
selection of subjects. Those who have been prominent factors in the public,
social and industrial development of the counties have been given due recog-
nition as far as it has been possible to secure the requisite data. Names
worthy of perpetuation here, it is true, have in several instances been omitted,
either on account of the apathy of those concerned or the inability of the
compilers to secure the information necessary for a symmetrical sketch; but
even more pains have been taken to secure accuracy than were promised in
the prospectus. Works of this nature, therefore, are more reliable and com-
plete than are the "standard" histories of a country.
THE PUBLISHERS.
J^I^S^^I^^^
GENERAL INDEX.
Table of Contents,
Introductorv, •
3
11
Compendium of National Biography, - 13
Compendium of Local Biugraphv, - 22^5
INDEX TO FART I.
Compendium of National Biography.
Biographical Sketches of National Celebrities.
PAGE
Abbott, Lyman 144
Adams, Charles Kendall 143
Adams, John '26
Adams, John Quincy 61
Agassiz, Louis J. R 137
Alger, Russell A 173
Allison, William B 131
Allston, Washington 190
Altgeld, John Peter 140
Andrews, Elisha B 184
Anthony, Susan B 62
Armour, Philip D 62
Arnold, Benedict 84
Arthur, Chester Allen 168
Astor, John Jacob 139
Audubon, John James 166
Bailey, James Montgomery. . . 177
Bancroft, George 74
Barnard, Frederick A. P 179
Barnum, Phineas T 41
Barrett, Lawrence 166
Barton, Clara 209
Bayard, Thomas Francis 200
Beard, William H 196
Beauregard, Pierre G. T 203
Beecher, Henry Ward 26
Bell, Alexander Graham 96
Bennett, James Gordon 206
Benton, Thomas Hart 63
Bergh, Henry 160
Bierstadt, Albert 197
Billings, Josh 166
Blaine, James Gillespie.. ■.... . 22
Bland. Richard Parks 106
PAGE
Boone, Daniel 36
Booth, PMwin 61
Booth, Junius Brutus 177
Brice, Calvin S 181
Brooks, Phillips 130
Brown, John 61
Brown, Charles Farrar 91
Brush, Charles Francis 163
Bryan, William Jennings 158
Bryant, William Cullen 44
Buchanan, Franklin 106
Buchanan, James 128
Buckner, Simon Bolivar 188
Burdette, Robert J 103
Burr, Aaron Ill
Butler, Benjamin Franklin.... 24
Calhoun, John Caldwell 23
Cameron, James Donald 141
Cameron, Simon 141
Cammack, Addison 197
Campbell, Alexander isu
Carlisle, John G I.'i3
Carnegie, Andrew 73
Carpenter, Matthew Hale 178
Carson, Christopher (Kit) 86
Cass, Lewis 110
Chase, Salmon Portland 66
Chi Ids, George W 83
Choate, Rufus 207
Claflin, Horace Brigham 107
Clay, Henry 21
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne. . 86
Cleveland, Grover 174
Clews, Henry 163
PAGE
Clinton, DeWitt 110
Colfax, Schuyler 139
Conkling, Alfred '.i2
Conkling, Roscoe ',fZ
Cooley, Thomas Mclntyre 140
Cooper, James Fenimore 68
Cooper, Peter ;i7
Copely, Jt)hn Singleton 191
Corbin, Austin 205
Corcoran, W. W IW
Cornell, Ezra 161
Cramp, William 189
Crockett, David 76
Cullom, Shelby Moore 116
Curtis, George William 144
Cushman, Charlotte 1U7
Custer, George A 95
Dana, Charles A 88
" Danbury News Man " 177
Davenport, Fanny 106
Davis, Jefferson 24
Debs, Eugene V 132
Decatur, Stephen 101
Deering, William 198
Depew, Cbauncey Mitchell.. .. 209
Dickinson, Anna 108
Dickinson, Don M 139
Dingley, Nelson, Jr 215
Donnelly, Ignatius 161
Douglas, Stephen Arnold 53
Douglass, Frederick 43
Dow, Neal 108
Draper, John William 184
TABLE OF CONTENTS— PART I.
PAGE
Drexel, Anthony Joseph 124
Dupont, Henry 198
Edison, Thomas Alva 55
Edmunds, George F 201
Ellsworth, Oliver 168
Emerson, Ralph Waldo 57
Ericsson, John.. 127
Evarts, William Maxwell 89
Farragut, David Glascoe 80
Field, Cvrus West 173
Field, David Dudley 126
Field, Marshall 59
Field, Stephen Johnson 216
Fillmore, Millard 113
Foote, Andrew Hull. 176
Foraker, Joseph B 143
Forrest, Edwin 92
Franklin, Benjamin 18
Fremont, John Charles 29
Fuller, Melville Weston 168
Fulton, Robert 62
Gage, Lyman J 71
Gallatin, Albert 112
Garfield, James A 163
Garrett, John W^ork 200
Garrison, William Lloyd 50
Gates, Horatio 70
Gatling, Richard Jordan 116
(ieorge, Henry 203
Gibbons, Cardinal James 209
Gilmore, Patrick Sarsfield 77
Girard, Stephen 137
Gough, John B 131
Gould, Jay 52
Gordon, John B 215
Grant, Ulysses S 155
Gray, Asa 88
Gray, Elisha 149
Greeley, Adolphus W 142
Greeley, Horace 20
Greene, Nathaniel 69
Gresham, Walter Quintin 183
Hale, Edward Everett 79
Hall, Charles Francis — 167
Hamilton, Alexander 31
Hamlin, Hannibal 214
Hampton, Wade 192
Hancock, Winfield Scott 146
Hanna, Marcus Alonzo 169
Harris, Isham G 214
Harrison, William Henry 87
Harrison, Benjamin 182
Harvard, John 129
Havemeyer, John Craig 182
Hawthorne, Nathaniel 135
Hayes, Rutherford Birchard... 157
Hendricks, Thomas Andrew. . 212
Henry, Joseph 105
Henry, Patrick 83
Hill,David Bennett 90
Hobart, Garrett A 213
Holmes, Oliver Wendell 206
Hooker, Joseph 62
Howe, Elias 130
Howells, William Dean 104
PAGE
Houston, Sam 120
Hughes, Archbishop John 157
Hughitt, Marvin 159
Hull, Isaac 169
Huntington, Collis Potter 94
Ingalls, John James 114
Ingersoll, Robert G 85
Irving, Washington 33
Jackson, Andrew 71
Jackson, " Stonewall " 67
Jackson, Thomas Jonathan 67
Jay, John 39
Jefferson, Joseph 47
Jefferson, Thomas 34
Johnson, Andrew 145
Johnson, Eastman 202
Johnston, Joseph Eccleston.. . . 85
Jones, James K 171
Jones, John Paul 97
Jones, Samuel Porter 115
Kane, Elisha Kent 125
Kearney, Philip 210
Kenton, Simon 188
Knox, John Jay 134
Lamar, Lucius Q. C 201
Landon, Melville D 109
Lee, Robert Edward 38
Lewis, Charles B. ., . . . 193
Lincoln, Abraham 135
Livermore, Mary Ashton 131
Locke, David Ross 172
Logan, John A 26
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 37
Longstreet, James 56
Lowell, James Russell 104
Mackay, John William 148
Madison, James 42
Marshall, John 156
Mather, Cotton 164
Mather, Increase 163
Maxim, Hiram S 194
McClellan, George Brinton.. . . 47
McCormick, Cyrus Hall 172
McDonough, Com. Thomas. . . 167
McKinley, William 217
Meade, George Gordon 75
Medill, Joseph 159
Miles, Nelson A 176
Miller, Cincinnatus Heine 218
Miller, Joaquin 218
Mills, Roger Quarles 211
Monroe, James 54
Moody, Dwight L 207
Moran, Thomas 98
Morgan, John Pierpont 208
Morgan, John T 216
Morris, Robert 165
Morse, Samuel F. B 124
Morton, Levi P 142
Morton, Oliver Perrv 215
Motley, John Lathro'p 130
"Nye, Bill" 69
Nye, Edgar Wilson 69
PAGE
O'Conor, Charles 187
Olney, Richard 133
Paine, Thomas 147
Palmer, John M 195
Parkhurst, Charles Henry 160
" Partington, Mrs." 202
Peabody, George 170
Peck, George W 187
Peffer, William A 164
Perkins, Eli 109
Perry, Oliver Hazard 97
Phillips, Wendell 30
Pierce, Franklin 122
Pingree, Hazen S 212
Plant, Henry B 192
Poe, Edgar Allen 69
Polk, James Knox 102
Porter, David Dixon 68
Porter, Noah 93
Prentice, George Denison.. . . 119
Prescott, William Hickling.. .. 96
Pullman, George Mortimer.. .. 121
Quad, M 193
Quay Matthew S 171
Randolph, Edmund 136
Read, Thomas Buchanan 132
Reed, Thomas Brackett 208
Reid, Whitelaw 149
Roach, John 190
Rockefeller, John Davison.... 195
Root, George Frederick 218
Rothermel, Peter F 113
Rutledge, John 57
Sage, Russell 211
Schofield, John McAllister 199
Schurz, Carl 201
Scott, Thomas Alexander 204
Scott, Winfield 79
Seward, William Henry 44
Sharon, William 165
Shaw, Henry W 166
Sheridan, Phillip Henry 40
Sherman, Charles R 87
Sherman, John 86
Shillaber, Benjamin Penhallow 202
Sherman, William Tecumseh.. 30
Smith, Edmund Kirby 114
Sousa, John Philip 60
Spreckels, Claus 159
Stanford, Leland 101
Stanton, Edwin McMasters. . . 179
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady 126
Stephens, Alexander Hamilton 32
Stephenson, Adlai Ewing. .. . 141
Stewart, Alexander T 58
Stewart, William Morris 213
Stowe, Harriet Elizabeth
Beecher 66
Stuart, James E. B 122
Sumner, Charles 34
Talmage, Thomas DeWitt. .. . 60
Taney, Roger Brooke 129
Taylor, Zacharv 108
Teller, Henrv M 127
TA BLE OF C ON TEN TS—PA A' T I.
I'AGK
Tesla, Nikola VX\
Thomas, George H T.'j
Thomas, Theodore 172
Thurman, Allen G W
Thurs-ton, John IM 1()()
Tilcieii, Samuel J 48
Tillman, 15enjamin Ryan 119
Toombs, Robert 205
"Twain, Mark" yfi
Tyler, John : 93
A-'an lUiren, Martm 78
Vanderbilt, L\)rnelius 85
Vail,Alfred 154
Vest, George Graham 214
I'Af.F.
\'ilas, William Freeman 140
\oorhees, Daniel VVolsey 95
Waite, Morrison Remich 125
Wallace, Lewis 199
Wallack, Lester 121
Wallack, John Lester 121
Wanamaker, John 89
Ward, "Artemus " 91
Washburnc, Klihu Benjamin. . 189
Washington, George 17
Watson, Thomas K \~x
Watterson, Henry 7t;
Weaver, James B 123
Webster, Daniel 19
j'Af;i:
Webster, Noah 4'.*
Weed, Thurlow 91
West, Benjamin 115
Whipple, Henry Benjamin. . . . Kil
White, .Stephen \' 1H2
WhitefiLld, George I'''i
Whitman, Walt
Whitnev, Eli I_
Whitney. William Collins 92
Whittier, John Greenleaf 07
Willard, Frances E \'X\
Wilson, William I IKO
Wincliell, Alexander 175
Wmdom, William \\!A
PORTRAITS OF NATIONAL CELEBRITIES.
PACK
Alger, Russell A IG
Allison, William B 99
Anthony, Susan B 63
Armour, Philip D 151
Arthur, Chester A 81
Barnum, Phineas T 117
Beecher, Henry Ward 27
Blaine, James G 151
Booth, P'.dwin 63
Bryan, Wm. J , 63
Bryant, William Cullen 185
Buchanan, James 81
Buckner, Simon B 16
Butler Benjamin F 151
Carlisle, John G 151
Chase, Salmon P 16
Childs, George W 99
Clay, Henry 81
Cleveland, Grover 45
Cooper, Peter 99
Dana, Charles A 151
Depew, Chauncey M 117
Douglass, Fred 63
Emerson, Ralph W'aldo 27
Evarts, William M 99
Farragut, Com. D. G 185
Field,^Cvrus W 63
PAGE
Field, Marshall 117
Franklin, Benjamin 63
Fremont, (ien. John C 16
Gage, Lyman J 151
Garfield, James A 45
Garrison, William Lloyd 63
George, Henry 117
Gould, Jay 99
Grant, Gen. U. S 185
Greeley, Horace 81
Hampton, Wade 16
Hancock, Gen. Winfield S 185
Hanna, MarkA 117
Harrison, Benjamin 81
Hayes, R. B 45
Hendricks, Thomas A 81
Holmes, Oliver W 151
Hooker, Gen. Joseph 16
Ingersoll, Robert G 117
Irving, Washington 27
Jackson, Andrew 45
Jefferson, Thomas 45
Johnston, Gen. J. E 16
Lee, Gen. Robert E 185
Lincoln, Abraham 81
Logan, Gen. John A 16
Longfellow, Henry W 185
PAfii:
Longstreet, Gen. James 16
Lowell, James Russell 27
McKinley, William 45
Morse, S. F. B 1S5
Phillips, Wendell 27
Porter, Com. D. D 1n»
Pullman, George M 117
Quay, M. S 99
Reed, Thomas B 151
Sage, Russell 117
Scott, Gen. Winfield 1<)
Seward, William H 45
Sherman, John 99
Sherman, Gen. W. T 151
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady 27
Stowe, Harriet Beecher 27
Sumner, Charles 45
Talmage, T. DeWitt 63
Teller, Henry M 99
Thurman, Allen G 81
Tilden, Samuel J 117
\'an liuren, Martin 81
\'anderbilt, Commodore 99
Webster, Daniel 27
Whittier, John G 2^
Washington, George 45
Watterson, Henry 63
t£ .=^T<g^
•=:^Jf<5^
oo^s:^rE:]Nn^s
PART II.
Abshire, Isaac, 891.
Adams, Samuel H., 49.5.
Adkins, Robert M., 607.
Aistrope, Thomas M.,546.
Aitken, David, 617.
Allis. Otis E., 488.
Allis, Samuel, 488.
Anderson, August, 897.
Angus, William, 552.
Anthony, James M., 353.
B
Bada, Richard F., 455.
Badham, Amazon, 385.
Baglev, A. G., 447.
Bagley, Mary A.,;:i02.
Barnes, James E., 601.
Baylor, Ransdell, 516.
Bellatti, James L., 537.
Berkheimer, Andrew, 498.
Black, Charles W., 330.
Bobbitt, Alfred R., 512.
Began, William L , 415.
Bowen, Henry, 526.
Bradley, Robert J., 382.
Brandt, ]. B., 337.
Bricknell, William W., 394.
Bright, J. H., 347.
Brown, Nathan, 426.
Brown, Walter S., 564.
Bruen, Charles E., 376.
Buffington, Francis M., 379.
Buttertield, C. D., 431.
Carter, James W., 398.
Cavender, Bard I., 368.
Chambers, Lansford, 492.
Chantry, Allen J., 350.
Cheney, Horace B., 359.
Clark, Lebbeus, 337.
Clark, Robert J., 502.
Cook, Amos E., 541.
Cook, George R., 503.
Cooley, M. F., 300.
Cooper, John, 278.
Cowger, E. F.,280. _
Cox, Jonathan U., 559.
Cox, Richard A., 460.
Crabb, Frederick, 384.
Creamer, William W., 445.
Criswell, James S., 452.
D
Dalrymple, A. O., 341.
Darling, George \V., 595.
Dashner, Francis H., 264.
Davis, Stephen D., 442.
Davis, William T., 374.
Dean, Benjamin B., 576.
Dean, L. P., 478.
Dean, Seth, 342.
DeLashmutt, W. C, 362.
DeSelm. David T., 519.
Doyle, William H.,569.
Dunagan, Benjamin F., 329.
Dye, H. C., 377.
Dvson, John, 482.
Dyson, William, 490.
Eaton, William, 614.
Edgerton, O. A., 331.
Estes, Edward C, 4.'{7.
Estes, Francis M., 549.
Estes, George H., 608.
Estes, Robert L., 5.35.
Evans, Marion L., 336.
Evernhan>, Henry, Jr., 528.
Fickel, Eli, 263.
Field, Nelson C, 474.
Fisher, Austin (i., 611.
Flanagan, John G., 392.
Foster, David L., 570.
Fowler, Sidney, 474.
Francis, James .S., 256.
Fugitt, William C. 312.
Galbraith, James F.. 511.
Galbraith, Samuel, 5(X).
Gaston, Alexander C, 477.
Gaston, Ozro C, 4f'5.
Gay lord, William W.. 410.
Genung, Lewis T., 269.
Gillilland, E.. 378.
Gillilland, Shirlev,545.
Goode, Elisheba'T., 420.
Goodfellow, James K. P.. 418.
Gordon, .Mike, 505.
Goy, John, 464.
Green, Henry A., 'iSS.
Greenwood, Charles G., 462.
Greenwood, Winfield S., 324.
H
Hale, Charles P., 582.
Hale, John, 390.
Hall, William. 327.
Hatten, George T., 403.
Hawley, Elijah R., 559.
Hawley, H. E., 266.
Haynie, Paul, 561.
Heinsheimer, David L., 517.
Hiatt, Fred. 255.
Holcombe, Samuel A., 428.
Honeyman, John. 406.
Houtz. William 1'... .■>94.
Howard, .Samson. 6()0.
Hughes, Richard C. 589.
Hutchings, Samuel B., 284.
Hydringer, Andrew, 566.
TABLE OF CONTENTS— PART II.
J
Jackson, James C, 568.
Johnson, Thomas J., 416.
Johnson, William R., 466.
Johnston, John H., 407.
Johnston, William C, 261.
Jolly, Arnold, 2^6.
Jones, Graham F., 446.
K
Kayton, Thomas P., 571.
Kellogg, Harriet M., 305.
Kelly, John J., 480.
Keyser, Christopher, 372.
Kilmartin, Partick, 421.
Kimberlin, Sherman B., 580.
Kinney, Charles P., 361.
Kochersperger, Jacob, 504.
Kruse, John D., 241.
Kuhl, Henry, 255.
Leeka, William, 298.
Lewis, Winfield S., 523.
Lindsay, Richard P., 247.
Linville, Lewis G., 352.
Loveland, F., 377.
Lundeen, Carl, 413.
M
Magel, Charles, 314.
Magel, Conrad, 258.
Magei, Henry S., 250.
Magel, Mary D., 250.
Magel, Theodore, 250.
Malcom, Albert G., 308.
Mann, Archibald, 556.
Mann, Martha M., .558.
Marsh, Oscar H., 618.
Martin. Fred H., 520.
Martin, James F., 363.
Martin, James L.,553.
Martin, Milton J., 422.
Mason, Lynn K., -536.
Mass, John J.. 510.
Matthews, William H., 293.
McCartney, Herman, 532.
McClain, Arthur, 497.
McClenahan, Augustus, 476.
McCoy, Casper O., 592.
McCoy, James J., 381.
McDonald, James H., 465.
McGee, James, 399.
Mclntire, Joseph A., 319.
McKown, John B., 356.
McMuUin, Louis D., ,373.
McNew, Zedekiah, 320.
Merritt, Rufus L., 481.
Metelman, A. F., 3-54.
Mickelwait, Wilbur W., 322.
Miller, G. B.. 451.
Miller, Joseph M., 583.
Mogridge, George, 514.
Morgan, T. O., 386.
Morgan, William H., 369.
Morgan, William W., 489.
Muftiey, Daniel C, 328.
Munsinger, Albert J., 380.
Munsinger, Charles, 384.
N
Neeley, Grant, 542.
Nelson, Mortimer W., 242.
Nims, D. B., 496.
Nims, John W.. 577.
Nipp, Henry, 599.
Norcutt, William H., 277.
Notson, Lee, 409.
O
Oaks, Charles C, 402.
Ogden, Charles N., 575.
O'Neal, John T., 453,
Otis, George T., 340.
Otte, Jesse, 555.
Paddock, John D., 367.
Parker, John, 338.
Parkhurst, E. N., 562.
Paul, Daniel McF., 586.
Payne, Moses U., 606.
Penn, Alphonso V., 418.
Phipps, Charles M., 588.
Plumer, Cris, 4C4.
Potter, Clayton C, 543.
Powell, Francis M., 274.
Pullman, George, 245.
R
Rankin, William S., 578.
Reeves, B. P., 366.
Rew, George T., 506.
Rhode, Daniel T., 310.
Rhode, Seymore T., 317.
Ricketts, Samuel P., 253.
Robbms, Frank, 290.
Robbins, H. C, 282.
Robbins, Joseph D.,395.
Robinson, Lewis S., 602.
Rodman, Leroy C, 457.
Roenfeld, C. F., 596.
Saar, H. E., 401.
Salmons, Randolph, 249.
Salyers, Samuel S., 498.
Sandiland, David, 522.
Schafer, Luther A., 524.
Schoening, Fred H., 605.
Schoening, Henry E., 621.
Searles, John W., 358
Sheldon, Walter B., 246.
Shepard, Richard P., 459.
Shockley, John C, 530.
Shull, Lott H., 335.
Skerritt, John T., 593.
Smith, Charles T., 565.
Smith, Isaac, 603.
Smith, lames, 556.
Smith, R. C, 469.
Stephenson, Michael A., 554.
Stewart, Thomas R., 422.
Stiles, Leander, 291.
Stone, John Y., 221.
Story, David M., 295.
Stroud, Alexander, 467.
Stubbs, Benjamin F., 411.
Stubbs, John H., 509.
Summers, Harvey W., 364.
Summers, James N., 615.
Summers, Milton S., 434.
Strahan, James M., 266.
Swain, J. J., 438.
Swarts, William C, 472.
T
Tabor College, 589.'
Tate, Rufus S., 479.
Taylor, John, 551.
Titterington, Thomas, 598.
Tubbs, L. W., 306.
Tubbs, William L., 585.
U
Utterback, J. H., 333.
V
Van Kirk, John, 389.
Vansant, William W., 287.
Vaughan, H. W., 432.
Vestal, Romulus S., 457.
Viner, Joseph B., 581.
W
Wall, William R., 275.
Warner, William W., 344.
Washburn, Albert B., 529.
Waterman, George M., 572.
Wearin, Adelbert J., 450.
Wearin, Josiah, 538.
Wearin, Otha, 468.
White, Walter B., 534.
Williams, Leroy E., 573.
Williams, Marshall J., 248.
Wilkins, William A., 501.
Wilson, James J., 621.
Wing, O. S., 370.
Winkler, Alpheus H., 346.
Wood, Harry E., 424.
Woodrow, E. R. C, 609.
Woodrow, Edwin G., 611.
Wortman, J. M., 620.
Zuck, Jonathan 8., 272.
iL2JLa_ft_a iLSLWJLJl JL51JLSJL2. JLJLSJLO-iLOJL^
IRTK©DWeTeF(Y
^^^/\j%/K/%/\/\/K/%/K'%/%/\/%/%
HE greatest of English historians, Macaulay, and one of the most
brilHant writers and profound thinkers of the present century, has
said: "The history of a country is best told in a record of the
Hves of its people." This is a fact which is becoming more and
more recognized as our people advance in education and intelli-
gence, and our own great Emerson, whose name stands at the
head of American writers of his day, in carrying forward and
emphasizing the great fact expressed by Macaulay, says: "Biog-
raphy is the only true history." It was for the purpose of gathering and preserving
this biographical matter in enduring form that the design for this volume originated.
COMPENDIUM OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY.
Regarding the fore part of this volume, "Part I." which is devoted to a "Com-
pendium OF National Biography," but little need be said. The lives of the great
men and celebrities of America are so inaccessible to the general public, and are so
often in demand without being accessible, that it has been deemed wise to gather
together a vast number of the biographies of our nation's greatest men and include
them in this work as a fitting preface to the life histories and biographies of the
local parties which follow and embrace the latter part of the volume. It is not
given to all men to become great in a national sense, but the life history of those
who do, makes up the history of our nation, and as such the history of their lives
should be in every home and library as a means of reference and education.
compendium of local biography.
That portion of the volume devoted to a "Compendium of Local Biography,"
or "Part II," is of the greatest value, and its value will increase as the years go by.
In this department of local biography is carried out the ol)ject which led to the com-
pilation of this work, in gathering together and placing in enduring form, before it
becomes too late, the life history of those who have helped to build up this region
and who have taken part in the progress and development in business, political,
social, and agricultural affairs. The rank that any county holds amoii}; .lI sister
counties depends largely tipon the achievements of its citizens. Some add to its rep-
utation by efificient public service, some by increasing its manufacturing or commercial
INTR OD UC TOR 7'.
interests, and some by adding to the general wealth and prosperity in cultivating and
improving its lands. To give a faithful account of the lives of old settlers and rep-
resentative citizens of this region is to write its history in the truest sense. Each
year, as it rolls its endless way along the mighty pathway of time, is thinning the
ranks of those hardy pioneers and old settlers whose lives are so thoroughly identi-
fied with this region. The relentless hand of death, pursuing its remorseless and
unceasing avocation, is cutting down, one by one, those whose life histories should
be preserved as a part of the history of the growth and development of this region.
The necessity for the collection and preservation of this matter, before it becomes
too late, is the object of this work.
Instead of going to musty records and taking therefrom dry statistical matter and
official generalities, which can be appreciated by but few, our corps of writers have
gone direct to the people, to the men and women who have by their enterprise and
industry, brought about the development found in this region, and from their lips
have written the story of their life struggles. No more interesting or instructive mat-
ter could be presented to an intelligent public. In this department, devoted to Local
Biography, will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imitation of
coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and
economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for
securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an influence
widely extended. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to
eminence, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every walk in
life who have striven to succeed, and records how success has usually crowned their
efforts. It tells, also, of many, very many, who, not seeking the applause of the
world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," content to have it said of them
as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy. — "they have done what
they could." It tells how many, in the pride and strength of young manhood, left
the plow and the anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting room, left every trade
and profession, and at their country's call went forth valiantly "to do or die," for
the cause and principles they held so dear. In the life of every man and of every
woman is a lesson that should not be lost upon those who follow after.
Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treas-
ure,' from the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into pub-
lic records, and which would otherwise be inaccessible and lost forever. Great care
has been taken in the compilation of this work, and every opportunity for revision
possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written,
and the publishers feel warranted in saying that they give to their readers a work
with very few, if any, errors of consequence.
In closing this brief introductory the memorable words of Carlyle fittingly express
the hope. aim. and desire of the publishers in the compilation of this volume: "Let
the record be made of the men and things of to-day, lest they pass out of memory
to-morrow and are lost. Then perpetuate them, not upon wood or stone that crum-
bles to dust, but chronicled in picture and in words that endure forever."
THF FIW TOFr
PUBLIC LIF
r ; t
^^^^^^^j^
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
OF .
Celebrated Americans
'^"^•^^'^
-^^ji
»»*»»»<»i*i » m I ti n — ^<
>♦»••»•>»»
WASHINGTON,
I ^
^1 ^ lEORGE
^' ■ -* I the first president of the Unit-
I ed States, called the "Father
i^» T\>iv>f\ «T><t\>nin^. of his Country," was one of
^^^^T^^ the most celebrated characters
X'fi^ in history. He was born Feb-
1732, in Washing-
I
G
^^
ruary 22,
ton Parish, Westmoreland county, Virginia.
His father, Augustine Washington, first
married Jane Butler, who bore him four
children, and March t, 1730, he married
Mary Ball. Of six children by his second
marriage, George was the eldest.
Little is known of the early years of
Washington, beyond the fact that the house
in which he was born was burned during his
early childhood, and that his father there-
upon moved to another farm, inherited from
his paternal ancestors, situated in Stafford
county, on the north bank of the Rappahan-
nock, and died there in 1743. From earliest
childhood George developed a noble charac-
ter. His education was somewhat defective,
being confined to the elementary branches
taught him by his mother and at a neighbor-
ing school. On leaving school he resided
some time at Mount \''ernon with his half
brother, Lawrence, who acted as his guar-
dian. George's inclinations were for a sea-
faring career, and a midshipman's warrant
was procured for him; but through the oppo-
sition of his mother the project was aban-
doned, and at the ag2 of sixteen he was
appointed surveyor to the immense estates
of the eccentric Lord Fairfax. Three years
were passed by Washington in a rough fron-
tier life, gaining experience which afterwards
proved very essential to him. In 175 1,
when the Virginia militia were put under
training with a view to active service against
France, Washington, though only nineteen
years of age, was appointed adjutant, with
the rank of major. In 1752 Lawrence
Washington died, leaving his large property
to an infant daughter. In his will George
was named one of the executors and as an
eventual heir to Mount Vernon, and by the
death of the infant niece, soon succeeded to
that estate. In 1753 George was commis-
sioned adjutant-general of the Virginia
militia, and performed important work at
the outbreak of the French and Indian
war, was rapidly promoted, and at the close of
that war we find him commander-in-chief of
C*pTrl;ht ISOT, by Geo. A. Ogle £ Cj.
18
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
all the forces raised in Virginia. A cessation
of Indian hostilities on the frontier having
followed the expulsion of the French from
the Ohio, he resigned his commission as
commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces,
and then proceeded to Williamsburg to take
his seat in the Virginia Assembly, of which
he had been elected a member.
January 17, 1759, Washington married
Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Curtis, a young
and beautiful widow of great wealth, and
devoted himself for the ensuing fifteen years
to the quiet pursuits of agriculture, inter-
rupted only by the annual attendance in
winter upon the colonial legislature at
Williamsburg, until summoned by his coun-
try to enter upon that other arena in which
his fame was to become world-wide. The
war for independence called Washington
into service again, and he was made com-
mander-in-chief of the colonial forces, and
was the most gallant and conspicuous figure
in that bloody struggle, serving until Eng-
land acknowledged the independence of
each of the thirteen States, and negotiated
with them jointly, as separate sovereignties.
December 4, 1783, the great commander
took leave of his officers in most affection-
ate and patriotic terms, and went to An-
napolis, Maryland, w -re the congress of
the States was in sessi .i, and to that body,
when peace and order prevailed everywhere,
resigned his commission and retired to
Mount Vernon.
It was in 1789 that Washington was
called to the chief magistracy of the na-
tion. The inauguration took place April
30, in the presence of an immense multi-
tude which had assembled to witness the new
and imposing ceremony. In the manifold de-
tails of his civil administration Washington
proved himself fully equal to the requirements
of his position. In 1792, at the second presi-
dential election, Washington was desirous
to retire; but he yielded to the general wish
of the country, and was again chosen presi-
dent. At the third election, in 1796, he
was again most urgently entreated to con-
sent to remain in the executive chair. This
he positively refused, and after March 4,
1797. he again retired to Mount Vernon
for peace, quiet, and repose.
Of the call again made on this illustrious
chief to quit his repose at Mount Ver-
non and take command of all the United
States forces, with rank of lieutenant-gen-
eral, when war was threatened with France
in 1798, nothing need here be stated, ex-
cept to note the fact as an unmistakable
testimonial of the high regard in which he
was still held by his countrymen of all
shades of political opinion. He patriotic-
ally accepted this trust, but a treaty of
peace put a stop to all action under it. He
again retired to Mount Vernon, where he
died December 14. 1799, in the sixty-eighth
year of his age. His remains were depos-
ited in a family vault on the banks of the
Potomac, at Mount Vernon, where they still
lie entombed.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, an eminent
American statesman and scientist, was
born of poor parentage, January 17, 1706,
in Boston, Massachusetts. He was appren-
ticed to his brother James to learn the print-
er's trade to prevent his running away and
going to sea, and also because of the numer-
ous family his parents had to support (there
being seventeen children, Benjamin being
the fifteenth). He was a great reader, and
soon developed a taste for writing,, and pre-
pared a number of articles and had them
published in the paper without his brother's
knowledge, and when the authorship be-
came known it resulted in difficulty for tae
COMPENDIUM OF niOGRAPIir,
J7
young apprentice, although his articles had
been received with favor by the public.
James was afterwards thrown into prison for
political reasons, and young Benjamin con-
ducted the paper alone during the time. In
1823, however, he determined to endure his
bonds no longer, and ran away, going to
Philadelphia, where he arrived with only
three pence as his store of wealth. With
these he purchased three rolls, and ate them
as he walked along the streets. He soon
found employment as a journeyman printer.
Two years later he was sent to England by
the governor of Pennsylvania, and was
promised the public printing, but did not get
it. On his return to Philadelphia he estab-
lished the "Pennsylvania Gazette," and
soon found himself a person of great popu-
larity in the province, his ability as a writer,
philosopher, and politician having reached
the neighboring colonies. He rapidly grew
in prominence, founded the Philadelphia Li-
brary in 1842, and two years later the
American Philosophical Society and the
University of Pennsylvania. He was made
Fellow of the Royal Society in London in
1775. His world-famous investigations in
electricity and lightning began in 1746. He
became postmaster-general of the colonies
in 1753, having devised an inter-colonial
postal system. He advocated the rights of
the colonies at all times, and procured the
repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. He was
elected to the Continental congress of 1775,
and in 1776 was a signer of the Declaration
of Independence, being one of the commit-
tee appointed to draft that paper. He rep-'
resented the new nation in the courts of
Europe, especially at Paris, where his simple
dignity and homely wisdom won him the
admiration of the court and the favor of the
people. He was governor of Pennsylvania
four years; was also a member of the con-
vention in 1787 that drafted the constitutioa
of the United States.
His writings upon political topics, anti-
slavery, finance, and economics, stamp him
as one of the greatest statesmen of his time,
while his "Autobiography" and "Poor
Richard's Almanac " give him precedence in
the literary field. In early life he was ari
avowed skeptic in religious matters, but
later in life his utterances on this subject
were less extreme, though he never ex-
pressed approval of any sect or creed. He
died in Philadelphia April 17, 1790.
DANIEL WEBSTER.— Of world wide
reputation for statesmanship, diplo-
macy, and oratory, there is perhaps no more
prominent figure in the history of our coun-
try in the interval between 181 5 and 1861,
than Daniel Webster. He was born at
Salisbury (now Franklin), New Hampshire,
January 18, 1782, and was the second son
of Ebenezer and Abigail (Eastman) Webster.
He enjoyed but limited educational advan-
tages in childhood, but spent a few months
in 1797, at Phillip Exeter Academy. He
completed his preparation for college in the
family of Rev. Samuel Wood, at Boscawen,
and entered Dartmouth College in the fall
of 1797. He supp Hed himself most of the
time during these y jirs by teaching school
and graduated in 1801, having the credit of
being the foremost scholar of his class. He
entered the law office of Hon. Thomas W.
Thompson, at Salisbury. In 1S02 he con-
tinued his legal studies at Fryeburg. Maine,
where he was principal of the academy and
copyist in the office of the register of
deeds. In the office of Christopher Gore,
at Boston, he completed his studies in
1804-5, ^"^ ^^'^s admitted to the bar in the
latter year, and at Boscawen and at Ports-
mouth soon rose to eminence in his profes-
20
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
sion. He became known as a federalist
but did not court political honors; but, at-
tracting attention by his eloquence in oppos-
ing the war with England, he was elected
to congress in 1812. During the special
session of May, 181 3, he was appointed on
the committee on foreign affairs and made
his maiden speech June 10, 1813. Through-
out this session (as afterwards) he showed
liis mastery of the great economic questions
of the day. He was re-elected in 1814. In
1816 he removed to Boston and for seven
years devoted himself to his profession,
earning by his arguments in the celebrated
"Dartmouth College Case" rank among
the most distinguished jurists of the country.
In 1820 Mr. Webster was chosen a member
of the state convention of Massachusetts, to
revise the constitution. The same year he
delivered the famous discourse on the " Pil-
grim fathers," which laid the foundation for
his fame as an orator. Declining a nomi-
nation for United States senator, in 1822 he
■was elected to the lower house of congress
and was re-elected in 1824 and 1826, but in
1827 was transferred to the senate. He
retained his seat in the latter chamber until
1 841. During this time his voice was ever
lifted in defence of the national life and
honor and although politically opposed to
him he gave his support to the administra-
tion of President Jackson in the latter's con-
test with nullification. Through all these
years he was ever found upon the side of
right and justice and his speeches upon all
the great questions of the day have be-
come household w^ords in almost every
family. In 1841 Mr. Webster was appointed
secretary of state by President Harrison
and was continued in the same office by
President Tyler. While an incumbent of
this office he showed consummate ability as
a diplomat in the negotiation of the "Ash-
burton treaty " of August 9, 1849, which
settled many points of dispute between the
United States and England. In May, 1843,
he resigned his post and resumed his pro-
fession, and in December, 1845, took his
place again in the senate. He contributed
in an unofficial way to the solution of the
Oregon question with Great Britain in 1847.
He was disappointed in 1848 in not receiv-
ing the nomination for the presidency. He
became secretary of state under President
Fillmore in 1850 and in dealing with all the
complicated questions of the day showed a
wonderful mastery of the arts of diplomacy.
Being hurt in an accident he retired to his
home at Marshfield, where he died Octo-
ber 24, 1852.
HORACE GREELEY. —As journalist,
author, statesman and political leader,
there is none more widely known than the
man whose name heads this article. He
was born in Amherst, New Hampshire, Feb-
ruary 3, 181 1, and was reared upon a farm.
At an early age he evinced a remarkable
intelligence and love of learning, and at
the age of ten had read every book he could
borrow for miles around. About 1821 the
family removed to Westhaven, Vermont,
and for some years young Greeley assisted
in carrying on the farm. In 1826 he entered
the office of a weekly newspaper at East
Poultney, Vermont, where he remained
about four years. On the discontinuance
of this paper he followed his father's
family to Erie county, Pennsylvania,
whither they had moved, and for a time
worked at the printer's trade in that neigh-
borhood. In 1 83 1 Horace went to New
York City, and for a time found employ-^
ment as journeyman printer. January,
1833, in partnership with Francis Story, he
published the Morning Post, the first penny
COMPENDIUM OF BTOGRAPJir.
21
paper ever printed. This proved a failure '
and was discontinued after three weeks.
The business of job printing was carried on,
however, until the death of Mr. Story in
July following. In company with Jonas
Winchester, March 22, 1834, Mr. Greeley
commenced the publication of the Nczv
Yorker, a weekly paper of a high character.
For financial reasons, at the same time,
Greeley wrote leaders for other papers, and,
in 1838, took editorial charge of the Jcffcr-
sonian, a Whig paper published at Albany.
In 1840, on the discontinuance of that sheet,
he devoted his energies to the Log Cabin, a
campaign paper in the interests of the Whig
party. In the fall of 1841 the latter paper
was consolidated with the AVw Yorker, un-
der the name of the Tribune, the first num-
ber of which was issued April 10, 184 1. At
the head of this paper Mr. Greeley remained
until the day of his death.
In 1848 Horace Greeley was elected to
the national house of representatives to
fill a vacancy, and was a member of that
body until March 4, 1849. In 1851 he went
to Europe and served as a juror at the
World's Fair at the Crystal Palace, Lon-
don. In 1855, he made a second visit to
the old world. In 1859 he crossed the
plains and received a public reception at
San Francisco and Sacramento. He was a
member of the Republican national con-
vention, at Chicago in i860, and assisted in
the nomination of Abraham Lincoln for
President. The same year he was a presi-
dential elector for the state of New York,
and a delegate to the Loyalist convention
at Philadelphia.
At the close of the war, in 1865, Mr.
Greeley became a strong advocate of uni-
versal amnesty and complete pacification,
and in pursuance of this consented to be-
come one of the bondsmen for Jefferson
Davis, who was imprisoned for treason. In
1867 he was a delegate to the New York
state convention for the revision of the
constitution. In 1870 he was defeated fof
congress in the Si.xth New York district.
At the Liberal convention, which met in
Cincinnati, in May, 1872, on the fifth ballot
Horace Greeley was nominated for presi-
dent and July following was nominated for
the same office by the Democratic conven-
tion at Baltimore. He was defeated by a
large majority. The large amount of work
done by him during the campaign, together
with the loss of his wife about the same
time, undermined his strong constitution,
and he was seized with inflammation of the
brain, and died November 29, 1872.
In addition to his journalistic work. Mr.
Greeley was the author of several meritori-
ous works, among which were: " Hint*
toward reform," "Glances at Europe,**
" History of the struggle for slavery e.xten
sion," "Overland journey to San Francis-
co," "The American conflict," and " Rec-
ollections of a busy life."
HENRY CLAY. — In writing of this em-
inent American, Horace Greeley once
said: "He was a matchless party chief, an
admirable orator, a skillful legislator, wield-
ing unequaled influence, not only over his
friends, but even over those of his political
antagonists who were subjected to the magic
of his conversation and manners. " A law-
yer, legislator, orator, and statesman, few
men in history have wielded greater influ-
ence, or occupied so prominent a place in
the hearts of the generation in which they
lived.
Henry Clay was born near Richmond,
in Hanover county, Virginia, April 12,
1777, the son of a poor Baptist preacher
who died when Henry was but five years
22
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
old. The mother married again about ten
years later and removed to Kentucky leav-
ing Henry a clerk in a store at Richmond.
Soon afterward Henry Clay secured a posi-
tion as copyist in the office of the clerk of the
high court of chancery, and four years later
entered the law office of Robert Brooke,
then attorney general and later governor of
his native state. In 1797 Henry Clay was
licensed as a lawyer and followed his mother
to Kentucky, opening an office at Lexington
and soon built up a profitable practice.
Soon afterward Kentucky, in separating from
Virginia, called a state convention for the
purpose of framing a constitution, and Clay
at that time took a prominent part, publicly
urging the adoption of a clause providing
for the abolition of slavery, but in this he
was overruled, as he was fifty years later,
when in the height of his fame he again ad-
vised the same course when the state con-
stitution Vv^as revised in 1850. Young Clay
took a very active and conspicuous part in
the presidential campaign in 1800, favoring
the election of Jefferson; and in 1803 was
chosen to represent Fayette county in the
state 'egislature. In 1806 General John
Adair, ihen United States senator from
Kentucky, resigned and Henry Clay was
elected to fill the vacancy by the legislature
and served through one session in which he
at once assumed a prominent place. In
1807 he was again a representative in the
legislature and was elected speaker of the
house. At this time originated his trouble
with Humphrey Marshall. Clay proposed
that each member clothe himself and family
wholly in American fabrics, which Marshall
characterized as the ** language of a dema-
gogue." This led to a duel in which both
parties were slightly injured. In 1809
Henry Clay was again elected to fill a va-
cancy in the United States senate, and two
years later elected representative in the low-
er house of congress, being chosen speaker
of the house. About this time war was de-
clared against Great Britain, and Clay took
a prominent public place during this strug-
gle and was later one of the commissioners
sent to Europe by President Madison to ne-
gotiate peace, returning in September, 181 5,
having been re-elected speaker of the
house during his absence, and was re-elect-
ed unanimously. He was afterward re-
elected to congress and then became secre-
tary of state under John Quincy Adams.
In 1 83 1 he was again elected senator from
Kentucky and remained in the senate most
of the time until his death.
Henry Clay was three times a candidate
for the presidency, and once very nearly
elected. He was the unanimous choice of
the Whig party in 1844 for the presidency,
and a great effort was made to elect him
but without success, his opponent, James K.
Polk, carrying both Pennsylvania and New
York by a very slender margin, while either
of them alone would have elected Clay.
Henry Clay died at Washington June 29,
1852.
TAMES GILLESPIE BLAINE was one
<J of the most distinguished of American
statesmen and legislators. He was born
January 31, 1830, in Washington county,
Pennsylvania, and received a thorough edu-
cation, graduating at Washington College in
1847. In early life he removed to Maine
and engaged in newspaper work, becoming
editor of the Portland ' 'Advertiser. " While
yet a young man he gained distinction as a
debater and became a conspicuous figure in
political and public affairs. In 1862 he was
elected to congress on the Republican ticket
in Maine and was re-elected five times. In
March, 1869, he was chosen speaker of the
COMPENDIUM OF niOGRAPJlV,
28
house of representatives and was re-elected
in 1 87 1 and again in 1873. In 1876 he was
a representative in the lower house of con-
gress and during that year was appointed
United States senator by the Governor to
fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of
Senator Morrill, who had been appointed
secretary of the treasury. Mr. Blaine
served in the senate until March 5, 1881,
when President Garfield appointed him sec-
retary of state, which position he resigned
in December, i88r. Mr. Blaine was nom-
inated for the presidency by the Republic-
ans, at Chicago in June, 1884, but was de-
feated by Grover Cleveland after an exciting
and spirited campaign. During the later
years of his life Mr. Blaine devoted most of
his time to the completion of his work
••Twenty Years in Congress," which had a
remarkably large sale throughout the United
States. Blaine was a man of great mental
ability and force of character and during the
latter part of his life was one of the most
noted men of his time. He was the origina-
tor of what is termed the " reciprocity idea"
in tariff matters, and outlined the plan of
carrying it into practical effect. In 1876
Robert G. Ingersoll in making a nominating
speech placing Blaine's name as a candidate
for president before the national Republican
convention at Cincinnati, referred to Blaine
as the " Plumed Knight " and this title clung
to him during the remainder of his life. His
death occurred at Washington, January 27,
1893-
JOHN CALDWELL CALHOUN, a dis-
tinguished American statesman, was a
native of South Carolina, born in Abbeville
district, March 18, 1782. He was given
the advantages of a thorough education,
graduating at Yale College in 1804, and
adopted the calling of a lawyer. A Demo-
crat politically, at that time, he took a fore-
most part in the councils of his party and
was elected to congress in iSi i. supporting?
the tariff of 18 16 and the establi.shing of
the United States Bank. In 1S17 he be-
came secretary of war in President Monroe's
cabinet, and in 1824 was elected vice-president
of the United States, on the ticket with John
Quincy Adams, and re-elected in 1 828, on the
ticket with General Jackson. Shortly after
this Mr. Calhoun became one of the strongest
advocates of free trade and the principle of
sovereignty of the states and was one of
the originators of the doctrine that "any
state could nullify unconstitutional laws of
congress." Meanwhile Calhoun had be-
come an aspirant for the presidency, and
the fact that General Jackson advanced the
interests of his opponent, \'an Buren, led
to a quarrel, and Calhoun resigned the vice-
presidency in 1832 and was elected United
States senator from South Carolina. It was
during the same year that a convention was
held in South Carolina at which the " Nul-
lification ordinance " was adopted, the ob-
ject of which was to test the constitution-
ality of the protective tariff measures, and
to prevent if possible the collection of im-
port duties in that state which had been
levied more for the purpose of ' ' protection "
than revenue. This ordinance was to go
into effect in February. 1833, and created a
great deal of uneasiness throughout the
country as it was feared there would be a
clash between the state and federal authori-
ties. It was in this serious condition of
public affairs that Henry Clay came forward
with the the famous "tariff compromise"
of 1833, to which measure Calhoun and
most of his followers gave their support and
the crisis was averted. In 1843 Mr. Cal-
houn was appointed secretary oi state in
President Tyler's cabinet, and it was under
24
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
his administration that the treaty concern-
ing the annexation of Texas was* negotiated.
In 1845 he was re-elected to the United
States senate and continued in the senate
until his death, which occurred in March,
1850. He occupied a high rank as a scholar,
student and orator, and it is conceded that
he was one of the greatest debaters America
has produced. The famous debate between
Calhoun and Webster, in 1833, is regarded
as the most noted for ability and eloquence
in the history of the country.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BUTLER, one
of America's most brilliant and pro-
found lawyers and noted public men, was
a native of New England, born at Deer-
lield. New Hampshire, November 5, 1818.
His father. Captain John Butler, was a
prominent man in his day, commanded a
company during the war of 18 12, and
served under Jackson at New Orleans.
Benjamin F. Butler was given an excellent
education, graduated at Waterville College,
Maine, studied law, was admitted to the
bar in 1840, at Lowell, Massachusetts,
where he commenced the practice of his
profession and gained a wide reputation for
his ability at the bar, acquiring an extensive
practice and a fortune. Early in life he
began taking an active interest in military
affairs and served in the state militia through
all grades from private to brigadier-general.
In 1853 he was elected to the state legisla-
ture on the Democratic ticket in Lowell,
and took a prominent part in the passage of
legislation in the interests of labor. Dur-
ing the same year he was a member of the
constitutional convention, and in 1859 rep-
resented his district in the Massachusetts
senate. When the Civil war broke out
General Butler took the field and remained
at the front most of the time during that
bloody struggle. Part of the time he had
charge of Fortress Monroe, and in Febru-
ary, 1862, took command of troops forming
part of the expedition against New Orleans,
and later had charge of the department of
the Gulf. He was a conspicuous figure dur-
ing the continuance of the war. After the
close of hostilities General Butler resumed
his law practice in Massachusetts and in
1866 was elected to congress from the Es-
sex district. In 1882 he was elected gov-
ernor of Massachusetts, and in 1884 was the
nominee of the " Greenback" party for
president of the United States. He con-
tinued his legal practice, and maintained his
place as one of the most prominent men in
New England until the time of his death,
which occurred January 10, 1893.
JEFFERSON DAVIS, an officer, states-
man and legislator of prominence in
America, gained the greater part of his fame
from the fact that he was president of the
southern confederacy. Mr. Davis was born
in Christian county. Kentucky, June 3,
1808, and his early education and surround-
ings were such that his sympathies and in-
clinations were wholly with the southern
people. He received a thorough education,
graduated at West Point in 1828, and for a
number of years served in the army at west-
ern posts and in frontier service, first as
lieutenant and later as adjutant. In 1835
he resigned and became a cotton planter in
Warren county, Mississippi, where he took
an active interest in public affairs and be-
came a conspicuous figure in politics. In
1844 he was a presidential elector from
Mississippi and during the two following
years served as congressman from his d's-
trict. He then became colonel of a iviissis-
sippi regiment in the war with Mexico and,
participated in some of the most sev^^re cm-
COMPEX/UUM or lUOGRAPlir.
25
ties, being seriously wounded at Buena
Vista. Upon his return to private life he
again took a prominent part in political af-
fairs and represented his state in the United
States senate from 1847 to 185 i. He then
entered President Pierce's cabinet as secre-
tary of war, after .which he again entered
the United States senate, remaining until
the outbreak of the Civil war. He then be-
c:inie pres dent of the southern confederacy
and served as such until captured in May,
1S65, at Irwinville Georgia. He was held
as prisoner of war at Fortress Monroe, until
1867, when he was released on bail and
finally set free in 1868. His death occurred
December 6, 1889.
Jefferson Davis was a man of excellent
abihlies and was recognized as one of the
best organizers of his day. He was a
forceful and fluent speaker and a ready
writer. He wrote and published the " Rise
and Fall of the Southern Confederacy," a
work which is considered as authority by
the southern peopL-.
JOHN ADAMS, the second president of
the United States, and one of the most
conspicuous figures in the early struggles of
his country for independence, was born in
the present town of Quincy, then a portion
of Braintree, Massachusetts, October 30,
1735. He received a thorough education,
graduating at Harvard College in 1755,
studied law and was admitted to the bar in
1758. He was well adapted for this profes-
sion and after opening an office in his native
town rapidly grew in prominence and public
favor and soon was regarded as one of the
leading lawyers of the country. His atten-
tion was called to political affairs by the
passage of the Stamp Act, in 1765, and he
drew up a set of resolutions on the subject
which were very popular. In 1768 he re-
moved to Boston and became one of the
most courageous and prominent advocates
of the popular cause and was chosen a
member of the Colonial legislature from
Boston. He was one of the delegates that
represented Massachusetts in the first Con-
tinental congress, which met in September,
1774. In a letter written at this crisis he
uttered the famous words: "The die is now
cast; I have passed the Rubicon. Sink or
suini, live or die. survive or perish with my
country, is my unalterable determination."
He was a prominent figure in congress and
advocated the movement for independence
when a majority of the members were in-
clined to temporize and to petition the King.
\\\ May, 1776. he presented a resolution in
congress that the colonies should assume
the duty of self-government, which was
passed. In June, of the same year, a reso-
lution that the United States "are, and ol
right ought to be, free and independent."
was moved by Richard H. Lee, seconded by
Mr. Adams and adopted by a small majority.
Mr. Adams was a member of the committee
of five appointed June i I to prepare a
declaration of independence, in support of
which he made an eloquent speech. He was
chairman of the Board of War in 1776 and
in 1 778 was sent as commissioner to France,
but returned the following year. In 17S0
he went to Europe, having been appointed
as minister to negotiate a treaty of peace
and commerce with Great Britain. Con-
jointly with Franklin and Jay he negotiated
a treaty in 1782. He was employed as a
minister to the Court of St. James from
1785 to 1788. and during that period wrote
his famous "Defence of the American Con-
stitutions." In 1789 he became vice-presi-
dent of the United States and was re-elected
in 1792.
In 1796 Mr. Adams was chosen presi-
26
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
dent of the United States, his competitor
being Thomas Jefferson, who became vice-
president. In 1800 he was the Federal
candidate for president, but he was not.
cordially supported by Gen. Hamilton, the
favorite leader of his party, and was de-
feated by Thomas Jefferson.
Mr. Adams then retired from public life
to his large estate at Quincy, Mass., where
he died July 4, 1826, on the same day that
Witnessed the death of Thomas Jefferson.
Though his physical frame began to give way
many years before his death, his mental
powers retained their strength and vigor to
the last. In his ninetieth year he was glad-
dened by .the elevation of his son, John
Quincy Adams, to the presidential office.
HENRY WARD BEECHER, one of the
most celebrated American preachers
and authors, was born at Litchfield, Connec-
ticut, June 24, 1 8 1 3. His father was Dr. Ly-
man Beecher, also an eminent divine. At
an early age Henry Ward Beecher had a
strong predilection for a sea-faring life, and
it was practically decided that he would fol-
low this inclination, but about this time, in
consequence of deep religious impressions
which he experienced during a revival, he
renounced his former intention and decided
to enter the ministry. After having grad-
uated at Amherst College, in 1834, he stud-
ied theology at Lane Seminary under the
tuition of his father, who was then president
of that institution. In 1847 he became pas-
tor of the Plymouth Congregational church
in Brooklyn, where his oratorical ability and
original eloquence attracted one of the larg-
est congregations in the country. He con-
tinued to served this church until the time
of his death, March 8, 1887. Mr. Beecher
alsc found time for a great amount of liter-
ary work. For a number of years he was
editor of the "Independent" and also the
" Christian Union. " He also produced many
Vv'orks which are widely known. Among his
principal productions are "Lectures to Young .
Men," " Star Papers, " "Life of Christ,"
"Life Thoughts," "Royal Truths" (a
novel), "Norwood," " Evolution and Rev-
olution," and " Sermons on Evolution and
Religion. " Mr. Beecher was also long a
prominent advocate of anti-slavery princi-
ples and temperance reform, and, at a later
period, of the rights of women.
JOHN A. LOGAN, the illustrious states-
man and general, was born in Jackson
county, Illinois, February 9, 1824. In his
boyhood days he received but a limited edu-
cation in the schools of his native county.
On the breaking out of the war with Mexico
he enlisted in the First Illinois Volunteers
and became its quartermaster. At the close
of hostilities he returned home and was
elected clerk of the courts of Jackson county
in 1849. Determining to supplement his
education Logan entered the Louisville Uni-
versity, from which he graduated in 1852
and taking up the study of law was admitted
to the bar. He attained popularity and suc-
cess in his chosen profession and was elected
to the legislature in 1852, 1853, 1856 and
1857. He was prosecuting attorney from
1853 to 1857. He was elected to congress
in 1858 to fill a vacancy and again in i860.
At the outbreak of the Rebellion, Logan re-
signed his office and entered the army, and
in September, 1861, was appointed colonel
of the Thirty-first Illinois Infantry, which he
led in the battles of Belmont and Fort Don-
elson. In the latter engagement he was
wounded. In March, 1862, he was pro-
moted to be brigadier-general and in the
following month participated in the battles
of Pittsburg Landing. In November, 1862,
PUBL
C I
COMPEXDIUM OF BTOGRArur.
29
for gallant conduct he was made major-gen-
eral. Throughout the Vicksburg campaign
he was in command of a division of the Sev-
enteenth Corps and was distinguished at
Port Gibson, Champion Kills and in the
siege and capture of Vicksburg. In October,
1863, he was placed in command of the
Fifteenth Corps, which he led with great
credit. During the terrible conflict before
Atlanta, July 22, 1864, on the death of
General McPherson, Logan, assuming com-
mand of the Army of the Tennessee, led it
on to victory, saving the day by his energy
and ability. He was shortly after succeeded
by General O. O. Howard and returned to
the command of his cor^s. He remained
in command until the presidential election,
when, feeling that his influence was needed
at home he returned thither and there re-
mained until the arrival of Sherman at Sa-
vannah, when General Logan rejoined his
command. In May, 1865, he succeeded
General Howard at the head of the Army of
the Tennessee. He resigned from the army
in August, the same year, and in November
was appointed minister to Mexico, but de-
clined the honor. He served in the lower
house of the fortieth and forty-first con-
gresses, and was elected United States sena-
tor from his native state in 1870, 1878 and
1885. He was nominated for the vice-presi-
dency in 1 884 on the ticket with Blaine, but
was defeated. General Logan was the
author of " The Great Conspiracy, its origin
and history," published in 1885. He died
at Washington, December 26, 1886.
JOHN CHARLES FREMONT, the first
Republican candidate for president, was
born in Savannah, Georgia, January 21,
18 1 3. He graduated from Charleston Col-
lege (South Carolina) in 1830, and turned his
attention to civil engineering. He was shortly
2
afterward employed in the department of
government surveys on the Mississippi, and
constructing maps of that region. He was
made lieutenant of engineers, and laid be-
fore the war department a plan for p< ne-
trating the Rocky Mountain regions, which
was accepted, and in 1842 he set out upon
his first famous exploring expedition and ex-
plored the South Pass. He al.so planned an
expedition to Oregon by a new route further
south, but afterward joined his exf)edition
with that of Wilkes in the region of the
Great Salt Lake. He made a later expedi-
tion which penetrated the Sierra Kcvadas,
and the San Joaquin and Sacramento river
valleys, making maps of all regions explored.
In 1845 he conducted the great expedi-
tion which resulted in the acciuisition of
California, which it was believed the Mexi-
can government was about to dispose of to
England. Learning that the Mexican gov-
ernor was preparing to attack tne American
settlements in his dominion, Fremont deter-
mined to forestall him. The settlers rallied
to his camp, and in June, 1846, he defeated
the Mexican forces at Sonoma Pass, and a
month later completely routed the governor
and his entire army. The Americans at
once declared their independence of Mexico,
and Fremont was elected governor of Cali-
fornia. By this time Commodore Stockton
had reached the coast with instructions from
Washington to conquer California. Fre-
mont at once joined him in that effort, which
resulted in the annexation of California with
its untold mineral wealth. Later Fremont
became involved in a difliculty with fellow
officers which resulted in a court martial,
and the surrender of his commission. He
declined to accept reinstatement. He af-
terward laid out a great road from the Mis-
sissippi river to San Francisco, and became
the first United States senator from Califor-
80
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPiTT.
nia, in 1849. In 1856 he was nominated
by the new Republican party as its first can-
didate for president against Buchanan, and
received 114 electoral votes, out of 296.
In 1 86 1 he was made major-general and
placed in charge of the western department.
He planned the reclaiming of the entire
Mississippi valley, and gathered an army of
thirty thousand men, with plenty of artil-
lery, and was ready to move upon the con-
federate General Price, when he was de-
prived of his command. He was nominated
for the presidency at Cincinnati in 1864, but
withdrew. He was governor of Arizona in
1878, holding the position four years. He
was interested in an engineering enterprise
looking toward a great southern trans-con-
tinental railroad, and in his later years also
practiced law in New York. He died July 1 3,
1890.
WENDELL PHILLIPS, the orator and
abolitionist, and a conspicuous figure
in American history, was born November
29, 181 1, at Boston, Massachusetts. He
received a good education at Harvard
College, from which he graduated in 1831,
and then entered the Cambridge Law School.
After completing his course in that institu-
tion, in 1833, he was admitted to the bar,
in 1834, at Suffolk. He entered the arena
of life at the time when the forces of lib-
erty and slavery had already begun their
struggle that was to culminate in the Civil
war. WiUiam Lloyd Garrison, by his clear-
headed, courageous declarations of the anti-
slavery principles, had done much to bring
about this struggle. Mr. Phillips was not a
man that could stand aside and see a great
struggle being carried on in the interest of
humanity and look passively on. He first
attracted attention as an orator in 1837, at
a meeting that was called to protest against
the murder of the Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy.
The meeting would have ended in a few
perfunctory resolutions had not Mr. Phillips
by his manly eloquence taken the meeting
out of the hands of the few that were in-
clined to temporize and avoid radical utter-
ances. Having once started out in this ca-
reer as an abolitionist Phillips never swerved
from what he deemed his duty, and never
turned back. He gave up his legal practice
and launched himself heart and soul in the
movement for the liberation of the slaves.
He was an orator of very great ability and
by his earnest efforts and eloquence he did
much in arousing public sentiment in behalf
of the anti-slavery cause — ^possibly more
than any one man of his time. After the
abolition of slavery Mr. Phillips was, if pos-
sible, even busier than before m the literary
and lecture field. Besides temperance and
women's rights, he lectured often and wrote
much on finance, and the relations of labor
and capital, and his utterances on whatever
subject always bore the stamp of having
emanated from a master mind. Eminent
critics have stated that it might fairly be
questioned whether there has ever spoken
in America an orator superior to Phillips.
The death of this great man occurred Feb-
ruary 4, 1884.
WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN
was one of the greatest generals that
the world has ever produced and won im-
mortal fame by that strategic and famous
" march to the sea," in the war of the Re-
bellion. He was born February 8, 1820, at
Lancaster, Ohio, and was reared in the
family of the Hon. Thomas Ewing, as his
father died when he was but nine years of
age. He entered West Point in 1836, was
graduated from the same in 1840, and ap-
pointed a second lieutenant in the Third
COMPENDIUM OF lUOGRAPIir.
81
Artillery. He passed through the various
grades of the service and at the outbreak of
the Civil war was appointed colonel of the
Thirteenth Regular Infantry. A full history
of General Sherman's conspicuous services
would be to repeat a history of the army.
He commanded a division at Shiloh, and
was instrumental in the winning of that bat-
tle, and was also present at the siege of Vicks-
burg. On July 4, 1863, he was appointed
brigadier-general of the regular army, and
shared with Hooker the victory of Mission-
ary Ridge. He was commander of the De-
panment of the Tennessee from October
27th until the appointment of General
Grant as lieutenant-general, by whom he
was appointed to the command of the De-
partment of the Mississippi, which he as-
sumed in March, 1864. He at once began
organizing the army and enlarging his com-
munications preparatory to his march upon
Atlanta, which he started the same time of
the beginning of the Richmond campaign by
Grant. He started on May 6, and was op-
posed by Johnston, who had fifty thousand
men, but by consummate generalship, he
captured Atlanta, on September 2, after
several months of hard fighting and a severe
loss of men. General Sherman started on
his famous march to the sea November 15,
1864, and by December 10 he was before
Savannah, which he took on December 23.
This campaign is a monument to the genius
of General Sherman as he only lost 567
men from Atlanta to the sea. After rest-
ing his army he moved northward and occu-
pied the following places: Columbia,
Cheraw, Fayetteville, Ayersboro, Benton-
ville, Goldsboro, Raleigh, and April 18, he
accepted the surrender of Johnston's army
on a basis of agreement that was not re-
ceived by the Government with favor, but
finally accorded Johnston the same terms as
Lee was given by General Grant. He was
present at the grand review at Washington,
and after the close of the war was appointed
to the command of the military division of
the Mississippi; later was appointed lieu-
tenant-general, and assigned to the military
division of the Missouri. When General
Grant was elected president Sherman became
general, March 4, 1869, and succeeded to
the command of the army. His death oc-
curred February 14, i89(, at Washington.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON, one of the
most prominent of the early American
statesmen and financiers, was born in Nevis,
an island of the West Indies. January 11.
1757, his father being a Scotchman and his
mother of Huguenot descent. Owing to the
death of his mother and business reverses
which came to his father, young Hamilton
was sent to his mother's relatives in Santa
Cruz; a few years later was sent to a gram-
mar school at Elizabethtown, New Jersey,
and in 1773 entered what is now known as
Columbia College. Even at that time he
began taking an active part in public affairs
and his speeches, pamphlets, and newspaper
articles on political affairs of the day at-
tracted considerable attention. In 1776 he
received a captain's commission and served
in W^ashington's army with credit, becoming
aide-de-camp to Washington with rank of
lieutenant-colonel. In 1781 he resigned his
commission because of a rebuke from Gen-
eral Washington. He ne.xt received com-
mand of a New York battalion and partici-
pated in the battle of Yorktown. After
this Hamilton studied law, served several
terms in congress and was a member of the
convention at which the Federal Constitu-
tion was drawn up. His work connected
with "The Federalist" at about this time
attracted much attention. Mr. Hamilton
-32
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
was chosen as the first secretary of the
United States treasury and as such was the
author of the funding system and founder of
the United States Bank. In 1798 he was
made inspector-general of the army with the
rank of major-general and was also for a
short time commander-in-chief. In 1804
Aaron Burr, then candidate for governor of
New York, challenged Alexander Hamilton
to fight a duel, Burr attributing his defeat
to Hamilton's opposition, and Hamilton,
though declaring the code as a relic of bar-
barism, accepted the challenge. They met
at Weehawken, New Jersey, July 11, 1804.
Hamilton declined to fire at his adversary,
but at Burr's first fire was fatally wounded
and died July 12, 1804.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON STEPH-
ENS, vice-president of the southern
confederacy, a former United States senator
and governor of Georgia, ranks among the
great men of American history. He was born
February 11, 18 12, near Crawfordsville,
Georgia. He was a graduate of the Uni-
versity of Georgia, and admitted to the bar
in 1834. In 1837 he made his debut in
political life as a member of the state house
of representatives, and in 1841 declined the
nomination for the same ofifice; but in 1842
he was chosen by the same constituency as
state senator. Mr. Stephens was one of
the promoters of the Western and Atlantic
Railroad. In 1843 he was sent by his dis-
trict to the national house of representatives,
which office he held for sixteen consec-
utive years. He was a member of the
house during the passing of the Compromise
Bill, and was one of its ablest and most
active supporters. The same year (1850)
Mr. Stephens was a delegate to the state
■convention that framed the celebrated
^' Georgia Platform," and was also a dele-
gate to the convention that passed the ordi-
nance of secession, though he bitterly op-
posed that bill by voice and vote, yet he
readily acquiesced in their decision after
it received the votes of the majority of the
convention. He was chosen vice-president
of the confederacy without opposition, and
in 1865 he was the head of the commis-
sion sent by the south to the Hampton
Roads conference. He was arrested after
the fall of the confederacy and was con-
fined in Fort Warren as a prisoner of state
but was released on his own parole. Mr.
Stephens was elected to the forty-third,
forty-fourth, forty-fifth, forty-sixth and for-
ty-seventh congresses, with hardly more than
nominal opposition. He was one of the
Jeffersonian school of American politics.
He wrote a number of works, principal
among which are: "Constitutional View
of the War between the States," and a
" Compendium of the History of the United
States." He was inaugurated as governor
of Georgia November 4th, 1882, but died
March 4, 1883, before the completion of
his term.
ROSCOE CONKLING was one of the
most noted and famous of American
statesmen. He was among the most fin-
ished, fluent and eloquent orators that have
ever graced the halls of the American con-
gress; ever ready, witty and bitter in de-
bate he was at once admired and feared by
his political opponents and revered by his
followers. True to his friends, loyal to the
last degree to those with whom his inter-
ests were associated, he was unsparing to his
foes and it is said "never forgot an injury."
Roscoe Conkling was born at Albany,
New York, on the 30th of October, 1829,
being a son of Alfred Conkling. Alfred
Conkling was also a native of New York,
COMPENDIUM OF BWGRAPIir,
83
born at East Hampton, October 12, 1789,
and became one of the most eminent law-
yers in the Empire state; pubHshed several
legal works; served a term in congress; aft-
erward as United States district judge for
Northern New York, and in 1852 was min-
ister to Mexico. Alfred Conkling died in
1874.
Roscoe Conkling, whose name heads
this article, at an early age took up the
study of law and soon became successful and
prominent at the bar. About 1846 he re-
moved to Utica and in 1858 was elected
mayor of that city. He was elected repre-
sentative in congress from this district and
was re-elected three times. In 1867 he was
elected United States senator from the state
of New York and was re-elected in 1873
and 1879. In May, 1881, he resigned on
account of differences with the president.
In March, 1882, he was appointed and con-
firmed as associate justice of the United
States supreme court but declined to serve.
His death occurred April 18, 1888.
WASHINGTON IRVING, one of the
most eminent, talented and popu-
lar of American authors, was born in New
York City, April 3, 1783. His father was
William Irving, a merchant and a native of
Scotland, who had married an English lady
and emigrated to America some twenty
years prior to the birth of Washington.
Two of the older sons, William and Peter,
were partially occupied with newspaper
work and literary pursuits, and this fact
naturally inclined Washington to follow
their example. Washington Irving was given
the advantages afforded by the common
schools until about sixteen years of age
when he began studying law, but continued
to acquire his literary training by diligent
perusal at home of the older English writers.
When nineteen he made his first literary
venture by printing in the *' Morning Chroni-
cle," then edited by his brother, Dr. Peter
Irving, a series of local sketches under the
nom-de-pluvic q{ *' Jonathan OKLstyle." In
1804 he began an extensive trip through
Europe, returned in 1806, quickly c<nn-
pleted his legal studies and was admitted to
the bar, but never practiced the profession.
In 1807 he began the amusing serial "Sal-
magundi," which had an iuunediate suc-
cess, and not only decided his future
career but long determined the charac-
ter of his writings. In 1808, assisted by
his brother Peter, he wrote " Knickerbock-
er's History of New York," and in 1810 an
excellent biography of Campbell, the poet.
After this, for some time, Irving's attention
was occupied by mercantile interests, but
the commercial house in which he was a
partner failed in 18 17. In 18 14 he was
editor of the Philadelphia "Analectic Maga-
zine. " About 1 81 8 appeared his " Skeli h-
Book, " over the 7iom-dc- plume of • 'Geoffrey
Crriyon," which laid the foundation of Ir-
ving's fortune and permanent fame. This
was soon followed by the legends of
"Sleepy Hollow," and " Kip Van Winkle,"
which at once took high rank as literary
productions, and Irving's reputation was
firmly established in both the old and new
worlds. After this the path of Irving was
smooth, and his subsequent writings ap-
peared with rapidity, including "Brace-
bridge Hall," "The Tales of a Traveler."
" History of the Life and Voyages of Chris-
topher Columbus," "The Conquest of
Granada," "The Alhambra," " Tour on
the Prairies," "Astoria," "Adventures of
Captain Bonneville," "Wolfcrt's Koost."
" Mahomet and his Successors," and "Life
of Washington," besides other works.
Washington Irving was never married.
34
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
He resided during the closing years of his
life at Sunnyside (Tarrytown) on the Hud-
son, where he died November 28, 1859.
CHARLES SUMNER.— Boldly outlined
on the pages of our history stands out
the rugged figure of Charles Sumner, states-
man, lawyer and writer. A man of unim-
peachable integrity, indomitable will and
with the power of tireless toil, he was a fit
leader in troublous times. First in rank as
an anti-slavery leader in the halls of con-
gress, he has stamped his image upon the
annals of his time. As an orator he took
front rank and, in wealth of illustration,
rhetoric and lofty tone his eloquence equals
anything to be found in history.
Charles Sumner was born in Boston,
Massachusetts, January 6, 181 1, and was
the son of Charles P. and Relief J. Sumner.
The family had long been prominent in that
state, Charles was educated at the Boston
Public Latin School; entered Harvard Col-
lege in 1826. and graduated therefrom in
1830. In 1 83 1 he joined the Harvard Law
School, then under charge of Judge Story,
and gave himself up to the study of law
with enthusiasm. His leisure was devoted
to contributing to the American Jurist. Ad-
mitted to the bar in 1834 he was appointed
reporter to the circuit court by Judge Story.
He published several works about this time,
and from 1835 to 1837 and again in 1843
was lecturer in the law school. He had
planned a lawyer's life, but in 1845 he gave
his attention to politics, speaking and working
against the admission of Texas to the Union
and subsequently against the Mexican war.
In 1848 he was defeated for congress on the
Free Soil ticket. His stand on the anti-
slavery question at that time alienated both
friends and clients, but he never swerved
from his convictions. In 185 1 he was elected
to the United States senate and took his
seat therein December i of that year. From
this time his life became the history of the
anti-slavery cause in congress. In August,
1852, he began his attacks on slavery by a
masterly argument for the repeal of the
fugitive slave law. On May 22, 1856, Pres-
ton Brooks, nephew of Senator Butler, of
South Carolina, made an attack upon Mr.
Sumner, at his desk in the senate, striking
him over the head with a heavy cane. The
attack was quite serious in its effects and
kept Mr. Sumner absent from his seat in the
senate for about four years. In 1857, 1863
and 1869 he was re-elected to the office of
senator, passing some twenty-three years in
that position, always advocating the rights
of freedom and equity. He died March 11,
1874-
THOMAS JEFFERSON, the third pres-
ident of the United States, was born
near Charlottesville, Albemarle county, Vir-
ginia, April 13, 1743, and was the son of
Peter and Jane (Randolph) Jefferson. He
received the elements of a good education,
and in 1760 entered William and Mary Col-
lege. After remaining in that institution for
two years he took up the study of law with
George Wythe, of Williamsburg, Virginia,
one of the foremost lawyers of his day, and
was admitted to practice in 1767. He ob-
tained a large and profitable practice, which
he held for eight years. The conflict be-
tween Great Britain and the Colonies then
drew him into public life, he having for'
some time given his attention to the study
of the sources of law, the origin of liberty
and equal rights.
Mr. Jefferson was elected to the Virginia
house of burgesses in 1769, and served in
that body several years, a firm supporter of
liberal measures, and, although a slave-
COMPEXniL/M 01- Ji/OGRAPJ/y
85
holder himself, an opponent of slavery.
With others, he was a leader among the op-
position to the king. He took his place as
a member of the Continental congress June
2 1, 1/75, 'irid after serving on several com-
mittees was appointed to draught a Declara-
tion of Independence, which he did, some
corrections being suggested by Dr. Franklin
and John Adams. This document was pre-
sented to congress June 28, 1776, and after
six days' debate was passed and was signed.
In the following September Mr. Jefferson
resumed his seat in the Virginia legislature,
and gave much time to the adapting of laws
of that state to the new condition of things.
He drew up the law, the first ever passed by
a legislature or adopted by a government,
which secured perfect religious freedom.
June I, 1779, he succeeded Patrick Henry
as governor of Virginia, an office which,
after co-operating with Washington in de-
fending the country, he resigned two years
later. One of his own estates was ravaged
by the British, and his house at Monticello
was held by Tarleton for several days, and
Jefferson narrowly escaped capture. After
the death of his wife, in 1782, he accepted
the position of plenipotentiary to France,
which he had declined in 1776. Before
leaving he served a short time in congress
at Annapolis, and succeeded in carrying a
bill for establishing our present decimal sys-
tem of currency, one of his most useful pub-
lic services. He remained in an official ca-
pacity until October, 1789, and was a most
active and vigilant minister. Besides the
onerous duties of his office, during this time,
he published "Notes on Virginia," sent to
the United States seeds, shrubs and plants,
forwarded literary and scientific news and
gave useful advice to some of the leaders of
the French Revolution.
Mr. Jefferson landed in Virginia Novem-
ber 18, 1789, having obtained a leave of
absence from his post, and shortly after ac-
cepted Washington's offer of the portfolio
of the department of state in his cabinet.
He entered upon the duties of his office in
March, 1791, and held it until January i,
1794, when he tendered his resignation.
About this time he and Alexander Hamilton
became decided and aggressive political op-
ponents, Jefferson being in warm sympathy
with the people in the French revolHtion
and strongly democratic in his feelings,
while Hamilton took the opposite side. In
1796 Jefferson was elected vice-president of
the United States. In 1800 he was elected
to the presidency and was inaugurated
March 4, 1801. During his administration,
which lasted for eight years, he having been
re-elected in 1804, he waged a successful
war against the Tripolitan pirates; purchased
Louisiana of Napoleon; reduced the public
debt, and was the originator of many wise
measures. Declining a nomination for a
third term he returned to Monticello, where
he died July 4, 1826, but a few hours before
the death of his friend, John Adams.
Mr. Jefferson was married January i,
1772, to Mrs. Martha Skelton, a young.
beautiful, and wealthy widow, who died
September 6, 1782. leaving three children,
three more having died previous to her
demise.
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT,known as
' ' Commodore " Vanderbilt. was the
founder of what constitutes the present im-
mense fortune of the Vanderbilt family. He
was born May 27, 1794, at Port Richmond.
Staten Island, Richmond county, New
York, and we find him at sixteen years run-
ning a small vessel between his home and
New York City. The fortifications of Sta-
ten and Long Islands were just in course of
86
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
construction, and he carried the laborers
from New York to the fortifications in his
•'perianger, " as it was called, in the day,
and at night carried supplies to the fort on
the Hudson. Later he removed to New
York, where he added to his little fleet. At
the age of twenty-three he was free from
debt and was worth $9,000, and in 18 17,
with a partner he built the first steamboat
that was run between New York and New
Brunswick, New Jersey, and became her
captain at a salary of $1,000 a year. The
next year he took command of a larger and
better boat and by 1824 he was in complete
control of the Gibbon's Line, as it was
called, which he had brought up to a point
Avhere it paid $40,000 a year. Commodore
Vanderbilt acquired the ferry between New
York and Elizabethport, New Jersey, on a
fourteen years' lease and conducted this on
a paying basis. He severed his connections
with Gibbons in 1829 and engaged in
business alone and for twenty years he was
the leading steamboat man in the country,
building and operating steamboats on the
Hudson River, Long Island Sound, on the
Delaware River and the route to Boston,
and he had the monopoly of trade on these
routes. In 1850 he determined to broaden
his field of operation and accordingly built
the steamship Prometheus and sailed for
the Isthmus of Darien, where he desired to
make a personal investigation of the pros-
pects of the American Atlantic and Pacific
Ship Canal Company, in which he had pur-
chased a controlling interest. Commodore
Vanderbilt planned, as a result of this visit,
a transit route from Greytown on the At-
lantic coast to San Juan del Sud on the Pa-
cific coast, which was a saving of 700 miles
over the old route. In 1851 he placed three
steamers on the Atlantic side and four on
the Pacific side to accommodate the enor-
mous traffic occasioned by the discovery of
gold in Cahfornia. The following year
three more vessels were added to his fleet
and a branch line established from New
Orleans to Greytown. In 1853 the Com-
modore sold out hisNicarauguaTransit Com-
pany, which had netted him $1,000,000
and built the renowned steam yacht, the
"North Star." He continued in the ship-
ping business nine years longer and accu-
mulated some $10,000,000. In 1861 he
presented to the government his magnifi-
cent steamer " Vanderbilt, " which had cost
him $800,000 and for which he received the
thanks of congress. In 1844 he became
interested in the railroad business which he
followed in later years and became one of
the greatest railroad magnates of his time.
He founded the Vanderbilt University at a
cost of $1,000,000. He died January 4,
1877, leaving a fortune estimated at over
$100,000,000 to his children.
DANIEL BOONE was one of the most
famous of the many American scouts,
pioneers and hunters which the early settle-
ment of the western states brought into
prominence. Daniel Boone was born Feb-
ruary II, 1735, in Bucks county, Pennsyl-
vania, but while yet a young man removed
to North Carolina, where he was married.
In 1769, with five companions, he pene-
trated into the forests and wilds of Kentucky
— then uninhabited by white men. He had
frequent conflicts with the Indians and was
captured by them but escaped and continued
to hunt in and explore that region for over
a year, when, in 1 771, he returned to his
home. In the summer of 1773, he removed
with his own and five other families into
what was then the wilderness of Kentucky,
and to defend his colony against the savages.
he built, in 1775, a fort at Boonesborough,
C0M7'ENDILL\f OF BIOGRAPIIT
87
on the Kentucky river. This fort was at-
tacked by the Indians several times in 1777,
but they were repulsed. The following
year, however, Boone was surprised and
captured by them. They took him to De-
troit and treated him with leniency, but he
soon escaped and returned to his fort which
he defended with success against four hun-
dred and fifty Indians in August, 1778. His
son, Enoch Boone, was the first white male
child born in the state of Kentucky. In
1795 Daniel Boone removed with his family
to Missouri, locating about forty-five miles
west of the present site of St. Louis, where
he found fresh fields for his favorite pursuits
— adventure, hunting, and pioneer life. His
death occurred September 20, 1820.
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFEL-
LOW, said to have been America's
greatest " poet of the people," was born at
Portland, Maine, February 27, 1807. He
entered Bowdoin College at the age of four-
teen, and graduated in 1825. During his
college days he distinguished himself in mod-
ern languages, and wrote several short
poems, one of the best known of which was
the " Hymn of the Moravian Nuns." After
his graduation he entered the law office of
his father, but the following year was offered
the professorship of modern languages at
Bowdoin, with the privilege of three years
study in Europe to perfect himself in French,
Spanish, Italian and German. After the
three years were passed he returned to the
United States and entered upon his profes-
sorship in 1829. His first volume was a
small essay on the "Moral and Devotional
Poetry of Spain" in 1833. In 1835 he pub-
lished some prose sketches of travel under
the title of " Outre Mer, a Pilgrimage be-
yond the Sea." In 1835 he was elected to
the chair of modern languages and literature
at Harvard University and spent a year in
Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, culti-
vating a knowledge of early Scandinavian
literature and entered upon his professor-
ship in 1836. Mr. Longfellow published in
1839 " Hyperion, a Romance," and "Voices
of the Night. " and his first volume of original
verse comprising the selecterl poems .f
twenty years work, procured him immediate
recognition as a poet. " Ballads and other
poetns" appeared in 1842, the "Spanish
Student" a drama in three acts, in 1843,
"The Belfry of Bruges " in 1846, "Evan-
geline, a Tale of Acadia," in 1847, which
was considered his master piece. In 1S45
he published a large volume of the "Poets
and Poetry of Europe," 1849 " Kavanagh,
a Tale," "The Seaside and Fireside" in
1850, "The Golden Legend" in 1851, "The
Song of Hiawatha " in 1855, "The Court-
ship of Miles Standish " in 1858, " Tales of
a Wayside Inn " in 1863; " Flower de Luce"
in 1866;" "New England Tragedies" in
1869; "The Divine Tragedy" in 1871;
"Three Books of Song" in 1872; -'The
Hanging of the Crane " in 1874. He also
published a masterly translation of Dante
in 1867-70 and the " Morituri Salutamus,"
a poem read at the fiftieth anniversary of
his class at Bowdoin College. Prof. Long-
fellow resigned his chair at Harvard Univer-
sity in 1854, but continued to reside at Cam-
bridge. Some of his poetical works have
been translated into many languages, and
their popularity rivals that of the best mod-
ern English poetry. He died March 24,
1882, but hfts left an imperishable fame as
one of the foremost of American poets.
PETER COOPER was in three partic-
ulars—as a capitalist and manufacturer,
as an inventor, and as a philanthropist —
connected intimately with some of the most
38
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY,
important and useful accessions to the in-
dustrial arts of America, its progress in in-
vention and the promotion of educational
and benevolent institutions intended for the
benefit of people at large. He was born
in New York city, February 12, 1791. His
life was one of labor and struggle, as it was
with most of America's successful men. In
early boyhood he commenced to help his
father as a manufacturer of hats. He at-
tended school only for half of each day for
a single year, and beyond this his acquisi-
tions were all his own. When seventeen
years old he was placed with John Wood-
ward to learn the trade of coach-making and
served his apprenticeship so satisfactorily
that his master offered to set him up in busi-
ness, but this he declined because of the
debt and obligation it would involve.
The foundation of Mr. Cooper's fortune
was laid in the invention of an improvement
in machines for shearing cloth. This was
largely called into use during the war of
1812 with England when all importations
of cloth from that country were stopped.
The machines lost their value, however, on
the declaration of peace. Mr. Cooper then
turned his shop into the manufacture of
cabinet ware. He afterwards went into the
grocery business in New York and finally he
engaged in the manufacture of glue and isin-
glass which he carried on for more than
fifty years. In 1830 he erected iron works
in Canton, near Baltimore. Subsequently
he erected a rolling and a wire mill in the
city of New York, in which he first success-
fully applied anthracite to the puddling of
iron. In these works, he was the first to
roll wrought-iron beams for fire-proof build-
ings. These works grew to be very exten-
sive, including mines, blast furnaces, etc.
While in Baltimore Mr. Cooper built in
1830, after his own designs, the first loco-
motive engine ever constructed on this con-
tinent and it was successfully operated on
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He also
took a great interest and invested large cap-
ital in the extension of the electric telegraph,
also in the laying of the first Atlantic cable;
besides interesting himself largely in the
New York state canals. But the most
cherished object of Mr. Cooper's life was
the establishment of an institution for the
instruction of the industrial classes, which
he carried out on a magnificent scale in New
York city, where the "Cooper Union"
ranks among the most important institu-
tions.
In May, 1876, the Independent party
nominated Mr. Cooper for president of the
United States, and at the election following
he received nearly 100,000 votes. His
death occurred April 4, 1883.
GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE,
one of the most conspicuous Confeder-
ate generals during the Civil war, and one
of the ablest military commanders of mod-
ern times, was born at Stratford House,
Westmoreland county, Virginia, January 19,
1807. In 1825 he entered the West Point
academy and was graduated second in his
class in 1829, and attached to the army as
second lieutenant of engineers. For a
number of years he was thus engaged in en-
gineering work, aiding in establishing the
boundary line between Ohio and Michigan,
and superintended various river and harbor
improvements, becoming captain of engi-
neers in 1838. He first saw field service in
the Mexican war, and under General Scott
performed valuable and efficient service.
In that brilliant campaign he was conspicu-
ous for professional ability as well as gallant
and meritorious conduct, winning in quick
succession the brevets of major, lieutenant-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIir.
80
colonel, and colonel for his part in the bat-
tles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Cherubusco,
Chapultepec, and in the capture of the city
Mexico. At the close of that war he re-
sumed his engineering work in connection
with defences along the Atlantic coast, and
from 1852 to 1855 was superintendent of
the Military Academy, a position which he
gave up to become lieutenant-colonel of the
Second Cavalry. For several years there-
after he served on the Te.xas border, but
happening to be near Washington at the
time of John Brown's raid, October 17 to
25, 1859, Colonel Lee was placed in com-
mand of the Federal forces employed in its
repression. He soon returned to his regi-
ment in Texas where he remained the
greater part of i860, and March 16, 1861,
became colonel of his regiment by regular
promotion. Three weeks later, April 25, he
resigned upon the secession of Virginia,
went at once to Richmond and tendered his
services to the governor of that state, being
by acclamation appointed commander-in-
chief of its military and naval forces, with
the rank of major-general.
He at once set to work to organize and
develop the defensive resources of his state
and within a month directed the occupation
in force of Manassas Junction. Meanwhile
Virginia having entered the confederacy and
Richmond become the capitol, Lee became
one of the foremost of its military officers
and was closely connected with Jefferson
Davis in planning the moves of that tragic
time. Lee participated in many of the
hardest fought battles of the war among
which were Fair Oaks, White Lake Swamps,
Cold Harbor, and the Chickahominy, Ma-
nassas, Cedar Run, Antietam, Fredericks-
burg, Chancellorsville, Malvern Hill, Get-
tysburg, the battles of the Wilderness cam-
paign, all the campaigns about Richmond,
Petersburg, Five Forks, and others. Lee's
surrender at Appomatox brought the war to
a close. It is said of General Lee that but
few commanders in history iiave been so
quick to detect the purposes of an opponent
or so quick to act upon it. Never surpassed,
if ever equaled, in the art of winning the
passionate, personal love and admiration of
his troops, he acquired and held an influ-
ence over his army to the very last, founded
upon a supreme trust in his judgment, pre-
science and skill, coupled with his cool,
stable, equable courage. A great writer has
said of him: "As regards the proper meas-
ure of General Lee's rank among the sol-
diers of history, seeing what he wrought
with such resources as he had, under all the
disadvantages that ever attended his oper-
ations, it is impossible to measure what he
might have achieved in campaigns and bat-
tles with resources at his own disposition
equal to those against which he invariably
contended."
Left at the close of the war without es-
tate or profession, he accepted the presi-
dency of Washington College at Lexington,
Virginia, where he died October 12, 1S70.
JOHN JAY, first chief-justice of the
United States, was born in New York,
December 12, 1745. He took up the study
of law, graduated from King's College
(Columbia College), and was admitted to
the bar in 1768. He was chosen a member
of the committee of New York citizens to
protest against the enforcement by the
British government of the Boston Port Bill,
was elected to the Continental congress
which met in 1774. and was author of the
addresses to the people of Great Britian and
of Canada adopted by that and the suc-
ceeding congress. He was chosen to the
provincial assembly of his own state, and
40
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
resigned from the Continental congress to
serve in that body, wrote most of its public
papers, including the constitution of the new
state, and was then made chief-justice. He
was again chosen as a member of the Con-
tinental congress in 1778, and became presi-
dent of that body. He was sent to Spain
as minister in 1780, and his services there
resulted in substantial and moral aid for the
struggling colonists. Jay, Franklin, and
Adams negotiated the treaty of peace with
Great Britain in 1782, and Jay was ap-
pointed secretar}^ of foreign affairs in 1784,
and held the position until the adoption of
the Federal constitution. During this time
he had contributed strong articles to the
"Federalist" in favor of the adoption of
the constitution, and was largely instru-
mental in securing the ratification of that
instrument by his state. He was appointed
by Washington as first chief-justice of the
United States in 1789. In this high capac-
ity the great interstate and international
questions that arose for immediate settle-
ment came before him for treatment.
In 1794, at a time when the people in
gratitude for the aid that France had ex-
tended to us, were clamoring for the privilege
of going to the aid of that nation in her
struggle with Great Britain and her own op-
pressors, John Jay was sent to England as
special envoy to negotiate a treaty witli
that power. The instrument known as
"Jay's Treaty " was the result, and while
in many of its features it favored our nation,
yet the neutrality clause in it so angered the
masses that it was denounced throughout
the entire country, and John Jay was burned
in effigy in the city of New York. The
treaty was finally ratified by Washington,
and approved, in August, 1795. Having
been elected governor of his state for three
consecutive termiS, he then retired from
active life, declining an appointment as
chief-justice of the supreme court, made by
John Adams and confirmed by the senate.
He died in New York in 1829.
PHILLIP HENRY SHERIDAN was
one of the greatest American cavalry
generals. He was born March 6, 183 i, at
Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, and was ap-
pointed to the United States Military Acad-
emy at West Point, from which he graduat-
ed and was assigned to the First Infantry as
brevet second lieutenant July i, 1853.
After serving in Texas, on the Pacific coast,
in Washington and Oregon territories until
the fall of 1 86 1, he was recalled to the
states and assigned to the army of south-
west Missouri as chief quartermaster from
the duties of which he was soon relieved.
After the battle of Pea Ridge, he was quar-
termaster in the Corinth campaign, and on
May 25 he was appointed colonel of the
Second Michigan Cavalry. On July i, in
command of a cavalry brigade, he defeated
a superior force of the enemy and was com-
missioned brigadier-general of volunteers.
General Sheridan was then transferred to
the army of the Ohio, and commanded a
division in the battle of Perrysville and also
did good service at the battle of Murfrees-
boro, where he was commissioned major-
general of volunteers. He fought with
great gallantry at Chickamauga, after which
Rosecrans Vv^as succeeded by General Grant,
under whom Sheridan fought the battle of
Chattanooga and won additional renown.
Upon the promotion of Grant to lieutenant-
general, he applied for the transfer of Gen-
eral Sheridan to the east, and appointed
him chief of cavalry in the army of the
Potomac. During the campaign of 1864
the cavalry covered the front and flanks of
the infantry until May 8, when it was wilii-
COMPENDIIM ()/' niOGRAPin:
41
drawn and General Sheridan started on a
raid against the Confederate lines of com-
munication with Richmond and on May 25
he rejoined the army, having destroyed con-
siderable of the confederate stores and de-
feated their cavalry under General Stuart at
Yellow Tavern. The outer line of defences
around Richmond were taken, but the sec-
ond line was too strong to be taken by as-
sault, and accordingly Sheridan crossed the
Chickahominy at Meadow Bridge, reaching
James River May 14, and thence by White
House and Hanover Court House back to
the army. The cavalry occupied Cold
Harbor May 31, which they held until the
arrival of the infantry. On General Sheri-
dan's next raid he routed Wade Hampton's
cavalry, and August 7 was assigned to the
command of the Middle Military division,
and during the campaign of the Shenan-
doah Valley he performed the unheard of
feat of " destroying an entire army." He
was appointed brigadier-general of the reg-
ular army and for his victory at Cedar Creek
he was promoted to the rank of major-gen-
eral. General Sheridan started out Febru-
ary 27, 1865, with ten thousand cavalry
and destroyed the Virginia Central Railroad
and the James River Canal and joined the
army again at Petersburg March 27. He
commanded at the battle of Five Forks, the
decisive victory which compelled Lee to
evacuate Petersburg. On April 9, Lee tried
to break through Sheridan's dismounted
command but when the General drew aside
his cavalry and disclosed the deep lines of
infantry the attempt was abandoned. Gen-
eral Sheridan mounted his men and was about
to charge when a white flag was flown at the
head of Lee's column which betokened the
surrenderor the army. After the war Gen-
eral Sheridan had command of the army of
the southwest, of the gulf and the depart-
ment of Missouri until he was appointed
lieutenant-general and assigned to the di-
vision of Missouri with headquarters at Chi-
cago, and assumed supreme command of
the army November i. 1SS3. which post he
held until his death. .August 5, 1888.
PHINEAS T. liARNUM. the greatest
showman the world has ever seen, was
born at Danbury, Connecticut. July 5. 1810.
At the age of eighteen years he began busi-
ness on his own account. He opened a re-
tail fruit and confectionery house, including
a barrel of ale, in one part of an old car-
riage house. He spent fifty dollars in fitting
up the store and the stock cost him seventy
dollars. Three years later he put in a full
stock, such as is generally carried in a
country store, and the same year he started
a Democratic newspaper, known as the
"Herald of Freedom." He soon found
himself in jail under a si.xty days' sentence
for libel. During the winter of 1834-5 he
went to New York and began soliciting busi-
ness for several Chatham street houses. la
1835 he embarked in the show business at
Niblo's Garden, having purchased the cele-
brated " Joice Heth" for one thousand dol-
lars. He afterward engaged the celebrated
athlete, Sig. Vivalia, and Barnum made his
' ' first appearance on any stage, " acting as a
"super" to Sig. Vivalia on his opening
night. He became ticket seller, secretary
and treasurer of Aaron Turner's circus in
1836 and traveled with it about the country.
His next venture was the purchase of a
steamboat on the Mississippi, and engaged
a theatrical company to show in the princi-
pal towns along that river. In 1840 he
opened Vaux Hall Garden. New York, with
variety performances, and introduced the
celebrated jig dancer, John Diamond, to the
public. The next year he quit the show
42
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
business and settled down in New York as
agent of Sear's Pictorial Illustration of the
Bible, but a few months later again leased
Vaux Hall. In September of the same year
he again left the business, and became
' ' puff " writer for the Bowery Amphitheater.
In December he bought the Scudder Museum,
and a year later introduced the celebrated
Tom Thumb to the world, taking him to
England in 1844, and remaining there three
years. He then returned to New York, and
in 1849, through James Hall Wilson, he en-
gaged the "Swedish Nightingale," Jenny
Lind, to come to this country and make a
tour under his management. He also had
sent the Swiss Bell Ringers to America in
1844. He became owner of the Baltimore
Museum and the Lyceum and Museum at
Philadelphia. In 1850 he brought a dozen
elephants from Ceylon to make a tour of this
country, and in 1851 sent the " Bateman
Children" to London. During 185 1 and
1852 he traveled as a temperance lecturer,
and became president of a bank at Pequon-
nock, Connecticut. In 1852 he started a
weekly pictorial paper known as the " Illus-
trated News." In 1865 his Museum was
destroyed by fire, and he immediately leased
the Winter Garden Theatre, where he played
his company until he opened his own
Museum. This was destroyed by fire in
1868, and he then purchased an interest in
the George Wood Museum.
After dipping into politics to some ex-
tent, he began his career as a really great
showman in 1871. Three years later he
erected an immense circular building in New
York, in which he produced his panoramas.
He has frequently appeared as a lecturer,
some times on temperance, and some times
on other topics, among which were ' ' Hum-
bugs of the World," "Struggles and
Triumphs," etc. He was owner of the im-
mense menagerie and circus known as the
"Greatest Show on Earth," and his fame
extended throughout Europe and America.
He died in 1891.
JAMES MADISON, the fourth president
of the United States, 1809-17, was
born at Port Conway, Prince George coun-
ty, Virginia, March 16, 175 i. He was the
son of a wealthy planter, who lived on a fine
estate called " Montpelier," which was but
twenty-five miles from Monticello, the home
of Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Madison was the
eldest of a family of seven children, all of
whom attained maturity. He received his
early education at home under a private
tutor, and consecrated himself with unusual
vigor to study. At a very early age he was
a proficient scholar in Latin, Greek, French
and Spanish, and in 1769 he entered Prince-
ton College, New Jersey. He graduated in
1 77 1, but remained for several months after
his graduation to pursue a course of study-
under the guidance of Dr. Witherspoon.
He permanently injured his health at this
time and returned to Virginia in 1772, and
for two years he was immersed in the study
of law, and at the same time made extend-
ed researches in theology, general literature,
and philosophical studies. He then directed
his full attention to the impending struggle
of the colonies for independence, and also
took a prominent part in the religious con-
troversy at that time regarding so called
persecution of other religious denominations
by the Church of England. Mr. Madison
was elected to the Virginia assembly in 1776
and in November, 1777, he was chosen
a member of the council of state. He took
his seat in the continental congress in
March, 1780. He was made chairman of
the committee on foreign relations, and
drafted an able memoranda for the use of
co^[PExn^r^^ of niOGRAPin:
43
the American ministers to the French and
Spanish governments, that established the
claims of the republic to the territories be-
tween the Alleghany Mountains and the
Mississippi River. He acted as chairman of
the ways and means committee in 1783 and
as a member of the Virginia legislature in
1784-86 he rendered important services to
the state. Mr. Madison represented Vir-
giana in the national constitutional conven-
tion at Philadelphia in 1787, and was one of
the chief framers of the constitution. He
was a member of the first four congresses,
1789-97, and gradually became identified
with the anti-federalist or republican party
of which he eventually became the leader.
He remained in private life "during the ad-
ministration of John Adams, and was secre-
tary of state under President Jefferson. Mr.
Madison administered the affairs of that
post with such great ability that he was the
natural successor of the chief magistrate
and was chosen president by an electoral
vote of 122 to 53. He was inaugurated
March 4, 1809, at that critical period in our
history when the feelings of the people were
embittered with those of England, and his
first term was passed in diplomatic quarrels,
which finally resulted in the declaration of
war, June 18, 1S12. In the autumn of that
year President Madison was re-elected by a
vote of 128 to 89, and conducted the war
for three years with varying success and
defeat in Canada, by glorious victories at
sea, and by the battle of New Orleans that
was fought after the treaty of peace had
been signed at Ghent, December 24, 1814.
During this war the national capitol at
Washington was burned, and many valuable
papers were destroyed, but the declaration
of independence was saved to the country
by the bravery and courage of Mr. Madi-
son's illustrious wife. A commercial treaty
was negotiated with Great Britain in 181 5,
and in April. 1S16, a national bank was in-
corporated by congress. Mr. Madison was
succeeded, March4, 18 17, by James Monroe,
and retired into private life on his estate at
Montpelier, where he died June 28. 1S36.
FI>:EDERICK DOUGLASS, a noted
American character, was a protege of
the great abolitionist. William Lloyd Garri-
son, by whom he was aided in gaining his
education. Mr. Douglass was born in Tuck-
ahoe county, Maryland, in Fei)ruary. 1817.
his mother being a negro woman and his
father a white man. He was born in slav-
ery and belonged to a man by the name of
Lloyd, under which name he went until he
ran away from his master and changed it to
Douglass. At the age of ten ye:»rs he was
sent to Baltimore where he learned to read
and write, and later his owner allowed him
to hire out his own time for three dollars a
week in a shipyard. In September, 1838,
he fied from Baltimore and made his way to
New York, and from thence went to New
Bedford. Massachusetts. Here he was mar-
ried and supported himself and family by
working at the wharves and in various work-
shops. In the summer of 1841 he attended
an anti-slavery convention at Nantucket,
and made a speech which was so well re-
ceived that he was offered the agency of the
Massachusetts Anti-slavery Society. In this
capacity he traveled through the New En-
gland states, and about the same time he
published his first book called "Narrative
of my E.xperience in Slavery." Mr. Doug-
lass went to England in 1845 and lectured
on slavery to large and enthusiastic audi-
ences in all the large towns of the country,
and his friends made up a purse of seven
hundred and fifty dollars and purchased his
freedom in due form of law.
44
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Mr. Douglass applied himself to the de-
livery of lyceum lectures after the abolition
of slavery, and in 1870 he became the editor
of the " New National Era " in Washington.
In 1 87 1 he was appointed assistant secretary
of the commission to San Domingo and on
his return he was appointed one of the ter-
ritorial council for the District of Colorado
by President Grant. He was elected presi-
dential elector-at-large for the state of New
York and was appointed to carry the elect-
oral vote to Washington. He was also
United States marshal for the District of
Columbia in 187(1, and later was recorder
of deeds for the same, from which position
he was removed by President Cleveland in
1886. In the fall of that year he visited
England to inform the friends that he had
made while there, of the progress of the
colored race in America, and on his return
he was appointed minister to Hayti, by
President Harrison in 1889. His career as
a benefactor of his race was closed by his
death in February, 1895, near Washington.
WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.— The
ear for rhythm and the talent for
graceful expression are the gifts of nature,
and they were plentifully endowed on the
above named poet. The principal charac-
teristic of his poetry is the thoughtfulness
and intellectual process by which his ideas
ripened in his mind, as all his poems are
bright, clear and sweet. Mr. Bryant was
born November 3, 1794, at Cummington,
Hampshire county, Massachusetts, and was
educated at Williams College, from which
he graduated, having entered it in 18 10.
He took up the study of law, and in 18 15
was admitted to the bar, but after practicing
successfully for ten years at Plainfield and
Great Barrington, he removed to New York
in 1825. The following year he became
the editor of the "Evening Post," which
he edited until his death, and under his di-
rection this paper maintained, through a
long series of years, a high standing by the
boldness of its protests against slavery be-
fore the war, by its vigorous support of the
government during the war, and by the
fidelity and ability of its advocacy of the
Democratic freedom in trade. Mr. Bry-
ant visited Europe in 1834, 1845, 1849 and
1857, and presented to the literary world
the fruit of his travels in the series of "Let-
ters of a Traveler," and "Letters from
Spain and Other Countries." In the world
of literature he is known chiefly as a poet,
and here Mr. Bryant's name is illustrious,
both at home and abroad. He contributed
verses to the "Country Gazette " before he
was ten years of age, and at the age of nine-
teen he wrote " Thanatopsis, " the most im-
pressive and widely known of his poems.
The later outgrowth of his genius was his
translation of Homer's "Iliad" in 1870
and the "Odyssey" in 1871. He also
made several speeches and addresses which
have been collected in a comprehensive vol-
ume called " Orations and Addresses." He
was honored in many ways by his fellow
citizens, who delighted to pay tributes of
respect to his literary eminence, the breadth
of his public spirit, the faithfulness of his
service, and the worth of his private char-
acter. Mr. Bryant died in New York City
June 12, 1878.
WILLIAM HENRY SEWARD, the
secretary of state during one of the
most critical times in the history of our
country, and the right hand man of Presi-
dent Lincoln, ranks among the greatest
statesmen America has produced. Mr.
Seward was born May 16, i 801, at Florida,
Orange county, New York, and with such
PUBLIC LIHHARY
A8T0X, LiJXvl Af<U
TiLDEH /-OUHaXTlOWl
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
47
facilities as the place afforded he fitted him-
self for a college course. He attended
Union College at Schenectady, New York,
at the age of fifteen, and took his degree in
the regular course, with signs of promise in
1820, after which he diligently addressed
himself to the study of law under competent
instructors, and started in the practice of
his profession in 1823.
Mr. Seward entered the political arena
and in 1828 we find him presiding over a
convention in New York, its purpose being
the nomination of John Quincy Adams for a
second term. He was married in 1824 and
in 1830 was elected to the state senate.
From 1838 to 1842 he was governor of the
state of New York. Mr. Seward's next im-
portant position was that of United States
senator from New York.
W. H. Seward was chosen by President
Lincoln to fill the important office of the
secretary of state, and by his firmness and
diplomacy in the face of difficulties, he aided
in piloting the Union through that period of
strife, and won an everlasting fame. This
great statesman died at Auburn, New York,
October 10, 1872, in the seventy-second
year of his eventful life.
JOSEPH JEFFERSON, a name as dear
as it is familiar to the theater-going
world in America, suggests first of all a fun-
loving, drink-loving, mellow voiced, good-
natured Dutchman, and the name of "Rip
Van Winkle " suggests the pleasant features
of Joe Jefferson, so intimately are play and
player associated in the minds of those who
have had the good fortune to shed tears of
laughter and sympathy as a tribute to the
greatness of his art. Joseph Jefferson was
born in Philadelphia, February 20, 1829.
His genius was an inheritance, if there be
such, as his great-grandfather, Thomas
3
Jefferson, was a manager and actor in Eng-
land. His grandfather, Joseph Jefferson,
was the most popular comedian of the New
York stage in his time, and his father, Jos-
eph Jefferson, the second, was a good actor
also, but the third Joseph Jefferson out-
shone them all.
At the age of three years Joseph Jeffer-
son came on the stage as the child in "Pi-
zarro," and his training was upon the stage
from childhood. Later on he lived and
acted in Chicago, Mobile, and Texas. After
repeated misfortunes he returned to New
Orleans from Texas, and his brother-in-law,
Charles Burke, gave him money to reach
Philadelphia, where he joined the Burton
theater company. Here his genius soon as-
serted itself, and his future became promis-
ing and brilliant. His engagements through-
out the United States and Australia were
generally successful, and when he went to
England in 1865 Mr. Boucicault consented
to make some important changes in his
dramatization of Irving's story of Rip Van
Winkle, and Mr. Jefferson at once placed
it in the front rank as a comedy. He made
a fortune out of it, and played nothing else
for many years. In later years, however,
Mr. Jefferson acquitted himself of the charge
of being a one-part actor, and the parts of
" I3ob Acres," "Caleb Plummer" and
"Golightly " all testify to the versatility of
his genius.
GEORGE BRINTON McCLELLAN,
a noted American general, was born
in Philadelphia, December 3, 1826. He
graduated from the University of Pennsyl-
vania, and in 1846 from West Point, and
was breveted second lieutenant of engineers.
He was with Scott in the Mexican war,
taking part in all the engagements from
Vera Cruz to the final capture of the Mexi-
48
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
can capital, and was breveted first lieuten-
ant and captain for gallantry displayed on
various occasions. In 1857 he resigned his
commission and accepted the position of
chief engineer in the construction of the
Illinois Central Railroad, and became presi-
dent of the St. Louis & Cincinnati Railroad
Company. He was commissioned major-
general by the state of Ohio in 1861,
placed in command of the department of
the Ohio, and organized the first volunteers
called for from that state. In May he was
appointed major-general in the United
States army, and ordered to disperse the
confederates overrunning West Virginia.
He accomplished this task promptly, and
received the thanks of congress. After the
first disaster at Bull Run he was placed
in command of the department of Wash-
ington, and a few weeks later of the
Army of the Potomac. Upon retirement
of General Scott the command of the en-
tire United States army devolved upon Mc-
Clellan, but he was relieved of it within a
few months. In March, 1862, after elabor-
ate preparation, he moved upon Manassas,
only to find it deserted by the Confederate
army, which had been withdrawn to im-
pregnable defenses prepared nearer Rich-
mond. He then embarked his armies for
Fortress Monroe and after a long delay at
Yorktown, began the disastrous Peninsular
campaign, which resulted in the Army of the
Potomac being cooped up on the James
River below Richmond. His forces were
then called to the support of General Pope,
near Washington, and he was left without an
army. After Pope's defeat McClellan was
placed in command of the troops for the de-
fense of the capital, and after a thorough or-
ganization he followed Lee into Maryland
and the battles of Antietam and South Moun-
tain ensued. The delay which followed
caused general dissatisfaction, and he was re-
lieved of his command, and retired from active
service.
In 1864 McClellan was nominated for
the presidency by the Democrats, and over-
whelmingly defeated by Lincoln, three
states only casting their electoral votes for
McClellan. On election day he resigned
his commission and a few months later went
to Europe where he spent several years.
He wrote a number of military text- books
and reports. His death occurred October
29, 1885.
SAMUEL J. TILDEN.— Among the great
statesmen whose names adorn the pages
of American history may be found that of
the subject of this sketch. Known as a
lawyer of highest ability, his greatest claim
to immortality will ever lie in his successful
battle against the corrupt rings of his native
state and the elevation of the standard of
official life.
Samuel J. Tilden was born in New Leb-
anon, New York, February 9, 18 14. He
pursued his academic studies at Yale Col-
lege and the University of New York, tak-
ing the course of law at the latter. He
was admitted to the bar in 1841. His rare
ability as a thinker and writer upon public
topics attracted the attention of President
Van Buren, of whose policy and adminis-
tration he became an active and efficient
champion. He made for himself a high
place in his profession and amassed quite a
fortune as the result of his industry and
judgment. During the days of his greatest
professional labor he was ever one of the
leaders and trusted counsellors of the Demo-
cratic party. He was a member of the
conventions to revise the state constitution,
both in 1846 and 1867, and served two
terms in the lower branch of the state leg-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
49
islature. He was one of the controlling
spirits in the overthrow of the notorious
" Tweed ring " and the reformation of the
government of the city of New York. In
1874 he was elected governor of the state
of New York. While in this position he
assailed corruption in high places, success-
fully battling with the iniquitous "canal
ring " and crushed its sway over all depart-
ments of the government. Recognizing his
character and executive ability Mr. Tilden
was nominated for president by the na-
tional Democratic convention in 1876. At
the election he received a much larger popu-
lar vote than his opponent, and 184 uncon-
tested electoral votes. There being some
electoral votes contested, a commission ap-
pointed by congress decided in favor of the
Republican electors and Mr. Hayes, the can-
didate of that party was declared elected.
In 1880, the Democratic party, feeling that
Mr. Tilden had been lawfully elected to the
presidency tendered the nomination for the
same office to Mr. Tilden, but he declined,
retiring from all public functions, owing to
failing health. He died August 4, 1886.
By will he bequeathed several millions of
dollars toward the founding of public libra-
ries in New York City, Yonkers, etc.
NOAH WEBSTER.— As a scholar, law-
yer, author and journalist, there is no
one who stands on a higher plane, or whose
reputation is better established than the
honored gentleman whose name heads this
sketch. He was a native of West Hartford,
Connecticut, and was born October 17,
1758. He came of an old New England
family, his mother being a descendant of
Governor William Bradford, of the Ply-
mouth colony. After acquiring a solid edu-
cation in early life Dr. Webster entered
Yale College, from which he graduated in
1778. For a while he taught school in
Hartford, at the same time studying law,
and was admitted to the bar in 1781. He
taught a classical school at Goshen, Orange
county. New York, in 1782-83, and while
there prepared his spelling' book, grammar
and reader, which was issued under the title
of *'A Grammatical Institute of the English
Language ," in three parts, — so successful a
work that up to 1876 something like forty
million of the spelling books had been
sold. In 1786 he delivered a course of lec-
tures on the English language in the seaboard
cities and the following year taught an
academy at Philadelphia. From December
17, 1787, until November, 1788, he edited
the "American Magazine, "a periodical that
proved unsuccessful. In 1789-93 he prac-
ticed law in Hartford having in the former
year married the daughter of W^illiam Green-
leaf, of Boston. He returned to New York
and November, 1793, founded a daily paper,
the "Minerva," to which was soon added a
semi-weekly edition under the name of the
" Herald." The former is still in existence
under the name of the "Commercial Adver-
tiser . " In this paper, over the signature of
' ' Curtius , " he published a lengthy and schol-
arly defense of " John Jay's treaty."
In 1798, Dr. Webster moved to New
Haven and in 1807 commenced the prepar-
ation of his great work, the "American Dic-
tionary of the English Language." which
was not completed and published until 1828.
He made his home in Amherst, Massachu-
setts, for the ten years succeeding 181 2, and
was instrumental in the establishment of
Amherst College, of which institution he was
the first president of the board of trustees.
During 1824-5 he resided in Europe, pursu-
ing his philological studies in Paris. He
completed his dictionary from the libraries
of Cambridge University in 1825, and de-
50
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
voted his leisure for the remainder of his
Hfe to the revision of that and his school
books.
Dr. Webster was a member of the legis-
latures of both Connecticut and Massachu-
setts, was judge of one of the courts of the
former state and was identified with nearly
all the literary and scientific societies in the
neighborhood of Amherst College. He died
in New Haven, May 28, 1843.
Among the more prominent works ema-
nating from the fecund pen of Dr. Noah
Webster besides those mentioned above are
the following: "Sketches of American
Policy," "Winthrop's Journal," " A Brief
History of Epidemics," " Rights of Neutral
Nations in time of War," "A Philosophical
and Practical Grammar of the English Lan-
guage," "Dissertations on the English
Language," "A Collection of Essays,"
"The Revolution in France," "Political
Progress of Britain," "Origin, History, and
Connection of the Languages of Western
Asia and of Europe," and many others.
WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON, the
great anti-slavery pioneer and leader,
was born in Nevvburyport, Massachusetts,
December 12, 1804. He was apprenticed
to the printing business, and in 1828 was in-
duced to take charge of the "Journal of the
Times" at Bennington, Vermont. While
supportmg John Quincy Adams for the presi-
dency he took occasion in that paper to give
expression of his views on slavery. These
articles attracted notice, and a Quaker
named Lundy, editor of the "Genius of
Emancipation," published in Baltimore, in-
duced him to enter a partnership with him
for the conduct of his paper. It soon
transpired that the views of the partners
were not in harmony, Lundy favoring grad-
ual emancipation, while Garrison favored
immediate freedom. In 1850 Mr. Garrison
was thrown into prison for libel, not being
able to pay a fine of fifty dollars and costs.
In his cell he wrote a number of poems
which stirred the entire north, and a mer-
chant, Mr. Tappan, of New York, paid his
fine and liberated him, after seven weeks of
confinement. He at once began a lecture
tour of the northern cities, denouncing
slavery as a sin before God, and demanding
its immediate abolition in the name of re-
ligion and humanity. He opposed the col-
onization scheme of President Monroe and
other leaders, and declared the right of
every slave to immediate freedom.
In 1 83 1 he formed a partnership with
Isaac Knapp, and began the publication of
the "Liberator" at Boston. The "imme-
diate abolition " idea began to gather power
in the north, while the south became
alarmed at the bold utterance of this jour-
nal. The mayor of Boston was besought
by southern influence to interfere, and upon
investigation, reported upon the insignifi-
cance, obscurity, and poverty of the editor
and his staff, which report was widely
published throughout the country. Re-
wards were offered by the southern states
for his arrest and conviction. Later Garri-
son brought from England, where an eman-
cipation measure had just been passed,
some of the great advocates to work for the
cause in this country. In 1835 a mob
broke into his office, broke up a meeting of
women, dragged Garrison through the street
with a rope around his body, and his life
was saved only by the interference of the
police, who lodged him in jail. Garrison
declined to sit in the World's Anti-Slavery
convention at London in 1840, because
that body had refused women representa-
tion. He opposed the formation of a po-
litical party with emancipation as its basis.
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPJIT.
51
He favored a dissolution of the union, and
declared the constitution which bound the
free states to the slave states " A covenant
with death and an agreement with hell."
In 1843 he became president of the Amer-
ican Anti-Slavery society, which position he
held until 1865, when slavery was no more.
During all this time the " Liberator " had
continued to promulgate anti-slavery doc-
trines, but in 1865 Garrison resigned his
position, and declared his work was com-
pleted. He died May 24, 1879.
JOHN BROWN ("Brown of Ossawato-
mie"), a noted character in American
history, wasbornatTorrington, Connecticut,
May 9, 1800. In his childhood he removed
to Ohio, where he learned the tanner's
trade. He married there, and in 1855 set-
tled in Kansas. He lived at the village of
Ossawatomie in that state, and there began
his fight against slavery. He advocated im-
mediate emancipation, and held that the
negroes of the slave states merely waited
for a leader in an insurrection that would re-
sult in their freedom. He attended the
convention called at Chatham, Canada, in
1859, and was the leading spirit in organiz-
ing a raid upon the United States arsenal at
Harper's Ferry, Virginia. His plans were
well laid, and carried out in great secrecy.
He rented a farm house near Harper's Ferry
in the summer of 1859, and on October
1 6th of that year, with about twenty follow-
ers, he surprised and captured the United
States arsenal, with all its supplies and
arms. To his surprise, the negroes did not
come to his support, and the next day he
was attacked by the Virginia state militia,
wounded and captured. He was tried in
the courts of the state, convicted, and was
hanged at Charlestown, December 2, 1859.
The raid and its results had a tremendous
effect, and hastened the culmination of the
troubles between the north and south. The
south had the advantage in discussing this
event, claiming that the sentiment which
inspired this act of violence was shared by
the anti-slavery element of the country.
EDWIN BOOTH had no peer upon the
American stage during his long career
as a star actor. He was the son of a famous
actor, Junius Brutus Booth, and was born
in 1833 at his father's home at Belair, neaf
Baltimore. At the age of sixteen he made his
first appearance on the stage, at the Boston
Museum, in a minor part in "Richard III."
It was while playing in California in 1851
that an eminent critic called general atten-
tion to the young actor's unusual talent.
However, it was not until 1863. at the great
Shakspearian revival at the Winter Garden
Theatre, New York, that the brilliancy of
his career began. His Hamlet held the
boards for 100 nights in succession, and
from that time forth Booth's reputation was
established. In 1868 he opened his own
theatre (Booth's Theater) in New York.
Mr. Booth never succeeded as a manager,
however, but as an actor he was undoubted-
ly the most popular man on the American
stage, and perhaps the most eminent one in
the world. In England he also won the
greatest applause.
Mr. Booth's work was confined mostly
to Shakspearean roles, and his art was
characterized by intellectual acuteness,
fervor, and poetic feeling. His Hamlet,
Richard II, Richard III, and Richelieu gave
play to his greatest powers. In 1865,
when his brother, John Wilkes Booth,
enacted his great crime, Edwin Booth re-
solved to retire from the stage, but was pur-
suaded to reconsider that decision. The
odium did not in any way attach to the
52
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
,great actor, and his popularity was not
affected. In all his work Mr. Booth clung
•closely to the legitimate and the traditional
in drama, making no experiments, and offer-
ing little encouragement to new dramatic
authors. His death occurred in New York,
June 7, 1894.
JOSEPH HOOKER, a noted American
officer, was born at Hadley, Massachu-
setts, November 13, 1814. He graduated
from West Point Military Academy in 1837,
and was appointed lieutenant of artillery.
He served in Florida in the Seminole war,
and in garrison until the outbreak of the
Mexican war. During the latter he saw
service as a staff officer and was breveted
captain, major and lieutenant-colonel for
gallantry at Monterey, National Bridge and
Chapultepec. Resigning his commission in
1833 he took up farming in California, which
he followed until 1861. During this time
he acted as superintendent of military roads
in Oregon. At the outbreak of the Rebel-
lion Hooker tendered his services to the
government, and. May 17, i86r, was ap-
pointed brigadier-general of volunteers. He
served in the defence of Washington and on
the lower Potomac until his appointment to
the command of a division in the Third
Corps, in March, 1862. For gallant con-
duct at the siege of Yorktown and in the
battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Fra-
zier's Farm and Malvern Hill he was made
major-general. At the head of his division
he participated in the battles of Manassas
and Chantilly. September 6, 1862, he was
placed at the head of the First Corps, and
in the battles of South Mountain and An-
tietam acted with his usual gallantry, being
wounded in the latter engagement. On re-
joining the army in November he was made
.brigadier-general in the regular army. On
General Burnside attaining the command of
the Army of the Potomac General Hooker
was placed in command of the center grand
division, consisting of the Second and Fifth
Corps. At the head of these gallant men
he participated in the battle of Fred-
ericksburg, December 13, 1862. In Janu-
ary, 1863, General Hooker assumed com-
mand of the Army of the Potomac, and in
May following fought the battle of Chan-
cellorsville. At the time of the invasion of
Pennsylvania, owing to a dispute with Gen-
eral Halleck, Hooker requested to be re-
lieved of his command, and June 28 was
succeeded by George G. Meade. In Sep-
tember, 1863, General Hooker was given
command of the Twentieth Corps and trans-
ferred to the Army of the Cumberland, and
distinguished himself at the battles of Look-
out Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and Ring-
gold. In the Atlanta campaign he saw
almost daily service and merited his well-
known nickname of "Fighting Joe." July
30, 1864, at his own request, he was re-
lieved of his command. He subsequently
was in command of several military depart-
ments in the north, and in October, 1868,
was retired with the full rank of major-gen-
eral. He died October 31, 1879.
JAY GOULD, one of the greatest finan-
ciers that the world has ever produced)
was born May 27, 1836, at Roxbury, Dela-
ware county. New York. He spent his early
years on his father's farm and at the age of
fourteen entered Hobart Academy, New
York, and kept books for the village black-
smith. He acquired a taste for mathematics
and surveying and on leaving school found
employment in making the surveyor's map
of Ulster county. He surveyed very exten-
sively in the state and accumulated five thou-
sand dollars as the fruits of his labor. He
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
53
was then stricken with typhoid fever but re-
covered and made the acquaintance of one
Zadock Pratt, who sent him ihto the west-
ern part of the state to locate a site for a
tannery. He chose a fine hemlock p^rove,
built a sawmill and blacksmith shop and
was soon doing a large lumber business with
Mr. Pratt. Mr. Gould soon secured control
of the entire plant, which he sold out just
before the panic of 1857 and in this year he
became the largest stockholderinthe Strouds-
burg, Pennsylvania, bank. Shortly after the
crisis he bought the bonds of the Rutland
& Washington Railroad at ten cents on the
dollar, and put all his money into railroad
securities. For a long time he conducted
this road which he consolidated with the
Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad. In 1859
he removed to New York and became a
heavy investor in Erie Railroad stocks, en-
tered that company and was president until
its reorganization in 1872. In December,
18S0, Mr. Gould was in control of ten thou-
sand miles of railroad. In 1887 he pur-
chased the controlling interest in the St.
Louis & San Francisco Railroad Co., and
was a joint owner with the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe Railroad Co. of the western
portion of the Southern Pacific line. Other
lines soon came under his control, aggregat-
ing thousand of miles, and he soon was rec-
ognized as one of the world's greatest rail-
road magnates. He continued to hold his
place as one of the master financiers of the
century until the time of his death which
occurred December 2, 1892.
THOMAS HART BENTON, a very
prominent United States senator and
statesman, was born at Hillsborough, North
Carolina, March 14, 1782. He removed to
Tennessee in early life, studied law, and be-
gan to practice at Nashville about 18 10.
During the war of 18 12- 18 15 he served as
colonel of a Tennessee regiment under Gen-
eral Andrew Jackson. In 181 5 he removed
to St. Louis, Missouri, and in 1820 was
chosen United States senator for that state.
Having been re-elected in 1826, he sup-
ported President Jackson in his opposition
to the United States bank and advocated a
gold and silver currency, thus gaining the
name of " Old Bullion," by which he was
familiarly known. For many years he was
the most prominent man in Missouri, and
took rank among the greatest statesmen of
his day. Pie was a member of the senate
for thirty years and opposed the extreme
states' rights policy of John C. Calhoun.
In 1852 he was elected to the house of rep-
resentatives in which he opposed the repeal
of the Mis.souri compromise. He was op-
posed by a powerful party of States' Rights
Democrats in Missouri, who defeated him as a
candidate for governor of that state in 1S56.
Colonel Benton published a considerable
work in two volumes in 1854-56, entitled
" Thirty Years' View, or a History of the
Working of the American Government for
Thirty Years, 1820-50." He died April 10,
1858.
STEPHEN ARNOLD DOUGLAS.— One
of the most prominent figures in politic-
al circles during the intensely exciting days
that preceded the war, and a leader of the
Union branch of the Democratic party was
the gentleman whose name heads this
sketch.
He was born at Brandon, Rutland coun-
ty, Vermont, April 23, 18 13, of poor but
respectable parentage. His father, a prac-
ticing physician, died while our subject was
but an infant, and his mother, with two
small children and but small means, could
give him but the rudiments of an education.
54
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
At the age of fifteen young Douglas engaged
at work in the cabinet making business to
raise funds to carry him through college.
After a few years of labor he was enabled to
pursue an academical course, first at Bran-
don, and later at Canandaigua, New York.
In the latter place he remained until 1833,
taking up the study of law. Before he was
twenty, however, his funds running low, he
abandoned all further attempts at educa-
tion, determining to enter at once the battle
of life. After some wanderings through the
western states he took up his residence at
Jacksonville, Illinois, where, after teaching
school for three months, he was admitted to
the bar, and opened an office in 1834.
Within a year from that time, so rapidly had
he risen in his profession, he was chosen
attorney general of the state, and warmly
espoused the principles of the Democratic
party. He soon became one of the most
popular orators in Illinois. It was at this
time he gained the name of the "Little
Giant." In 1835 he resigned the position
of attorney general having been elected to
the legislature. In 1841 he was chosen
judge of the supreme 'Court of Illinois which
he resigned two years later to take a seat in
congress. It was during this period of his
life, while a member of the lower house,
that he established his reputation and took
the side of those who contended that con-
gress had no constitutional right to restrict
the extension of slavery further than the
agreement between the states made in 1820.
This, in spite of his being opposed to slav-
ery, and only on grounds which he believed
to be right, favored what was called the
Missouri compromise. In 1847 Mr. Doug-
las was chosen United States senator for
six years, and greatly distinguished himself.
In 1852 he was re-elected to the same office.
During this latter term, under his leader-
ship, the " Kansas-Nebraska bill " was car-
ried in the senate. In 1858, nothwith-
standing the fierce contest made by his able
competitor for the position, Abraham Lin-
coln, and with the administration 01 Bu-
chanan arrayed against him, Mr. Douglas
was re-elected senator. After the trouble
in the Charleston convention, when by the
withdrawal of several state delegates with-
out a nomination, the Union Democrats,
in convention at Baltimore, in i860, nomi-
nated Mr. Douglas as their candidate for
presidency. The results of this election are
well known and the great events of 1861
coming on, Mr. Douglas v/as spared their
full development, dying at Chicago, Illinois,
June 3, 1 861, after a short illness. His
last words to his children were, "to obey
the laws and support the constitution of the
United States."
TAMES MONROE, fifth president of the
iJ United States, was born in Westmore-
land county, Virginia, April 28, 1758. At
the age of sixteen he entered William and
Mary College, but two years later the
Declaration of Independence having been
adopted, he left college and hastened to New
York where he joined Washington's army as
a military cadet.
At the battle of Trenton Monroe per-
formed gallant service and received a wound
in the shoulder, and was promoted to a
captaincy. He acted as aide to Lord Ster-
ling at the battles of Brandywine, German-
town and Monmouth. Washington then
sent him to Virginia to raise a new regiment
of which he was to be colonel. The ex-
hausted condition of Virginia made this im-
possible, but he received his commission.
He next entered the law office of Thomas
Jefferson to study law, as there was no open-
ing for him as an officer in the army. In
COMPENDIUM OF B/OGRAPIir.
55
1782 he was elected to the Virginia assem-
bly, and the next year he was elected to the
Continental congress. Realizing the inade-
quacy of the old articles of confederation,
he advocated the calling of a convention to
consider their revision, and introduced in
congress a resolution empowering congress
to regulate trade, lay import duties, etc.
This resolution was referred to a committee,
of which he was chairman, and the report
led to the Annapolis convention, which
called a general convention to meet at Phila-
delphia in 1787, when the constitution was
drafted. Mr. Monroe began the practice of
law at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and was
soon after elected to the legislature, and ap-
pointed as one of the committee to pass
upon the adoption of the constitution. He
opposed it, as giving too much power to the
central government. He was elected to the
United States senate in 1789, where he
allied himself with the Anti-Federalists or
"Republicans," as they were sometimes
called. Although his views as to neutrality
between France and England were directly
opposed to those of the president, yet Wash-
ington appointed him minister to France.
His popularity in France was so great that
the antagonism of England and her friends
in this country brought about his recall. He
then became governor of Virginia. He was
sent as envoy to France in 1802; minister
to England in 1803; and envoy to Spain in
1805. The next year he returned to his
estate in Virginia, and with an ample in-
heritance enjoyed a few years of ^repose. He
was again called to be governor of Virginia,
and was then appointed secretary of state
by President Madison. The war with Eng-
land soon resulted, and when the capital
was burned by the British, Mr. Monroe be-
came secretary of war also, and planned the
measures for the defense of New Orleans.
The treasury being exhausted and credit
gone, he pledged his own estate, and thereby
made possible the victory of Jackson at New
Orleans.
In 1817 Mr. Monroe became president
of the United States, having been a candi-
date of the "Republican" party, which at
that time had begun to be called the ' ' Demo-
cratic" party. In 1820 he was re-elected,
having two hundred and thirty-one electoral
votes out of two hundred and thirty-two.
His administration is known as the "Era of
good-feeling, " and party lines were almost
wiped out. The slavery question began to
assume importance at this time, and the
Missouri Compromise was passed. The
famous "Monroe Doctrine" originated in a
great state paper of President Monroe upon
the rumored .interference of the Holy Alli-
ance to prevent the formation of free repub-
lics in South America. President Monroe
acknowledged their independence, and pro-
mulgated his great "Doctrine," which has
been held in reverence since. Mr. Monroe's
death occurred in New York on July 4, 1 83 1 ,
THOMAS ALVA EDISON, the master
wizard of electrical science and whose
name is synonymous with the subjugation
of electricity to the service of man, was
born in 1847 at Milan, Ohio, and it was at
Port Huron, Michigan, whither his parents
had moved in 1854, that his self-education
began — for he never attended school for
more than two months. He eagerly de-
voured every book he could lay his hands on
and is said to have read through an encyclo-
pedia without missing a word. At thirteen he
began his working life as a trainboy upon the
Grand Trunk Railway between Port Huron
and Detroit. Much of his time was now
spent in Detroit, where he found increased
facilities for reading at the public libraries.
56
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
He was not content to be a newsboy, so he
got together three hundred pounds of type
and started the issue of the " Grand Trunk
Herald." It was only a small amateur
weekly, printed on one side, the impression
being made from the type by hand. Chemi-
cal research was his next undertaking and
a laboratory was added to his movable pub-
lishing house, which, by the way, was an
old freight car. One day, however, as he
Was experimenting with some phosphorus,
it ignited and the irate conductor threw the
young seeker after the truth, chemicals and
all, from the train. His office and laboratory
were then removed to the cellar of his fa-
ther's house. As he grew to manhood he
decided to become an operator. He won
his opportunity by saving the life of a child,
whose father was an old operator, and out of
gratitude he gave Mr. Edison lessons in teleg-
raphy. Five months later he was compe-
tent to fill a position in the railroad office
at Port Huron. Hence he peregrinated to
Stratford, Ontario, and thence successively
to Adrian, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cin-
cmnati, Memphis, Louisville and Boston,
gradually becoming an expert operator and
gaming experience that enabled him to
evolve many ingenious ideas for the im-
provement of telegraphic appliances. At
Memphis he constructed an automatic re-
peater, which enabled Louisville and New
Orleans to communicate direct, and received
nothing more than the thanks of his em-
ployers. Mr. Edison came to New York in
1870 in search of an opening more suitable
to his capabilities and ambitions. He hap-
pened to be in the office of the Laws Gold
Reporting Company when one of the in-
struments got out of order, and even the
inventor of the system could not make it
work. Edison requested to be allowed to
attempt the task, and in a few minutes he
had overcome the difficulty and secured an
advantageous engagement. For several
years he had a contract with the Western
Union and the Gold Stock companies,
whereby he received a large salary, besides
a special price for all telegraphic improve-
ments he could suggest. Later, as the
head of the Edison General Electric com-
pany, with its numerous subordinate organ-
izations and connections all over the civil-
ized world, he became several times a
millionaire. Mr. Edison invented the pho-
nograph and kinetograph which bear his
name, the carbon telephone, the tasimeter,
and the duplex and quadruplex systems of
telegraphy.
JAMES LONGSTREET, one of the most
conspicuous of the Confederate generals
during the Civil war, was born in 1820, in
South Carolina, but was early taken by his
parents to Alabama where he grew to man-
hood and received his early education. He
graduated at the United States military
academy in 1842, entering the army as
lieutenant and spent a few years in the fron-
tier service. When the Mexican war broke
out he was called to the front and partici-
pated in all the principal battles of that war
up to the storming of Chapultepec, where
he received severe wounds. For gallant
conduct at Contreras, Cherubusco, and Mo-
lino del Rey he received the brevets of cap-
tain and major. After tiie close of the
Mexican war Longstreet served as adjutant
and captain on frontier service in Texas un-
til 1858 when he was transferred to the staff
as paymaster with rank of major. In June,
1 86 1, he resigned to join the Confederacy
and immediately went to the front, com-
manding a brigade at Bull Run the follow-
ing month. Promoted to be major-general
in 1862 he thereafter bore a conspicuous
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
5V
part and rendered valuable service to the
Confederate cause. He participated in
many of the most severe battles of the Civil
war including Bull Run (first and second),
Seven Pines, Gaines' Mill, Fraziers Farm,
Malvern Hill, Antietam, Frederickburg,
Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga,
the Wilderness, Petersburg and most of the
fighting about Richmond.
When the war closed General Long-
street accepted the result, renewed his alle-
giance to the government, and thereafter
labored earnestly to obliterate all traces of
war and promote an era of good feeling be-
tween all sections of the country. He took
up his residence in New Orleans, and took
an active interest and prominent part in
public affairs, served as surveyor of that
port for several years; was commissioner of
engineers for Louisiana, served four years
as school commissioner, etc. In 1875 he
was appointed supervisor of internal revenue
and settled in Georgia. After that time he
served four years as United States minister
to Turkey, and also for a number of years
was United States marshal of Georgia, be-
sides having held other important official
positions.
JOHN RUTLEDGE, the second chief-
justice of the United States, was born
at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1739.
He was a son of John Rutledge, who had
left Ireland for America about five years
prior to the birth of our subject, and a
brother of Edward Rutledge, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence. John Rut-
ledge received his legal education at the
Temple, London, after which he returned
to Charleston and soon won distinction at
the bar. He was elected to the old Colonial
congress in 1765 to protest against the
" Stamp Act, " and was a member of the
South Carolina convention of 1774, and of
the Continental congress of that and the
succeeding year. In 1776 he was chairman
of the committee that draughted the con-
stitution of his state, and was president of
the congress of that state. He was not
pleased with the state constitution, how-
ever, and resigned. In 1779 he was again
chosen governor of the state, and granted
extraordinary powers, and he at once took
the field to repel the British. He joined
the army of General Gates in 1782, and the
same year was elected to congress. He
was a member of the constitutional con-
vention which framed our present constitu-
tion. In 1789 he was appointed an associate
justice of the first supreme court of the
United States. He resigned to accept the
position of chief-justice of his own state.
Upon the resignation of Judge Jay^ he was
appointed chief-justice of the United States
in 1795. The appointment was never con-
firmed, for, after presiding at one session,
his mind became deranged, and he was suc-
ceeded by Judge Ellsworth. He died at
Charleston, July 23, 1800.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON was one
of the most noted literary men of his
time. He was born in Boston, Massachu-
setts, May 25, 1803. He had a minister for
an ancestor, either on the paternal or ma-
ternal side, in every generation for eight
generations back. His father, Rev. Will-
iam Emerson, was a native of Concord,
Massachusetts, born May 6, 1769, graduated
at Harvard, in 1789, became a Unitarian
minister; was a fine writer and one of the
best orators of his day; died in 181 1.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was fitted for
college at the public schools of Boston, and
graduated at Harvard College in 1821, win-
ning about this time several prizes for es-
58
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
says. For five years he taught school in
Boston; in 1826 was licensed to preach, and
in 1829 was ordained as a colleague to Rev.
Henry Ware of the Second Unitarian church
in Boston. In 1832 he resigned, making
the announcement in a sermon of his un-
svillingness longer to administer the rite of
vhe Lord's Supper, after which he spent
about a year in Europe. Upon his return
he began his career as a lecturer before the
Boston Mechanics Institute, his subject be-
ing "Water." His early lectures on " Italy"
and "Relation of Man to the Globe" also
attracted considerable attention; as did also
his biographical lectures on Michael Angelo,
Milton, Luther, George Fox, and. Edmund
Burke. After that time he gave many
courses of lectures in Boston and became
one of the best known lecturers in America.
But very few men have rendered such con-
tinued service in this field. He lectured for
forty successive seasons before the Salem,
Massachusetts, Lyceum and also made re-
peated lecturing tours in this country and in
England. In 1835 Mr. Emerson took up
his residence at Concord, Massachusetts,
where he continued to make his home until
his death which occurred April 27, 1882.
Mr. Emerson's literary work covered a
wide scope. He wrote and published many
works, essays and poems, which rank high
among the works of American literary men.
A few of the many which he produced are
the following:- "Nature;" "The Method
of Nature;" " Man Thinking;" "The Dial;"
"Essays;" "Poems;" "English Traits;"
"The Conduct of Life;" "May-Day and
other Poems " and " Society and Solitude;"
besides many others. He was a prominent
member of the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences, of the American Philosophical
Society, the Massachusetts Historical Society
and other kindred associations.
ALEXANDER T. STEWART, one of
the famous merchant princes of New
York, was born near the city of Belfast, Ire-
land, in 1803, and before he was eight years
of age was left an orphan without any near
relatives, save an aged grandfather. The
grandfather being a pious Methodist wanted
to make a minister of young Stewart, and
accordingly put him in a school with that
end in view and he graduated at Trinity Col-
lege, in Dublin, When scarcely twenty
years of age he came to New York. His
first employment was that of a teacher, but
accident soon made him a merchant. En-
tering into business relations with an ex-
perienced man of his acquaintance he soon
found himself with the rent of a store on
his hands and alone in a new enterprise.
Mr. Stewart's business grew rapidly in all
directions, but its founder had executive
ability sufficient for any and all emergencies,
and in time his house became one of the
greatest mercantile establishments of mod-
ern times, and the name of Stewart famous.
Mr. Stewart's death occurred April 10,
1876.
TAMES FENIMORE COOPER. — In
<j speaking of this noted American nov-
elist, William Cullen Bryant said: " He
wrote for mankind at large, hence it is that
he has earned a fame wider than any Amer-
ican author of modern times. The crea-
tions of his genius shall survive through
centuries to come, and only perish with our
language." Another eminent writer (Pres-
cott) said of Cooper: " In his productions
every American must take an honest pride;
for surely no one has succeeded like Cooper
in the portraiture of American character, or
has given such glowing and eminently truth-
ful pictures of American scenery."
James Fenimore Cooper was born Sep-
COMPENDIUM OF BJOGRAPHT.
59
tember 15, 1789, at Burlington, New Jer-
sey, and was a son of Judge William Cooper.
About a year after the birth of our subject
the family removed to Otsego county, New
York, and founded the town called " Coop-
erstown." James Fenimore Cooper spent
his childhood there and in 1802 entered
Yale College, and four years later became a
midshipman in the United States navy. In
181 1 he was married, quit the seafaring life,
and began devoting more or less time to lit-
erary pursuits. His first work vvas " Pre-
caution," a novel published in 1819, and
three years later he produced "The Spy, a
Tale of Neutral Ground," which met with
great favor and was a universal success.
This was followed by many other works,
among which may be mentioned the follow-
ing: * ' The Pioneers, " ' ' The Pilot, " * ' Last
of the Mohicans," "The Prairie," "The
Red Rover," "The Manikins," "Home-
ward Bound," "Home as Found," " History
of the United States Navy," "The Path-
finder," "Wing and Wing," "Afloat and
Ashore," "The Chain-Bearer," "Oak-
Openings," etc. J. Fenimore Cooper died
at Cooperstown, New York, September 14,
1851.
MARSHALL FIELD, one of the mer-
chant princes of America, ranks among
the most successful business men of the cen-
tury. He was born in 1835 at Conway,
Massachusetts. He spent his early life on
a farm and secured a fair .education in the
common schools, supplementing this with a
course at the Conway Academy. His
natural bent ran in the channels of commer-
cial life, and at the age of seventeen he was
given a position in a store at Pittsfield,
Massachusetts. Mr. Field remained there
four years and removed to Chicago in 1856.
He began his career in Chicago as a clerk
in the wholesale dry goods house of Cooley,
Wadsworth & Company, which later be-
came Cooley, Farwell & Company, and still
later John V. Farwell & Company. He
remained with them four years and exhibit-
ed marked ability, in recognition of which
he was given a partnership. In 1865 Mr.
Field and L. Z. Lciter, who was also a
member of the firm, withdrew and formed
the firm of Field, Palmer & Leiter, the
third partner being Potter Palmer, and they
continued in business until 1867, when Mr.
Palmer retired and the firm became Field,
Leiter & Company. They ran under the
latter name until 1881, when Mr. Leiter re-
tired and the house has since continued un-
der the name of Marshall Field & Company.
The phenomenal success accredited to the
house is largely due to the marked ability
of Mr. Field, the house had become one of
the foremost in the west, with an annual
sale of $8,000,000 in 1870. The total loss
of the firm during the Chicago fire was
$3,500,000 of which $2,500,000 was re-
covered through the insurance companies.
It rapidly recovered from the effects of this
and to-day the annual sales amount to over
$40,000,000. Mr. Field's real estate hold-
ings amounted to $10,000,000, He was
one of the heaviest subscribers to the Bap-
tist University fund although he is a Presby-
terian, and gave $1,000,000 for the endow-
ment of the Field Columbian Museum —
one of the greatest institutions of the kind
in the world.
EDGAR WILSON NYE, who won an im-
mense popularity under the pen name
of " Bill Nye," was one of the most eccen-
tric humorists of his day. He was born Au-
gust 25, 1850, at Shirley, Piscataqua coun-
ty, Maine, "at a very early age " as he ex-
presses it. He took an academic course in
60
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
River Falls, Wisconsin, from whence, after
his graduation, he removed to Wyoming
Territory. He studied law and was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1876. He began when
quite young to contribute humorous sketches
to the newspapers, became connected with
various western journals and achieved a
brilliant success as a humorist, Mr. Nye
settled later in New York City where he
devoted his time to writing funny articles for
the big newspaper syndicates. He wrote for
publication in book form the following :
"Bill Nye and the Boomerang," "The
Forty Liars," "Baled Hay," " Bill Nye's
Blossom Rock," "Remarks," etc. His
death occurred February 21, 1896, at Ashe-
ville, North Carolina.
THOMAS DE WITT TALMAGE, one of
the most celebrated American preach-
ers, was born January 7, 1832, and was the
youngest of twelve children. He made his
preliminary studies at the grammar school
in New Brunswick, New Jersey. At the age
of eighteen he joined the church and entered
the University of the City of New York, and
graduated in May, 1853. The exercises
were held in Niblo's Garden and his speech
aroused the audience to a high pitch of en-
thusiasm. At the close of his college duties
he imagined himself interested in the law
and for three years studied law. Dr. Tal-
mage then perceived his mistake and pre-
pared himself for the ministry at the
Reformed Dutch Church Theological Semi-
nary at New Brunswick, New Jersey. Just
after his ordination the young minister re-
ceived two calls, one from Piermont, New
York, and the other from Belleville, New
Jersey. Dr. Talmage accepted the latter
and for three years filled that charge, when
he was called to Syracuse, New York. Here
it was that his sermons first drew large
crowds of people to his church, and from
thence dates his popularity. Afterward he
became the pastor of the Second Reformed
Dutch church, of Philadelphia, remaining
seven years, during which period he first
entered upon the lecture platform and laid
the foundation for his future reputation. At
the end of this time he received three calls,
one from Chicago, one from San Francisco,
and one from the Central Presbyterian
church of Brooklyn, which latter at that
time consisted of only nineteen members
with a congregation of about thirty-five.
This church offered him a salary of seven
thousand dollars and he accepted the call.
He soon induced the trustees to sell the old
church and build a new one. They did so
and erected the Brooklyn Tabernacle, but
it burned down shortly after it was finished.
By prompt sympathy and general liberality
a new church was built and formally opened
in February, 1874. It contained seats for
four thousand, six hundred and fifty, but if
necessary seven thousand could be accom-
modated. In October, 1878, his salary was
raised from seven thousand dollars to twelve
thousand dollars, and in the autumn of 1889
the second tabernacle was destroyed by fire.
A third tabernacle was built and it was for-
mally dedicated on Easter Sunday, 1891.
JOHN PHILIP SOUSA, conceded as
being one of the greatest band leaders
in the world, won his fame while leader of
the United States Marine Band at Washing-
ton, District of Columbia. He was not
originally a band player but was a violinist,
and at the age of seventeen he was conduc-
tor of an opera company, a profession which
he followed for several years, until he was
offered the leadership of the Marine Band
at Washington. The proposition was re-
pugnant to him at first but he accepted the
COMPENDJL M OF BIOGRArHY
61
offer and then ensued ten years of brilliant
success with that organi;;ation. When he
first took the Marine Band he began to
gather the national airs of all the nations
that have representatives in Washington,
and compiled a comprehensive volume in-
cluding nearly all the national songs of the
different nations. He composed a number
of marches, waltzes and two-steps, promi-
nent among which are the "Washington
Post," "Directorate," "King Cotton,"
"High School Cadets," "Belle of Chica-
go," "Liberty Bell March," "Manhattan
Beach," "On Parade March," "Thunderer
March," "Gladiator March," " El Capitan
March," etc. He became a very extensive
composer of this class of music.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, sixth president
of the United States, was born in
Braintree, Massachusetts, July ii, 1767,
the son of John Adams. At the age of
eleven he was sent to school at Paris, and
two years later to Leyden, where he entered
that great university. He returned to the
United States in 1785, and graduated from
Harvard in 1788. He then studied law,
and was admitted to the bar in 1791. His
practice brought no income the first two
years, but he won distinction in literary
fields, and was appointed minister to The
Hague in 1794. He married in 1797, and
went as minister to Berlin the same year,
serving until 1801, when Jefferson became
president. He was elected to the senate in
1803 by the Federalists, but was condemned
by that party for advocating the Embargo
Act and other Anti-Federalist measures. He
was appointed as professor of rhetoric at
Harvard in 1805, and in 1809 was sent as
minister to Russia. He assisted in negotiat-
ing the treaty of peace with England in
1&14, and became minister to that power
the next year. He served during Monroe's
administration two terms as secretary of
state, during which time party lines were
obliterated, and in 1824 four candidates for
president appeared, all of whom were iden-
tified to some extent with the new " Demo-
cratic" party. Mr. Adams received 84 elec-
toral votes, Jackson 99, Crawford 41, and
Clay 37. As no candidate had a majority
of all votes, the election went to the house
of representatives, which elected Mr. Adams.
As Clay had thrown his influence to Mr.
Adams, Clay became secretary of state, and
this caused bitter feeling on the part of the
Jackson Democrats, who were joined by
Mr. Crawford and his following, and op-
posed every measure of the administration.
In the election of 1828 Jackson was elected
over Mr. Adams by a great majority,
Mr. Adams entered the lower house of
congress in 1830, elected from the district
in which he was born and continued to rep-
resent it for seventeen years. He was
known as " the old man eloquent," and his
work in congress was independent of party.
He opposed slavery extension and insisted
upon presenting to congress, one at a time,
the hundreds of petitions against the slave
power. One of these petitions, presented in
1842, was signed by forty-five citizens of
Massachusetts, and prayed congress for a
peaceful dissolution of the Union. His
enemies seized upon this as an opportunity
to crush their powerful foe, and in a caucus
meeting determined upon his expulsion from
congress. Finding they would not be able
to command enough votes for this, they de-
cided upon a course that would bring equal
disgrace. They formulated a resolution to
the effect that while he merited expulsion,
the house would, in great mercy, substitute
its severest censure. When it was read in the
house the old man, then in his seventy-fifth
62
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
year, arose and demanded that the first para-
graph of the Declaration of Independence
be read as his defense. It embraced the
famous sentence, "that whenever any form
of government becomes destructive to those
ends, it is the right of the people to alter or
abolish it, and to institute new government,
etc., etc." After eleven days of hard fight-
ing his opponents were defeated. On Febru-
ary 21, 1848, he rose to address the speaker
on the Oregon question, when he suddenly
fell from a stroke of paralysis. He died
soon after in the rotunda of the capitol,
where he had been conveyed by his col-
leagues.
SUSAN B. ANTHONY was one of the
most famous women of America. She
Avas born at South Adams, Massachusetts,
February 15, 1820, the daughter of a
Quaker. She received a good education
and became a school teacher, following that
profession for fifteen years in New York.
Beginning with about 1852 she became the
active leader of the woman's rights move-
ment and won a wide reputation for her
zeal and ability. She also distinguished
herself for her zeal and eloquence in the
temperance, and anti-slavery causes, and
became a conspicuous figure during the war.
After the close of the war she gave most of
her labors to the cause of woman's suffrage.
PHILIP D. ARMOUR, one of the most
conspicuous figures in the mercantile
history of America, was born May 16, 1832,
on a farm at Stockbridge, Madison county,
New York, and received his early education
in the common schools of that county. He
was apprenticed to a farmer and worked
faithfully and well, being very ambitious and
desiring to start out for himself. At the
age of twenty he secured a release from his
indentures and set out overland for the
gold fields of California. After a great
deal of hard work he accumulated a little
money and then came east and settled
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He went into
the grain receiving and warehouse busi-
ness and was fairly successful, and later on
he formed a partnership with John Plankin-
ton in the pork packing line, the style of the
firm being Plankinton & Armour. Mr. Ar-
mour made his first great "deal" in selling
pork "short" on the New York market in
the anticipation of the fall of the Confed-
eracy, and Mr. Armour is said to have made
through this deal a million dollars. He then
established packing houses in Chicago and
Kansas City, and in 1875 he removed to
Chicago. He increased his business by add-
ing to it the shipment of dressed beef to
the European markets, and many other lines
of trade and manufacturing, and it rapidly
assumed vast proportions, employing an
army of men in different lines of the busi-
ness. Mr. Armour successfully conducted a
great many speculative deals in pork and
grain of immense proportions and also erected
many large warehouses for the storage of
grain. He became one of the representative
business men of Chicago, where he became
closely identified with all enterprises of a
public nature, but his fame as a great busi-
ness man e.xtended to all parts of the world.
He founded the "Armour Institute " at Chi-
cago and also contributed largely to benevo-
lent and charitable institutions.
ROBERT FULTON.— Although Fulton
is best known as the inventor of the
first successful steamboat, yet his claims to
distinction do not rest alone upon that, for
he was an inventor along other lines, a
painter and an author. He was born at
Little Britain, Lancaster county, Pennsyl-
T DeWIH talwageI
THF fi A ]in
PUBLIC LJBHART
ASrOA. ItMdX Alio
riLDlK /-OUNaATiOXI
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAJ'IIl
65
vania, in 1765, of Scotch-Irish ancestry.
At the age of seventeen he removed to Phila-
delphia, and there and in New York en-
gaged in miniature painting with success
both from a pecuniary and artistic point of
view. With the results of his labors he pur-
::hased a farm for the support of his mother.
He went to London and studied under the
great painter, Benjamin West, and all
through life retained his fondness for art
and gave evidence of much ability in that
line. While in England he was brought in
contact with the Duke of Bridgewater, the
father of the English canal system; Lord
Stanhope, an eminent mechanician, and
James Watt, the inventor of the steam en-
gine. Their influence turned his mind to its
true field of labor, that of mechanical in-
vention. Machines for flax spinning,
marble sawing, rope making, and for remov-
ing earth from excavations, are among his
earliest ventures. His "Treatise on the
Improvement of Canal Navigation," issued
in 1796, and a series of essays on canals
were soon followed by an English patent
for canal improvements. In 1797 he went
to Paris, where he resided until 1806, and
there invented a submarine torpedo boat for
maritime defense, but which was rejected
by the governments of France, England and
the United States. In 1 803 he offered to con-
struct for the Emperor Napoleon a steam-
boat that would assist in carrying out the
plan of invading Great Britain then medi-
tated by that great captain. In pursuance
he constructed his first steamboat on the
Seine, but it did not prove a full success
and the idea was abandoned by the French
government. By the aid of Livingston,
then United States minister to France,
Fulton purchased, in 1806, an engine which
he brought to this country. After studying
the defects of his own and other attempts in
4
this line he built and launched in 1807 the
Clermont, the first successful steamboat.
This craft only attained a speed of five
miles an hour while going up North river.
His first patent not fully covering his in-
vention, Fulton was engaged in many law
suits for infringement. He constructed
many steamboats, ferryboats, etc.. among
these being the United States steamer
" Fulton the First," built in 18 14, the first
war steamer ever built. This craft never
attained any great speed owing to some de-
fects in construction and accidentally blew
up in 1829. Fulton died in New York, Feb-
ruary 21, 181 5.
SALMON PORTLAND CHASE, sixth
chief-justice of the United States, and
one of the most eminent of American jurists,
was born in Cornish, New Hampshire, Jan-
uary 13, 1808. At the age of nine he was
left in poverty by the death of his father,
but means were found to educate him. He
was sent to his uncle, a bishop, who con-
ducted an academy near Columbus, Ohio,
and here young Chase worked on the farm
and attended school. At the age of fifteen
he returned to his native state and entered
Dartmouth College, from which he gradu-
ated in 1 826. He then went to Washington,
and engaged in teaching school, and study-
ing law under the instruction of William
Wirt. He was licensed to practice in 1829,
and went to Cincinnati, where he had a
hard struggle for several years following.
He had in the meantime prepared notes on
the statutes of Ohio, which, when published,
brought him into prominence locally. He
was soon after appointed solicitor of the
United States Bank. In 1837 he appeared
as counsel for a fugitive slave woman, Ma-
tilda, and sought by all the powers of his
learning and eloquence to prevent her owner
66
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
from reclaiming her. He acted in many
other cases, and devolved the trite expres-
sion, "Slavery is sectional, freedom is na-
tional." He was employed to defend Van
Zandt before the supreme court of the United
States in 1846, which was one of the most
noted cases connected with the great strug-
gle against slavery. By this time Mr. Chase
had become the recogni2ed leader of that
element known as " free-soilers." He was
elected to the United States senate in 1849,
and was chosen governor of Ohio in 1855
and re-elected in 1857. He was chosen to
the United States senate from Ohio in 1861,
but was made secretary of the treasury by
Lincoln and accepted. He inaugurated a
financial system to replenish the exhausted
treasury and meet the demands of the great-
est war in history and at the same time to
revive the industries of the country. One
of the measures which afterward called for
his judicial attention was the issuance of
currency notes which were made a legal
tender in payment of debts. When this
question came before him as chief-justice
of the United States he reversed his former
action and declared the measure unconstitu-
tional. The national banking system, by
which all notes issued were to be based on
funded government bonds of equal or greater
amounts, had its direct origin with Mr. Chase.
Mr. Chase resigned the treasury port-
folio in 1864, and was appointed the same
year as chief-justice of the United States
supreme court. The great questions that
came up before him at this crisis in the life
of the nation were no less than those which
confronted the first chief-justice at the for-
mation of our government. Reconstruction,
private, state and national interests, the
constitutionality of the acts of congress
passed in times of great excitement, the
construction and interpretation to be placed
upon the several amendments to the national
constitution, — these were among the vital
questions requiring prompt decision. He
received a paralytic stroke in 1870, which
impaired his health, though his mental
powers were not affected. He continued to
preside at the opening terms for two years
following and died May 7, 1873.
HARRIET ELIZABETH BEECHER
STOWE, a celebrated American writ-
er, was born June 14, 1812, at Litchfield,
Connecticut. She was a daughter of Lyman
Beecher and a sister of Henry Ward Beecher,
tvv'o noted divines; was carefully educated,
and taught school for several years at Hart-
ford, Connecticut. In 1832 Miss Beecher
married Professor Stowe, then of Lane Semi-
nary, Cincinnati, Ohio, and afterwards at
Bowdoin College and Andover Seminary.
Mrs. Stowe published in 1849 "The May-
flower, or sketches of the descendants of the
Pilgrims," and in 1851 commenced in the
' ' National Era " of Washington, a serial story
which was published separately in 1852 under
the title of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." This
book attained almost unparalleled success
both at home and abroad, and within ten years
it had been translated in almost every lan-
guage of the civilized world. Mrs. Stowe pub-
lished in 1853a "Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin"
in which the data that she used was published
and its truthfulness was corroborated. In
1853 she accompanied her husband and
brother to Europe, and on her return pub-
lished "Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands"
in 1854. Mrs. Stowe was for some time
one of the editors of the ' ' Atlantic Monthly "
and the " Hearth and Home," for which
she had written a number of articles.
Among these, also published separately, are
" Dred, a tale of the Great Dismal Swamp "
(later published under the title of " Nina
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
67
Gordon"); "The Minister's Wooing;" "The
Pearl of Orr's Island;" "Agnes of Sorrento;"
"Oldtown Folks;" "My Wife and I;" "Bible
Heroines," and "A Dog's Mission." Mrs.
Stowe's death occurred July i, 1896, at
Hartford, Connecticut.
THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON, bet-
ter known as "Stonewall" Jackson,
was one of the most noted of the Confeder-
ate generals of the Civil war. He was a
soldier by nature, an incomparable lieuten-
ant, sure to execute any operation entrusted
to him with marvellous precision, judgment
and courage, and all his individual cam-
paigns and combats bore the stamp of a
masterly capacity for war. He was born
January 21, 1824, at Clarksburg, Harrison
county. West Virginia. He was early in
life imbued with the desire to be a soldier
and it is said walked from the mountains of
Virginia to Washington, secured the aid of
his congressman, and was appointed cadet
at the United States Military Academy at
West Point from which he was graduated in
1846. Attached to the army as brevet sec-
ond lieutenant of the First Artillery, his first
service was as a subaltern with Magruder's
battery of light artillery in the Mexican war.
He participated at the reduction of Vera
Cruz, and was noticed for gallantry in the
battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Moline
del Rey, Chapultepec, and the capture of
the city of Mexico, receiving the brevets of
captain for conduct at Contreras and Cher-
ubusco and of major at Chapultepec. In
the meantime he had been advanced by
regular promotion to be first lieutenant in
1847. In 1852, the war having closed, he
resigned and became professor of natural
and experimental philosophy and artillery
instructor at the Virginia State Military
Institute at Lexington, Virginia, where he
remained until Virginia declared for seces-
sion, he becoming chiefly noted for intense
religious sentiment coupled with personal
eccentricities. Upon the breaking out of
the war he was made colonel and placed in
command of a force sent to sieze Harper's
Ferry, which he accomplished May 3, 1861.
Relieved by General J. E. Johnston, May
23, he took command of the brigade of
Valley Virginians, whom he moulded into
that brave corps, baptized at the first
Manassas, and ever after famous as the
" Stonewall Brigade." After this "Stone-
wall " Jackson was made a major-general,
in 1 861, and participated until his death in
all the famous campaigns about Richmond
and in Virginia, and was a conspicuous fig-
ure in the memorable battles of that time.
May 2, 1863, at Chancellorsville, he wa?
wounded severely by his own troops, two
balls shattering his left arm and another
passing through the palm of his right hand.
The left arm was amputated, but pneumonia
intervened, and, weakened by the great loss
of blood, he died May 10, 1863. The more
his operations in the Shenandoah valley in
1862 are studied the more striking must the
merits of this great soldier appear.
TOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER.—
<J Near to the heart of the people of the
Anglo-Saxon race will ever lie the verses of
this, the " Ouaker Poet." The author of
"Barclay of Ury," "Maud Muller" and
"Barbara Frietchie," always pure, fervid
and direct, will be remembered when many
a more ambitious writer has been forgotten.
John G. Whittier was born at Haver-
hill, Massachusetts, December 7, 1807, of
Quaker parentage. He had but a common-
school education and passed his boyhood
days upon a farm. In early life he learned
the trade of shoemaker. At the age of
68
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
eighteen he began to write verses for the
Haverhill " Gazette." He spent two years
after that at the Haverhill academy, after
which, in 1829, he became editor of the
♦'American Manufacturer," at Boston. In
1830 he succeeded George D. Prentice as
editor of the "New England Weekly Re-
view," but the following year returned to
Haverhill and engaged in farming. In 1832
and in 1836 he edited the " Gazette." In
1835 he was elected a member of the legis-
lature, serving two years. In 1 836 he became
secretary of the Anti-slavery Society of Phil-
adelphia. In 1838 and 1839 he edited the
" Pennsylvania Freeman," but in the latter
year the office was sacked and burned by a
mob. In 1840 Whittier settled at Ames-
bury, Massachusetts, In 1847 he became
corresponding editor of the " National Era,"
an anti-slavery paper published at Washing-
ton, and contributed to its columns many of
his anti-slavery and other favorite lyrics.
Mr, Whittier lived for many years in retire-
ment of Quaker simplicity, publishing several
volumes of poetry which have raised him to
a high place among American authors and
brought to him the love and admiration of
his countrymen. In the electoral colleges
of i860 and 1864 Whittier was a member.
Much of his time after 1876 was spent at
Oak Knoll, Danvers, Massachusetts, but
still retained his residence at Amesbury.
He never married. His death occurred Sep-
tember 7, 1892.
The more prominent prose writings of
John G. Whittier are as follows: "Legends
of New England," "Justice and Expediency,
or Slavery Considered with a View to Its Abo-
htion," " The Stranger in Lowell," "Super-
naturalism in New England," " Leaves from
Margaret Smith's Journal," "Old Portraits
and Modern Sketches" and "Literary
Sketches."
DAVID DIXON PORTER, illustrious as
admiral of the United States navy, and
famous as one of the most able naval offi-
cers of America, was born in Pennsylvania,
June 8, 1 8 14. His father was also a naval
officer of distinction, who left the service of
the United States to become commander of
the naval forces of Mexico during the war
between that country and Spain, and
through this fact David Dixon Porter was
appointed a midshipman in the Mexican
navy. Two years later David D. Porter
joined the United States navy as midship-
man, rose in rank and eighteen years later
as a lieutenant he is found actively engaged
in all the operations of our navy along the
east coast of Mexico. When the Civil war
broke out Porter, then a commander, was
dispatched in the Powhattan to the relief of
Fort Pickens, Florida. This duty accom-
plished, he fitted out a mortar flotilla for
the reduction of the forts guarding the ap-
proaches to New Orleans, which it was con-
sidered of vital importance for the govern-
ment to get possession of. After the fall of
New Orleans the mortar flotilla was actively
engaged at Vicksburg, and in the fall of
1862 Porter was made a rear-admiral and
placed in command of all the naval forces
on the western rivers above New Orleans.
The ability of the man was now con-
spicuously manifested, not only in the bat-
tles in which he was engaged, but also in
the creation of a formidable fleet out of
river steamboats, which he covered with
such plating as they would bear. In 1864
he was transferred to the Atlantic coast to
command the naval forces destined to oper-
ate against the defences of Wilmington,
North Carolina, and on Jan. 15, 1865, the
fall of Fort Fisher was hailed by the country
as a glorious termination of his arduous war
service. In 1866 he was made vice-admiral
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPJ/l
6Vf
and appointed superintendent of the Naval
Academy. On the death of Farragut, in
1870, he succeeded that able man as ad-
miral of the navy. His death occurred at
Washington, February 13, 1891.
NATHANIEL GREENE was one of the
best known of the distinguished gen-
erals who led the Continental soldiery
against the hosts of Great Britain during
the Revolutionary war. He was the son
of Quaker parents, and was born at War-
wick, Rhode Island, May 27, 1742. In
youth he acquired a good education, chiefiy
by his own efforts, as he was a tireless
reader. In 1770 he was elected a member
of the Assembly of his native state. The
news of the battle of Lexington stirred
his blood, and he offered his services to
the government of the colonies, receiving
the rank of brigadier-general and the com-
mand of the troops from Rhode Island.
He led them to the camp at Cambridge,
and for thus violating the tenets of their
faith, he was cast out of the Society of
Friends, or Quakers. He soon won the es-
teem of General Washington. In August,
1776, Congress promoted Greene to the
rank of major-general, and in the battles of
Trenton and Princeton he led a division.
At the battle of Brandy wine, September 1 1,
1777, he greatly distinguished himself, pro-
tecting the retreat of the Continentals by
his firm stand. At the battle of German-
town, October 4, the same year, he com-
manded the left wing of the army with
credit. In March, 1778, he reluctantly ac-
cepted the office of quartermaster-general,
but only with the understanding that his
rank in the army would not be affected and
that in action he should retain his command.
On the bloody field of Monmouth, June 28,
1778, he commanded the right wing, as he
did at the battle of Tiverton Heights. He
was in command of the army in 1780, dur-
ing the absence of Washington, and was
president of the court-martial that tried and
condemned Major Andre. After General
Gates' defeat at Camden, North Carolina, in
the summer of 1780, General Greene was ap-
pointed to the command of the southern army.
He sent out a force under General Morgan
who defeated General Tarleton at Cowpens,
January 17, 1781. On joining his lieuten-
ant, in February, he found himself out num-
bered by the British and retreated in good
order to Virginia, but being reinforced re-
turned to North Carolina where he fought
the battle of Guilford, and a few days later
compelled the retreat of Lord Cornwallis.
The British were followed by Greene part
of the way, when the American army
marched into South Carolina. After vary-
ing success he fought the battle of Eutaw
Springs, Septembers, 1781. For the latter
battle and its glorious consequences, which
virtually closed the war in the Carolinas,
Greene received a medal from Congress and
many valuable grants of land from the
colonies of North and South Carolina and
Georgia. On the return of peace, after a
year spent in Rhode Island, General Greene
took up his residence on his estate near
Savannah, Georgia, where he died June 19,
1786.
EDGAR ALLEN POE.— Among the
many great literary men whom this
country has produced, there is perhaps no
name more widely known than that of Ed-
gar Allen Poe. He was born at Boston,
Massachusetts, February 19, 1809. His
parents were David and Elizabeth (Arnold)
Poe, both actors, the mother said to have
been the natural daughter of Benedict Ar-
nold. The parents died while Edgar was
70
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
still a child and he was adopted by John
Allen, a wealthy and influential resident of
Richmond, Virginia. Edgar was sent to
school at Stoke, Newington, England,
where he remained until he was thirteen
5'ears old; was prepared for college by pri-
vate tutors, and in 1826 entered the Virginia
University at Charlottesville. He made
rapid progress in his studies, and was dis-
tinguished for his scholarship, but was ex-
pelled within a year for gambling, after
which for several years he resided with his
benefactor at Richmond. He then went to
Baltimore, and in 1829 published a 71 -page
pamphlet called "Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane
and Minor Poems," which, however, at-
tracted no attention and contained nothing
of particular merit. In 1830 he was ad-
mitted as a cadet at West Point, but was
expelled about a year later for irregulari-
ties. Returning to the home of Mr. Allen
he remained for some time, and fina-lly
quarrelled with his benefactor and enlisted
as a private soldier in the U. S. army, but
remained only a short time. Soon after
this, in .1833, Poe won several prizes for
literary work, and as a result secured the
position of editor of tfhe ' ' Southern Liter-
ary Messenger," at Richmond, Virginia.
Here he married his cousin, Virginia
Clemm, who clung to him with fond devo-
tion through all the many trials that came
to them until her death in January, 1848.
Poe remained with the "Messenger" for
several years, writing meanwhile many
tales, reviews, essays and poems. He aft-
erward earned a precarious living by his
pen in New York for a time; in 1839 be-
came editor of "Burton's Gentleman's
Magazine" ; in 1840 to 1842 was editor of
" Graham's Magazine," and drifted around
from one place to another, returning to
New York in 1844. In 1845 his best
known production, "The Raven," appeared
in the "Whig Review," and gained him a
reputation which is now almost world-wide.
He then acted as editor and contributor on
various magazines and periodicals until the
death of his faithful wife in 1848. In the
summer of 1849 he was engaged to be mar-
ried to a lady of fortune in Richmond, Vir-
ginia, and the day set for the wedding.
He started for New York to make prepara-
tions for the event, but, it is said, began
drinking, was attacked with dilirium tre-
mens in Baltimore and was removed to a
hospital, where he died, October 7, 1849.
The works of Edgar Allen Poe have been
repeatedly published since his death, both
in Europe and America, and have attained
an immense popularity.
HORATIO GATES, one of the prom-
inent figures in the American war for
Independence, was not a native of the col-
onies but was born in England in 1728. In
early life he entered the British army and
attained the rank of major. At the capture
of Marti nico he was aide to General Monk-
ton and after the peace of Aix la Chapelle,
in 1748, he was among the first troops that
landed at Halifax. He was with Braddock
at his defeat in 1755, and was there severe-
ly wounded. At the conclusion of the
French and Indian war Gates purchased an
estate in Virginia, and, resigning from the
British army, settled down to life as a
planter. On the breaking out of the Rev-
olutionary war he entered the service of the
colonies and was made adjutant-general of
the Continental forces with the rank o\
brigadier-general. He accompanied Wash-
ington when he assumed the command of
the army. In June, 1776, he was appoint-
ed to the command of the army of Canada,
but was superseded in May of the following
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
71
year by General Schuyler. In August,
1777, however, the comnjand of that army
was restored to General Gates and Septem-
ber 19 he fought the battle of Bemis
Heights. October 7, the same year, he
won the battle of Stillwater, or Saratoga,
and October 17 received the surrender of
General Burgoyne and his army, the pivotal
point of the war. This gave him a brilliant
reputation. June 13, 1780, General Gates
was appointed to the command of the
southern military division, and August 16 of
that year suffered defeat at the hands of
Lord Cornwallis, at Camden, North Car-
olina. In December following he was
superseded in the command by General
Nathaniel Greene.
On the signing of the peace treaty Gen-
eral Gates retired to his plantation in
Berkeley county, Virginia, where he lived
until 1790, when, emancipating all his
slaves, he removed to New York City, where
he resided until his death, April 10, 1806.
LYiMAN J. GAGE.— When President Mc-
Kinley selected Lyman J. Gage as sec-
retary of the treasury he chose one of the
most eminent financiers of the century. Mr.
Gage was born June 28, 1836, at De Ruy-
ter, Madison county, New York, and was of
English descent. He went to Rome, New
York, with his parents when he was ten
years old, and received his early education
in the Rome Academy. Mr. Gage gradu-
ated from the same, and his first position
was that of a clerk in the post office. When
he was fifteen years of age he was detailed
as mail agent on the Rome & Watertown
R. R. until the postmaster-general appointed
regular agents for the route. In 1854, when
he was in his eighteenth year, he entered
the Oneida Central Bank at Rome as a
junior clerk at a salary of one hundred dol-
lars per year. Being unable at the end of
one year and a half's service to obtain an
increase in salary he determined to seek a
wider field of labor. Mr. Gage set out in
the fall of 1855 and arrived in Chicago,
Illinois, on October 3, and soon obtained a
situation in Nathan Cobb's lumber yard and
planing mill. He remained there three years
as a bookkeeper, teamster, etc., and left on
account of change in the management. But
not being able to find anything else to do he
accepted the position of night watchman in
the place for a period of six weeks. He
then became a bookkeeper for the Mer-
chants Saving, Loan and Trust Company at
a salary of five hundred dollars per year.
He rapidly advanced in the service of this
company and in 1868 he was made cashier.
Mr. Gage was next offered the position of
cashier of the First National Bank and ac-
cepted the offer. He became the president
of the First National Bank of Chicago Jan-
uary 24, 1 89 1 , and in 1 897 he was appointed
secretary of the treasury. His ability as a
financier and the prominent part he took in
the discussion of financial affairs while presi-
dent of the great Chicago bank gave him a
national reputation.
ANDREW JACKSON, the seventh pres-
ident of the United States, was born
at the Waxhaw settlement, Union county,
North Carolina, March 15, 1767. His
parents were Scotch-Irish, natives of Carr-
ickfergus, who came to this country in 1665
and settled on Twelve-Mile creek, a trib-
utary of the Catawba. His father, who
was a poor farm laborer, died shortly be-
fore Andrew's birth, when the mother re-
moved to Waxhaw, where some relatives
lived. Andrew's education was very limited,
he showing no aptitude for study. In 1780
when but thirteen years of age, he and his
72
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
brother Robert volunteered to serve in the
American partisan troops under General
Sumter, and witnessed the defeat at Hang-
ing Rock. The following year the boys
were both taken prisoners by the enemy
and endured brutal treatment from the
British officers while confined at Camden.
They both took the small pox, when the
mother procured their exchange but Robert
died shortly after. The mother died in
Charleston of ship fever, the same year.
Young Jackson, now in destitute cir-
cumstances, worked for about six months in
a saddler's shop, and then turned school
master, although but little fitted for the
position. He now began to think of a pro-
fession and at Salisbury, North Carolina,
entered upon the study of law, but from all
accounts gave but little attention to his
books, being one of the most roistering,
rollicking fellows in that town, indulging in
many of the vices of his time. In 1786 he
was admitted to the bar and in 1788 re-
moved to Nashville, then in North Carolina,
with the appointment of public prosecutor,
then an office of little honor or emolument,
but requiring much nerve, for which young
Jackson was already noted. Two years
later, when Tennessee became a territory
he was appointed by Washington to the
position of United States attorney for that
district. In 1791 he married Mrs. Rachel
Robards, a daughter of Colonel John Don-
elson, who was supposed at the time to
have been divorced from her former hus-
band that year by act of legislature of Vir-
ginia, but two years later, on finding that
this divorce was not legal, and a new bill of
separation being granted by the courts of
Kentucky, they were remarried in 1793.
This was used as a handle by his oppo-
nents in the political campaign afterwards.
Jackson was untiring in his efforts as United
States attorney and obtained much influence.
He was chosen a member of the Constitu-
tional Convention of 1796, when Tennessee
became a state and was its first represent-
ative in congress. In 1797 he was chosen
United States senator, but resigned the fol-
lowing year to accept a seat on the supreme
court of Tennessee which he held until
1804. He was elected major-general of
the militia of that state in 1801. In 1804,
being unsuccessful in obtaining the govern-
orship of Louisiana, the new territory, he
retired from public life to the Hermitage,
his plantation. On the outbreak of the
war with Great Britain in 1812 he tendered
his services to the government and went to
New Orleans with the Tennessee troops in
January, 181 3. In March of that year he
was ordered to disband his troops, but later
marched against the Cherokee Indians, de-
feating them at Talladega, Emuckfaw
and Tallapoosa. Having now a national
reputation, he was appointed major-general
in the United States army and was sent
against the British in Florida. He con-
ducted the defence of Mobile and seized
Pensacola. He then went with his troops
to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he gained
the famous victory of January 8, 18 15. In
1817-18 he conducted a war against the
Seminoles, and in 1821 was made governor
of the new territory of Florida. In 1823
he was elected United States senator, but
in 1824 was the contestant with J. Q. Adams
for the presidency. Four years later he
was elected president, and served two terms.
In 1832 he took vigorous action against the
nullifiers of South Carolina, and the next
year removed the public money from the
United States bank. During his second
term the national debt was extinguished. At
the close of his administration he retired to
the Hermitage, where he died June 8, 1845.
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPJIT
73
ANDREW CARNEGIE, the largest manu-
facturer of pig-iron, steel rails and
coke in the world, well deserves a place
among America's celebrated men. He was
born November 25, 1835, at Dunfermline,
Scotland, and emigrated to the United States
with his father in 1845, settling in Pittsburg.
Two years later Mr. Carnegie began his
business career by attending a small station-
ary engine. This work did not suit him and
he became a telegraph messenger with the
Atlantic and Ohio Co., and later he became
an operator, and was one of the first to read
telegraphic signals by sound. Mr. Carnegie
was afterward sent to the Pittsburg office
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., as cleirk
to the superintendent and manager of the
telegraph lines. While in this position he
made the acquaintance of Mr. Woodruff, the
inventor of the sleeping-car. Mr. Carnegie
immediately became interested and was one
of the organizers of the company for its con-
struction after the railroad had adopted it,
and the success of this venture gave him the
nucleus of his wealth. He was promoted
to the superintendency of the Pittsburg
division of the Pennsylvania Railroad and
about this time was one of the syndicate
that purchased the Storey farm on Oil Creek
which cost forty thousand dollars and in one
year it yielded over one million dollars in
cash dividends. Mr. Carnegie later was as-
sociated with others in establishing a rolling-
mill, and from this has grown the most ex-
tensive and complete system of iron and
steel industries ever controlled by one indi-
vidual, embracing the Edgar Thomson
Steel Works; Pittsburg Bessemer Steel
Works; Lucy Furnaces; Union Iron Mills;
Union Mill; Keystone Bridge Works; Hart-
man Steel Works; Frick Coke Co.; Scotia
Ore Mines. Besides directing his immense
iron industries he owned eighteen English
newspapers which he ran in the interest of
the Radicals. He has also devoted large
sums of money to benevolent and educational
purposes. In 1879 he erected commodious
swimming baths for the people of Dunferm-
line, Scotland, and in the following year
gave forty thousand dollars for a free library.
Mr. Carnegie gave fifty thousand dollars to
Bellevue Hospital Medical College in 1S84
to found what is now called "Carnegie Lab-
oratory, " and in 1885 gave five hundred
thousand dollars to Pittsburg for a public
library. He also gave two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars for a music hall and library
in Allegheny City in 1886, and two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars to Edinburgh, Scot-
land, for a free library. He also established
free libraries at Braddock, Pennsylvania,
and other places for the benefit of his em-
ployes. He also published the following
works, "An American Four-in-hand in
Britain;" "Round the World;" "Trium-
phant Democracy; or Fifty Years' March of
the Republic."
GEORGE H. THOMAS, the " Rock of
Chickamauga," one of the best known
commanders during the late Civil war, was
born in Southampton county, Virginia, July
31, 1 8 16, his parents being of Welsh and
French origin respectively. In 1836 young
Thomas was appointed a cadet at the Mili-
tary Academy, at West Point, from which
he graduated in 1840, and was promoted to
the office of second lieutenant in the Third
Artillery. Shortly after, with his company,
he went to Florida, where he served for two
years against the Seminole Indians. In
1 84 1 he was brevetted first lieutenant for
gallant conduct. He remained in garrison
in the south and southwest until 1845. at
which date with the regiment he joined the
army under General Taylor, and participate
74
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
ed in the defense of Fort Brown, the storm-
ing of Monterey and the battle of Buena
Vista. After the latter event he remained
in garrison, now brevetted major, until the
close of the Mexican war. After a year
spent in Florida, Captain Thomas was or-
dered to West Point, where he served as in-
structor until 1854. He then was trans-
ferred to California. In May, 1855, Thom-
as was appointed major of the Second Cav-
alry, with whom he spent five years in Texas.
Although a southern man, and surrounded
by brother officers who all were afterwards
in the Confederate service, Major Thomas
never swerved from his allegiance to the
government. A. S. Johnston was the col-
onel of the regiment, R. E. Lee the lieuten-
ant-colonel, and W. J. Hardee, senior ma-
jor, while among the younger officers were
Hood, Fit2 Hugh Lee, Van Dorn and Kirby
Smith. When these officers left the regi-
ment to take up arms for the ("onfederate
cause he remained with it, and April 17th,
1 86 1, crossed the Potomac into his native
state, at its head. After taking an active part
in the opening scenes of the war on the Poto-
mac and Shenandoah, in August, 1861, he
was promoted to be brigadier-general and
transferred to the Army of the Cumberland.
January 19-20, 1862, Thomas defeated
Crittenden at Mill Springs, and this brought
him into notice and laid the foundation of
his fame. He continued in command of his
division until September 20, 1862, except
during the Corinth campaign when he com-
manded the right wing of the Army of the
Tennessee. He was in command of the
latter at the battle of Perryville, also, Octo-
ber 8, 1862.
On the division of the Army of the Cum-
berland into corps, January 9, 1863, Gen-
eral Thomas was assigned to the command
of the Fourteenth, and at the battle of Chick-
amauga, after the retreat of Rosecrans.
firmly held his own against the hosts of Gen-
eral Bragg. A history of his services from
that on would be a history of the war in the
southwest. On September 27, 1864, Gen-
eral Thomas was given command in Ten-
nessee, and after organizing his army, de-
feated General Hood in the battle of Nash-
ville, December 15 and 16, 1864. Much
complaint was made before this on account
of what they termed Thomas' slowness, and
he was about to be superseded because he
would not strike until he got ready, but
when the blow was struck General Grant
was the first to place on record this vindica-
tion of Thomas' judgment. He received a
vote of thanks from Congress, and from the
legislature of Tennessee a gold medal. Af-
ter the close of the war General Thomas
had command of several of the military di-
visions, and died at San Francisco, Cali-
fornia, March 28, 1870.
GEORGE BANCROFT, one of the most
eminent American historians, was a
native of Massachusetts, born at Worcester,
October 3, 1800, and a son of Aaron
Bancroft, D. D. The father, Aaron Ban-
croft, was born at Reading, Massachusetts,
November 10, 1755. He graduated at
Harvard in 1778, became a minister, and for
half a century was rated as one of the ablest
preachers in New England. He was also a
prolific writer and published a number of
works among which was ' ' Life of George
Washington." Aaron Bancroft died August
19, 1839.
The subject of our present biography,
George Bancroft, graduated at Harvard in
1817, and the following year entered the
University of Gottingen, where he studied
history and philology under the most emi-
nent teachers, and in 1820 received the de-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT
75
{^ree of doctor of philosophy at Gottingen.
Upon his return home he published a volume
of poems, and later a translation of Heeren's
*' Reflections on the Politics of Ancient
Greece." In 1834 he produced the first
volume of his " History of the United
States," chis being followed by other vol-
umes at different intervals later. This was
his greatest work and ranks as the highest
authority, taking its place among the great-
est of American productions.
George Bancroft v/as appointed secretary
of the navy by President Polk in 1S45, but
resigned in 1846 and became minister pleni-
potentiary to England, In 1849 he retired
from public hfe and took up his residence at
Washington, D. C. In 1867 he was ap-
pointed United States minister to the court of
Berlin and negotiated thetreatyby which Ger-
mans coming to the United States were re-
leased from their allegiance to the govern-
ment of their native land. In 1871 he was
minister plenipotentiary to the German em-
pire and served until 1874. The death of
George Bancroft occurred January 17, 1891.
GEORGE GORDON MEADE, a fa-
mous Union general, was born at
Cadiz, Spain, December 30, 181 5, his father
being United States naval agent at that
port. After receiving a good education he
entered the West Point Military Academy
in 1 83 1. From here he was graduated
June 30, 1835, ^nd received the rank of
second lieutenant of artillery. He par-
ticipated in the Seminole war, but resigned
from the army in October, 1836. He en-
tered upon the profession of civil engineer,
which he followed for several years, part of
the time in the service of the government in
making surveys of the mouth of the Missis-
sippi river. His report and results of some
experiments made by him in this service
gained Meade much credit. He alsu was
employed in surveying the boundary hue of
Te.xas and the northeastern boundary line
between the United States and Canada.
In 1842 he was reappointed in the army to
the position of second lieutenant of engineers.
During the Mexican war he served with dis-
tinction on the staff of General Taylor in
the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma
and the storming of Monterey. He received
his brevet of first lieutenant for the latter
action. In 185 1 he was made full first
lieutenant in his corps; a captain in 1856,
and major soon after. At the close of the
v/ar with Mexico he was employed in light-
house construction and in geodetic surveys
until the breaking out of the Rebellion, in
which he gained great reputation. In
August, 1 86 1, he was made brigadier-general
of volunteers and placed in command of the
second brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves,
a division of the First Corps in the Army of
the Potomac. In the campaign of 1862,
under McClellan, Meade took an active
part, being present at the battles of Mechan-
icsville, Gaines' Mill and Glendale, in the
latter of which he was severely wounded.
On rejoining his command he was given a
division and distinguished himself at its head
in the battles of South Mountain and Antie-
tam. During the latter, on the wounding
of General Hooker, Meade was placed in
command of the corps and was himself
slightly wounded. For servi ces he was
promoted, November, 1862, to the rank
of major-general of volunteers. On the
recovery of General Hooker General Meade
returned to his division and in December,
1862, at Fredericksburg, led an attack
which penetrated Lee's right line and swept
to his rear. Being outnumbered and un-
supported, he finally was driven back. The
same month Meade was assigned to the
76
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
command of the Fifth Corps, and at Chan-
cellorsville in May, 1863, his sagacity and
ability so struck General Hooker that when
the latter asked to be relieved of the com-
mand, in June of the same year, he nomi-
nated Meade as his successor. June 28,
1863, President Lincoln commissioned Gen-
eral Meade commander-in-chief of the Army
of the Potomac, then scattered and moving
hastily through Pennsylvania to the great
and decisive battlefield at Gettysburg, at
which he was in full command. With the
victory on those July days the name of
Meade will ever be associated. From that
time until the close of the war he com-
manded the Army of the Potomac. In
1864 General Grant, being placed at the
head of all the armies, took up his quarters
with the Army of the Potomac. From that
time until the surrender of Lee at Appo-
matox Meade's ability shone conspicuously,
and his tact in the delicate position in lead-
ing his army under the eye of his superior
officer com.m.anded the respect and esteem
of General Grant. For services Meade was
prom.oted to the rank of major-general, and
on the close of hostilities, in July, 1865,
was assigned to the command of the military
division of the Atlantic, with headquarters
at Philadelphia. This post he held, with
the exception of a short period on detached
duty in Georgia, until his death, which took
place November 6, 1872.
DAVID CROCKETT was a noted hunter
and scout, and also one of the earliest
of American humorists. He was born k\x-
gust 17, 1786, in Tennessee, and was one
of the m.ost prominent men of his locality,
serving as representative in congress from
1827 until 1 83 1. He attracted consider-
able notice while a member of congress and
was closely associated with General Jack-
son, of whom he was a personal friend. He
went to Texas and enlisted in the Texan
army at the time of the revolt of Texas
against Mexico and gained a wide reputa-
tion as a scout. He was one of the famous
one hundred and forty men under Colonel
W. B. Travis who v/ere besieged in Fort
Alamo, near San Antonio, Texas, by Gen-
eral Santa Anna with some five thousand
Mexicans on February 23, 1836. The fort
was defended for ten days, frequent assaults
being repelled with great slaughter, over
one thousand Mexicans being killed or
wounded, while not a man in the fort was
injured. Finally, on March 6, three as-
saults were made, and in the hand-to-hand
fight that followed the last, the Texans were
wofully outnumbered and overpov/ered.
They fought desperately with clubbed mus-
kets till only six were left alive, including
W. B. Travis, David Crockett and James
Bowie. These surrendered under promise
of protection; but when they were brought
before Santa Anna he ordered them all to
be cut to pieces.
HENRY WATTERSON, one of the most
conspicuous figures in the history of
American journalism, was born at Wash-
ington, District of Columbia, February 16,
1840. His boyhood days were mostly spent
in the city of his birth, where his father,
Harvey M. Watterson, was editor of the
"Union," a well known journal.
Owing to a weakness of the eyes, which
interfered with a systematic course of study,
young Watterson v/as educated almost en-
tirely at home. A successful college career
was out of the question, but he acquired a
good knowledge of music, literature and art
from private tutors, but the most valuable
part of the training he received was by as-
sociating with his father and the throng of
COMPENDIUM OF BI0GRAPII2'
77
public men whom he met in Washington
in the stirring days immediately preceding
the Civil war. He began his journalistic
career at an early age as dramatic and
musical critic, and in 1858, became editor
of the "Democratic Review" and at the
same time contributed to the "States,"
a journal of liberal opinions published in
Washington. In this he remained until
the breaking out of the war, when the
"States," opposing the administration, was
suppressed, and young Watterson removed
to Tennessee. He next appears as editor
of the Nashville "Republican Banner," the
most influential paper in the state at that
time. After the occupation of Nashville by
the Federal troops, W^atterson served as a
volunteer staff officer in the Confederate
service until the close of the war, with the
exception of a year spent in editing the
Chattanooga "Rebel." On the close of
the war he returned to Nashville and re-
sumed his connection with the "Banner."
After a trip to Europe he assumed control
of the Louisville "Journal," which he soon
combined with the "Courier" and the
"Democrat" of that place, founding the
well-known "Courier-Journal," the first
number of which appeared November 8,
1868. Mr. Watterson also represented his
district in congress for several years.
PATRICK SARSFIELD GILMORE,
one of the most successful and widely
known bandmasters and musicians of the
last half century in America, was born in
Ballygar, Ireland, on Christmas day, 1829.
He attended a public school until appren-
ticed to a wholesale merchant at Athlone,
of the brass band of which town he soon
became a member. His passion for music
conflicting with the duties of a mercantile
life, his position as clerk was exchanged for
that of musical instructor to the young sons
of his employer. At the age of nineteen he
sailed for America and two days after his
arrival in Boston was put in charge of the
band instrument department of a prominent
music house. In the interests of the pub-
lications of this house he organized a minstrel
company known as "Ordway's Eolians,"
with which he first achieved success as a
cornet soloist. Later on he was called the
best E-flat cornetist in the United States.
He became leader, successively, of the Suf-
folk, Boston Brigade and Salem bands.
During his connection with the latter he
inaugurated the famous Fourth of July con-
certs on Boston Common, since adopted as
a regular programme for the celebration of
Independence Day. In 1858 Mr. Gilmore
founded the organization famous thereafter
as Gilmore's Band. At the outbreak of the
Civil war this band was attached to the
Twenty-Fourth .Massachusetts Infantry.
Later, when the economical policy of dis-
pensing with music had proved a mistake,
Gilmore was entrusted with the re-organiza-
tion of state military bands, and upon his
arrival at New Orleans with his own band
was made bandmaster-general by General
Banks. On the inauguration of Governor
Hahn, later on, in Lafayette square, New
Orleans, ten thousand children, mostly of
Confederate parents, rose to the baton of
Gilmore and, accompanied by six hundred
instruments, thirty-six guns and the united
fire of three regiments of infantry, sang the
Star-Spangled Banner, America and other
patriotic Union airs. In June, 1867, Mr.
Gilmore conceived a national musical festi-
val, which was denounced as a chimerical
undertaking, but he succeeded and June 15,
1869, stepped upon the stage of the Boston
Colosseum, a vast structure erected for the
occasion, and in the presence of over fifty
78
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
thousand people lifted his baton over an
orchestra of one thousand and a chorus of
ten thousand. On the 17th of June, 1872,
he opened a still greater festival in Boston,
when, in addition to an orchestra of two
thousand and a chorus of twenty thousand,
were present the Band of the Grenadier
Guards, of London, of the Garde Repub-
licaine, of Paris, of Kaiser Franz, of Berlin,
and one from Dublin, Ireland, together with
Johann Strauss, Franz Abt and many other
soloists, vocal and instrumental. Gilmore's
death occurred September 24, 1892.
MARTIN VAN BUREN was the eighth
president of the United States, 1837
to 1 841. He was of Dutch extraction, and
his ancestors were among the earliest set-
tlers on the banks of the Hudson. He was
born December 5, 1782, at Kinderhook,
New York. Mr. Van Buren took up the
study of law at the age of fourteen and took
an active part in political matters before he
had attained his majority. He commenced
the practice of law in 1803 at his native
town, and in 1809 he removed to Hudson,
Columbia county, New York, where he
spent seven years gaining strength and wis-
dom from his contentions at the bar with
some of the ablest men of the profession.
Mr. Van Buren was elected to the state
senate, and from 18 15 until 18 19 he was at-
torney-general of the state. He was re-
elected to the senate in 18 16, and in 181 8
he was one of the famous clique of politi-
cians known as the "Albany regency."
Mr. Van Buren was a member of the con-
vention for the revision of the state consti-
tution, in 182 1. In the same year he was
elected to the United States senate and
served his term in a manner that caused his
re-election to that body in 1827," but re-
signed the following year as he had been
elected governor of New York. Mr. Vatt
Buren was appointed by President Jackson as
secretary of state in March, 1829, but resigned
in 1 83 1, and during the recess of congress
he was appointed minister to England.
The senate, however, when it convened in
December refused to ratify the appointment.
In May, 1832, he was nominated by the
Democrats as their candidate for vice-presi-
dent on the ticket with Andrew Jackson,
and he was elected in the following Novem-
ber. He received the nomination to suc-
ceed President Jackson in 1836, as the
Democratic candidate, and in the electoral
college he received one hundred and seventy
votes out of two hundred and eighty-three,
and was inaugurated March 4, 1837. His
administration was begun at a time of great
business depression, and unparalled financial
distress, which caused the suspension of
specie payments by the banks. Nearly
every bank in the country was forced to
suspend specie payment, and no less than
two hundred and fifty-four business houses
failed in New York in one week. The
President urged the adoption of the inde-
pendent treasury idea, which passed through
the senate twice but each time it was de-
feated in the house. However the measure
ultimately became a law near the close of
President Van Buren's term of ofBce. An-
other important measure that was passed
was the pre-emption law that gave the act-
ual settlers preference in the purchase of
public lands. The question of slavery had
begun to assume great preponderance dur-
ing this administration, and a great conflict
was tided over by the passage of a resolu-
tion that prohibited petitions or papers that
in any way related to slavery to be acted
upon. In the Democratic convention of
1840 President Van Buren secured the
nomination for re-election on that ticket
coMPExnnwr of niOGRAriir
79
without opposition, but in the election he
only received the votes of seven states, his
opponent, W. H. Harrison, being elected
president. In 1848 Mr. Van Buren was
the candidate of the *' Free-Soilers," but
was unsuccessful. After this he retired
from public life and spent the remainder of
his life on his estate at Kinderhook, where
he died July 24, 1862.
WIN FIELD SCOTT, a distinguished
American general, was born June 13,
1786, near Petersburg, Dinwiddle county,
Virginia, and was educated at the William
and Mary College. He studied law and was
admitted to the bar, and in 1808 he accepted
an appointment as captain of light artillery,
and was ordered to New Orleans. In June,
181 2, he was promoted to be lieutenant-
colonel, and on application was sent to the
frontier, and reported to General Smyth,
near Buffalo. He was made adjutant-gen-
eral with the rank of a colonel, in March,
1 8 1 3, and the same month attained the colo-
nelcy of his regiment. He participated in
the principal battles of the war and was
wounded many times, and at the close of
the war he was voted a gold medal by con-
gress for his services. He was a writer of
considerable merit on military topics, and
he gave to the military science, "General
Regulations of the Army " and " System of
Infantry and Rifle Practice." He took a
prominent part in the Black Hawk war.
and at the beginning of the Mexican war he
was appointed to take the command of the
army. Gen. Scott immediately assembled
his troops at Lobos Island from which he
moved by transports to Vera Cruz, which
he took March 29, 1847, and rapidly fol-
lowed up his first success. He fought the
battles of Cerro Gordo and Jalapa, both of
which he won, and proceeded to Pueblo
where he was preceded by Worth's division
which had taken the town and waited for the
coming of Scott. The army was forced to
wait here for supplies, and August 7th,
General Scott started on his victorious
march to the city of Mexico with ten thou-
sand, seven hundred and thirty-eight men.
The battles of Contreras, Cherubusco and
San Antonio were fought August 19-20,
and on the 24th an armistice was agreed
upon, but as the commissioners could not
agree on the terms of settlement, the fight-
ing was renewed at Molino Del Rey, and
the Heights of Chapultepec were carried
by the victorious army of General Scott.
He gave the enemy no respite, however,
and vigorously followed up his advantages.
On September 14, he entered the City of
Mexico and dictated the terms of surrender
in the very heart of the Mexican Republic.
General Scott was offered the presidency of
the Mexican Republic, but declined. Con-
gress extended him a vote of thanks and
ordered a gold medal be struck in honor of
his generalship and bravery. He was can-
didate for the presidency on the Whig plat-
form but was defeated. He was honored by
having the title of lieutenant-general con-
ferred upon him in 1 85 5 . At the beginning of
the Civil war he was too infirm to take charge
of the army, but did signal service in be-
half of the government. He retired from
the service November i, 1861, and in 1864
he published his "Autobiography." Gen-
eral Scott died at West Point, May 29, 1S66.
EDWARD EVERETT HALE for man/
years occupied a high place among the
most honored of America's citizens. As
a preacher he ranks among the foremost
in the New England states, but to the gen-
eral pubdic he is best known through his
writings. Born in Boston, Mass., April 3,
80
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
1822, a descendant of one of the most
prominent New England families, heenjo3^ed
in his youth many of the advantages denied
the majority of boys. He received his pre-
paratory schooling at the Boston Latin
School, after which he finished his studies at
Harvard where he was graduated with high
honors in 1839. Having studied theology
at home, Mr. Hale embraced the ministry
and in 1846 became pastor of a Unitarian
church in Worcester, Massachusetts, a post
which he occupied about ten years. He
then, in 1856, became pastor of the South
Congregational church in Boston, over which
he presided many years.
Mr. Hale also found time to write a
great many literary works of a high class.
Among many other well-known productions
Df his are " The Rosary," " Margaret Per-
cival in America," "Sketches of Christian
-iistory," "Kansas and Nebraska," "Let-
ters on Irish Emigration," " Ninety Days'
Worth of Europe," " If, Yes, and Perhaps,"
"Ingham Papers," "Reformation," "Level
Best and Other Stories, " ' ' Ups and Downs, "
"Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," " In
His Name," "Our New Crusade," " Work-
ingmen's Homes," " Boys' Heroes," etc.,
etc., besides many others which might be
mentioned. One of his works, "In His
Name," has earned itself enduring fame by
the good deeds it has called forth. The
numerous associations known as ' 'The King's
Daughters," which has accomplished much
good, owe their existence to the story men-
tioned.
DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT stands
pre-eminent as one of the greatest na-
val officers of the world. He was born at
Campbell's Station, East Tennessee, July
5, 1 80 1, and entered the navy of the United
States as a midshipman. He had the good
fortune to serve under Captain David Por-
ter, who commanded the " Essex," and by
whom he was taught the ideas of devotion
to duty from which he never swerved dur-
ing all his career. In 1823 Mr. Farragut
took part in a severe fight, the result of
which was the suppression of piracy in the
West Indies. He then entered upon the
regular duties of his profession which was
only broken into by a year's residence with
Charles Folsom, our consul at Tunis, who
was afterwards a distinguished professor at
Harvard. Mr. Farragut was one of the best
linguists in the navy. He had risen through
the different grades of the service until the
war of 1861-65 found him a captain resid-
ing at Norfolk, Virginia. He removed with
his family to Hastings, on the Hudson, and
hastened to offer his services to the Federal
government, and as the capture of New
Orleans had been resolved upon, Farragut
was chosen to command the expedition.
His force consisted of the West Gulf block-
ading squadron and Porter's mortar flotilla.
In January, 1862, he hoisted his pennant at
the mizzen peak of the "Hartford" at
Hampton roads, set sail from thence on the
3rd of February and reached Ship Island on
the 20th of the same month. A council of
war was held on the 20th of April, in which
it was decided that whatever was to be done
must be done quickly. The signal was made
from the flagship and accordingly the fleet
weighed anchor at 1:55 on the morning of
April 24th, and at 3:30 the whole force was
under way. The history of this brilliant strug-
gle is well known, and the glory of it made Far-
ragut a hero and also made him rear admir-
al. In the summer of 1 862 he ran the batteries
at Vicksburg, and on March 14, 1863, he
passed through the fearful and destructive
fire from Port Hudson, and opened up com-
munication with Flag-officer Porter, who
^-<; J A5. BUCHANAN
■ ^Jwcskwimm
PlJBLiC LIBRART
AS ro/,, L«NOJl AMS
riLDlK /-OUHBATiem
« 1.
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
89
had control of the upper Mississippi. On
May 24th he commenced active operations
against that fort in conjunction with the army
and it fell on July 9th. Mr. Farragut filled
the measure of his fame on the 5th of Au-
gust, 1864, by his great victory, the capture
of Mobile Bay and the destruction of the
Confederate fleet, including the formidable
ram Tennessee. For this victory the rank
of admiral was given to Mr. Farragut. He
died at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Au-
gust 4, 1870.
GEORGE W. CHILDS, a philanthropist
whose remarkable personality stood
for the best and highest type of American
citizenship, and whose whole life was an
object lesson in noble living, was born in
1829 at Baltimore, Maryland, of humble
parents, and spent his early life in unremit-
ting toil. He was a self-made man in the
fullest sense of the word, and gained his
great wealth by his own efforts. He was a
man of very great influence, and this, in
conjunction with his wealth, would have
been, in the hands of other men, a means of
getting them political preferment, but Mr.
Childs steadily declined any suggestions that
would bring him to figure prominently in
public affairs. He did not choose to found
a financial dynasty, but devoted all his
powers to the helping of others, with the
most enlightened beneficence and broadest
sympathy. Mr. Childs once remarked that
his greatest pleasure in life was in doing
good to others. He always despised mean-
ness, and one of his objects of life was to
prove that a man could be liberal and suc-
cessful at the same time. Upon these lines
Mr. Childs made a name for himself as the
director of one of the representative news-
papers of America, "The Philadelphia Pub-
lic Ledger," which was owned jointly by
5
himself and the Drexel estate, and which he
edited for thirty years. He acquired con-
trol of the paper at a time when it was be-
ing published at a heavy loss, set it upon a
firm basis of prosperity, and he made it
more than a money-making machine — he
made it respected as an exponent of the
best side of journalism, and it stands as a
monument to his sound judgment and up-
right business principles. Mr. Childs' char-
itable repute brought him many applications
for assistance, and he never refused to help
any one that was deserving of aid; and not
only did he help those who asked, but he
would by careful inquiry find those who
needed aid but were too proud to solicit it.
He was a considerable employer of labor,
and his liberality was almost unparalleled.
The death of this great and good man oc-
curred February 3d, 1894.
PATRICK HENRY won his way to un-
dying fame in the annals of the early
history of the United States by introducing
into the house of burgesses his famous reso-
lution against the Stamp Act, which he car-
ried through, after a stormy debate, by a
majority of one. At this time he exclaimed
" Caesar had his Brutus, Charles I his Crom-
well and George HI " (here he was inter-
rupted by cries of " treason ") " may profit
by their example. If this be treason make
the most of it."
Patrick Henry was born at Studley,
Hanover county, Virginia, May 29, 1736,
and was a son of Colonel John Henry, a
magistrate and school teacher of Aberdeen,
Scotland, and a nephew of Robertson, the
historian. He received his education from
his father, and was married at the age of
eighteen. He was twice bankrupted before
he had reached his twenty-fourth year, when
after six weeks of study he was admitted to
84
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
the bar. He worked for three years with-
out a case and finally was applauded for his
plea for the people's rights and gained im-
mense popularity. After his famous Stamp
Act resolution he was the leader of the pa-
triots in Virginia. In 1769 he was admitted
to practice in the general courts and speed-
ily won a fortune by his distinguished ability
as a speaker. He was the first speaker of
the General Congress at Philadelphia in
1774. He was for a time a colonel of
militia in 1775, and from 1776 to 1779 and
1 78 1 to 1786 he was governor of Virginia.
For a number of years he retired from pub-
lic life and was tendered and declined a
number of important political offices, and in
March, 1789, he was elected state senator
but aid not take his seat on account of his
death which occurred at Red Hill, Charlotte
county, Virginia, June 6, 1799.
BENEDICT ARNOLD, an American
general and traitor of the Revolution-
ary war, is one of the noted characters in
American history. He was born in Nor-
wich, Connecticut, Januar)^ 3, 1740. He
ran away and enlisted in the army when
young, but deserted in a short time. He
then became a merchant at New Haven,
Connecticut, but failed. In 1775 he was
commissioned colonel in the Massachusetts
militia, and in the autumn of that year was
placed in command of one thousand men
for the invasion of Canada. He marched
his army through the forests of Maine -and
joined General Montgomery before Quebec.
Their combined forces attacked that city on
December 31, 1775, and Montgomery was
killed, and Arnold, severely wounded, was
compelled to retreat and endure a rigorous
winter a few miles from the city, where they
were at the mercy of the Canadian troops
had they cared to attack them. On his re-
turn he was raised to the rank of brigadier-
general. 'He was given command of a small
flotilla on Lake Champlain, with which he
encountered an immense force, and though
defeated, performed many deeds of valor.
He resented the action of congress in pro-
moting a number of his fellow officers and
neglecting himself. In 1777 he was made
major-general, and under General Gates at
Bemis Heights fought valiantly. For some
reason General Gates found fault with his
conduct and ordered him under arrest, and
he was kept in his tent until the battle of
Stillwater was waxing hot, when Arnold
mounted his horse and rode to the front of
his old troop, gave command to charge, and
rode like a mad man into the thickest of
the fight and was not overtaken by Gates'
courier until he had routed the enemy and
fell wounded. Upon his recovery he was
made general, and was placed in command
at Philadelphia. Here he married, and his
acts of rapacity soon resulted in a court-
martial. He was sentenced to be repri-
manded by the commander-in-chief, and
though Washington performed this duty
with utmost delicacy and consideration, it
was never forgiven. Arnold obtained com-
mand at West Point, the most important
post held by the Americans, in 1780, and
immediately offered to surrender it to Sir
Henry Clinton, British commander at New
York. Major Andre was sent to arrange
details with Arnold, but on his return trip
to New York he was captured by Americans,
the plot was detected, and Andre suffered
the death penalty as a spy. Arnold es-
caped, and was paid about $40,000 by the
British for his treason and was made briga-
dier-general. He afterward commanded an
expedition that plundered a portion of Vir-
ginia, and another that burned New Lon-
don, Connecticut, and captured Fort Trum-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRArilV.
85
bull, the commandant of which Arnold mur-
dered with the sword he had just surren-
dered. He passed the latter part of his life
in England, universally despised, and died
in London June 14, 1801.
ROBERT G. INGERSOLL, one of the
most brilliant orators that America has
produced, also a lawyer of considerable
merit, won most of his fame as a lecturer.
Mr. Ingersoll was born August 24, 1833,
at Dryden, Gates county. New York, and
received his education in the common schools.
He went west at the age of twelve, and for
a short time he attended an academy in
Tennessee, and also taught school in that
state. He began the practice of law in the
southern part of Illinois in 1854. Colonel
Ingersoll's principal fame was made in
the lecture room by his lectures in which he
ridiculed religious faith and creeds and criti-
cised the Bible and the Christian religion.
He was the orator of the day in the Decora-
tion Day celebration in the city of New York
in 1882 and his oration was widely com-
mended. He first attracted political notice
in the convention at Cincinnati in 1876 by
his brilliant eulogy on James G. Blaine. He
practiced law in Peoria, Illinois, for a num-
ber of years, but later located in the city of
New York. He published the follow-
ing: "The Gods and other Lectures;" "The
Ghosts;" "Some Mistakes of Moses;"
"What Shall I Do To Be Saved;" "Inter-
views on Talmage and Presbyterian Cate-
chism ;" The "North American Review
Controversy;" "Prose Poems;" " A Vision
of War;" etc.
JOSEPH ECCLESTON JOHNSTON,
a noted general in the Confederate army,
was born in Prince Edward county. Virginia,
in 1807. He graduated from West Point
and entered the army in 1829. For a num-
ber of years his chief service was garrison
duty. He saw active service, however, in
the Seminole war in Florida, part of the
time as a staff officer of General Scott. He
resigned his commission in 1837, but re-
turned to the army a year later, and was
brevetted captain for gallant services in
Florida. He was made first lieutenant of
topographical engineers, and was engaged
in river and harbor improvements and also
in the survey of the Te.xas boundary and
the northern boundary of the United
States until the beginning of the war
with Mexico. He was at the siege of Vera
Cruz, and at the battle of Cerro Gordo was
wounded while reconnoitering the enemy's
position, after which he was brevetted major
and colonel. He was in all the battles about
the city of Mexico, and was again wounded
in the final assault upon that city. After
the Mexican war closed he returned to duty
as captain of topographical engineers, but
in 1855 he was made lieutenant-colonel of
cavalry and did frontier duty, and was ap-
pointed inspector-general of the expedition
to Utah. In i860 he was appointed quar-
termaster-general with rank of brigadier-
general. At the outbreak of hostilities in
1 86 1 he resigned his commission and re-
ceived the appointment of major-general of
the Confederate army. He held Harper's
Ferry, and later fought General Patterson
about Winchester. At the battle of Bull
Run he declined command in favor of Beau-
regard, and acted under that general's direc-
tions. He commanded the Confederates in
the famous Peninsular campaign, and was
severely wounded at Fair Oaks and was
succeeded in command by General Lee.
Upon his recovery he was made lieutenant-
general and assigned to the command of the
southwestern department. He attempted
86
COMPENDIUM OF BI0GRAPH2'
to raise the siege of Vicksburg, and was
finally defeated at Jackson, Mississippi.
Having been made a general he succeeded
General Bragg in command of the army of
Tennessee and was ordered to check General
Sherman's advance upon Atlanta. Not
daring to risk a battle with the overwhelm-
ing forces of Sherman, he slowly retreated
toward Atlanta, and was relieved of com-
mand by President Davis and succeeded by
General Hood. Hood utterly destroyed his
own army by three furious attacks upon
Sherman. Johnston was restored to com-
mand in the Carolinas, and again faced
Sherman, but was defeated in several en-
gagements and continued a slow retreat
tov.'ard Richmond. Hearing of Lee's sur-
render, he communicated vn\\i General
Sherman, and finally surrendered his army
at Durham, North Carolina, April 26, 1865.
General Johnston was elected a member
of the forty-sixth congress and was ap-
pointed United States railroad commis-
sioner in 1885. His death occurred March
21, 1891.
SAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS,
known throughout the civilized world
as "Mark Twain," is recognized as one of
the greatest humorists America has pro-
duced. He was born in Monroe county,
Missouri, November 30, 1835. Hespenthis
boyhood days in his native state and many
of his earlier experiences are related in vari-
ous forms in his later writings. One of his
early acquaintances, Capt. Isaiah Sellers,
at an early day furnished river news for the
New Orleans " Picayune," using the nojii-
dc- plume of "Mark Twain." Sellers died
in 1863 and Clem.ens took up his noni-de-
phnne and made it famous throughout the
world by his literary work. In 1862 Mr.
Clemens became a journalist at Virginia,
Nevada, and afterv/ard followed the same pro-
fession at San Francisco and Buffalo, Nevv^
York. Pie accumulated a fortune from the
sale of his many publications, but in later
years engaged in business enterprises, partic-
ularly the manufacture of a typesetting ma-
chine, which dissipated his fortune and re-
duced him almost to poverty, but with resolute
heart he at once again took up his pen and
engaged in literary work in the effort to
regain his lost ground. Among the best
known of his works may be mentioned the fol-
lov/ing : ' ' The Jumping Frog, " " Tom Saw-
yer," " Roughingit," " Innocents Abroad,"
"Huckleberry Finn," "Gilded Age,"
"Prince and Pauper," "Million Pound
Bank Note," "A Yankee in King Arthur's
Court," etc.
CHRISTOPHER CARSON. better
known as "Kit Carson;" was an Amer-
ican trapper and scout who gained a wide
reputation for his frontier work. He was a
native of Kentucky, born December 24th,
1809. He grew to manhood there, devel-
oping a natural inclination for adventure in
the pioneer experiences in his native state.
When yet a young man he became quite
well known on the frontier. He served as
a guide to Gen. Fremont in his Rocky
Mountain explorations and enlisted in the
army. He was an officer in the United
States service in both the Mexican war and
the great Civil war, and in the latter received
a brevet of brigadier-general for meritorious
service. His death occurred May 23,
1868.
JOHN SHERMAN.— Statesman, politi-
cian, cabinet officer and senator, the name
of the gentleman who heads this sketch is al-
most a household word throughout this
country. Identified with some of the most
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
87
important measures adopted by our Govern-
ment since the close of the Civil war, he may
well be called one of the leading men of his
day.
John Sherman was born at Lancaster,
Fairfield county, Ohio, May loth, 1823,
the son of Charles R. Sherman, an emi-
nent lawyer and judge of the supreme court
of Ohio and who died in 1829. The subject
of this article received an academic educa-
tion and was admitted to the bar in 1844.
In the Whig conventions of 1844 and 1848
he sat as a delegate. He was a member of
the National house of representatives,
from 1855 to 1 86 1. In i860 he was re-
elected to the same position but was chosen
United States senator before he took his
seat in the lower house. He was re-elected
senator in 1866 and 1872 and was long
chairman of the committee on finance and
on agriculture. He took a prominent part
in debates on finance and on the conduct of
the war, and was one of the authors of the
reconstruction measures in 1866 and 1867,
and was appointed secretary of the treas-
ury March 7th, 1877.
Mr. Sherman was re-elected United States
senator from Ohio January i8th, 1881, and
again in 1886 and 1892, during which time
he was regarded as one of the most promi-
nent leaders of the Republican party, both
in the senate and in the country. He was
several times the favorite of his state for the
nomination for president.
On the formation of his cabinet in March,
1897, President McKinley tendered the posi-
tion of secretary of state to Mr. Sherman,
which was accepted.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, ninth
president of the United States, was
born in Charles county, Virginia, February
9> '^171^ the son of Governor Benjamin
Harrison. He took a course in Hampden-
Sidney College with a view to the practice
of medicine, and then went to Philadelphia
to study under Dr. Rush, but in 1791 he
entered the army, and obtained the commis-
sion of ensign, was soon promoted to the
lieutenancy, and was with General Wayne
in his war against the Indians. For his
valuable service he was promoted to the
rank of captain and given command of Fort
Washington, now Cincinnati. He was ap-
pointed secretary of the Northwest Territory
in 1797, and in 1799 became its representa-
tive in congress. In 1801 he was appointed
governor of Indiana Territory, and held the
position for twelve years, during which time
he negotiated important treaties with the In-
dians, causing them to relinquish millions of
cicres of land, and also won the battle of
Tippecanoe in 181 1. He succeeded in
obtaining a change in the law which did not
permit purchase of public lands in less tracts
than four thousand acres, reducing the limit
to three hundred and twenty acres. He
became major-general of Kentucky militia
and brigadier-general in the United States
army in 1812, and won great renown in
the defense of Fort Meigs, and his victory
over the British and Indians under Proctor
and Tecumseh at the Thames river, October
5. 1813.
In 1 8 16 General Harrison was elected to
congress from Ohio, and during the canvass
was accused of corrupt methods in regard to
the commissariat of the army. He demanded
an investigation after the election and was
exonerated. In 18 19 he was elected to
the Ohio state senate, and in 1824 he gave
his vote as a presidential elector to Henry
Clay. He became a member of the United
States senate the same year. During the
last year of Adams' administration he was
sent as minister to Colombia, but was re-
88
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
called by President Jackson the following
year. He then retired to his estate at North
Bend, Ohio, a few miles below Cincinnati. In
1836 he was a candidate for the presidency,
but as there were three other candidates
the votes were divided, he receiving seventy-
three electoral votes, a majority going to
Mr. Van Buren, the Democratic candidate.
Four years later General Harrison was again
nominated by the Whigs, and elected by a
tremendous majority. The campaign was
noted for its novel features, many of which
have found a permanent place in subsequent
campaigns. Those peculiar to that cam-
paign, however, were the " log-cabin" and
" hard cider" watchwords, which produced
great enthusiasm among his followers. One
month after his inauguration he died from
an attack of pleurisy, April 4, 1841,
CHARLES A. DANA, the well-known
and widely-read journalist of New York
City, a native of Hinsdale, New Hampshire,
was born August 8, 18 19. He received
the elements of a good education in his
youth and studied for two years at Harvard
University. Owing to some disease of the
eyes he was unable to complete his course
and graduate, but was granted the degree of
A. M. notwithstanding. For some time he
was editor of the " Harbinger," and was a
regular contributor to the Boston " Chrono-
type," In 1847 ^^ became connected with
the New York " Tribune, " and continued on
the staff of that journal until 1858, In the
latter year he edited and compiled ' ' The
Household Book of Poetry," and later, in
connection with George Ripley, edited the
"New American Cyclopaedia."
Mr. Dana, on severing his connection
with the " Tribune " in 1867, became editor
of the New York "Sun," a paper with
which he was identified for many years, and
which he m^ade one of the leaders of thought
in the eastern part of the United States.
He wielded a forceful pen and fearlessly
attacked whatever was corrupt and unworthy
in politics, state or national. The same
year, 1867, Mr. Dana organized the New
York "Sun" Company.
During the troublous days of the war,
when the fate of the Nation depended upon
the armies in the field, Mr. Dana accepted
the arduous and responsible position of
assistant secretary of war, and held the
position during the greater part of 1863
and 1864. He died October 17, 1897.
ASA GRAY was recognized throughout the
scientific world as one of the ablest
and most eminent of botanists. He was
born at Paris, Oneida county, New York,
November 18, 18 10. He received his medi-
cal degree at the Fairfield College of Physi-
cians and Surgeons, in Herkimer county.
New York, and studied botany with the late
Professor Torrey, of New York. He was
appointed botanist to the Wilkes expedition
in 1834, but declined the offer and became
professor of natural history in Harvard Uni-
versity in 1842. He retired from the active
duties of this post in 1873, and in 1874 he
was the regent of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion at Washington, District of Columbia,
Dr. Gray wrote several books on the sub-
ject of the many sciences of which he was
master. In 1836 he published his "Ele-
ments of Botany," "Manual of Botany" in
1848; the unfinished "Flora of North
America," by himself and Dr. Torrey, the
publication of which commenced in 1838.
There is another of his unfinished works
called "Genera Boreali-Americana," pub-
lished in 1848, and the "Botany of the
United States Pacific Exploring Expedition
in 1854." He wrote many elaborate papers
COMPEXD/C'M Ol' lilOGRAPIir.
89
on the botany of the west and southwest
that were published in the Smithsonian Con-
tributions, Memoirs, etc., of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences, of which in-
stitution he was president for ten years.
He was also the author of many of the
government reports. * ' How Plants Grow, "
"Lessons in Botany," " Structural and Sys-
tematic Botany," are also works from his
ready pen.
Dr. Gray published in 1861 his "Free
Examination of Darwin's Treatise " and his
" Darwiniana," in 1876. Mr. Gray was
elected July 29, 1878, to a membership in
the Institute of France, Academy of Sciences.
His death occurred at Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts, January 30, 1889.
WILLIAM MAXWELL EVARTS was
one of the greatest leaders of the
American bar. He was born in Boston,
Massachusetts, February 6, 18 18, and grad-
uated from Yale College in 1837. He took
up the study of law, which he practiced in
the city of New York and won great renown
as an orator and advocate. He affiliated
with the Republican party, which he joined
soon after its organization. He was the
leading counsel employed for the defense of
.'.-.esident Johnson in his trial for impeach-
-.-ent before the senate in April and May of
1868.
In July, 1868, Mr. Evarts was appointed
attorney-general of the United States, and
served until March 4, 1869. He was one
of the three lawyers who were selected by
President Grant in 1871 to defend the inter-
ests of the citizens of the United States be-
fore the tribunal of arbitration which met
at Geneva in Switzerland to settle the con-
troversy over the " Alabama Claims."
He was one of the most eloquent advo-
cates in the United States, and many of his
public addresses have been preserved and
published. He was appointed secretary of
state March 7, 1877, by President Hayes,
and served during the Hayes administration.
He was elected senator from the state of
New York January 21, 1885, and at once
took rank among the ablest statesmen in
Congress, and the prominent part he took
in the discussion of public questions gave
him a national reputation.
JOHN WANAMAKER.— The life of this
<J great merchant demonstrates the fact
that the great secret of rising from the ranks
is, to-day, as in the past ages, not so much the
ability to make money, as to save it, or in
other words, the ability to live well within
one's income. Mr. Wanamaker was born in
Philadelphia in 1838. He started out in
life working in a brickyard for a mere pit-
tance, and left that position to work in a
book store as a clerk, where he earned
the sum of $5.00 per month, and later on
was in the employ of a clothier where he
received twenty-five cents a week more.
He was only fifteen years of age at that
time, but was a " money-getter " by instinct,
and laid by a small sum for a possible rainy
day. By strict attention to business, com-
bined with natural ability, he was promoted
many times, and at the age of twenty he
had saved $2,000. After several months
vacation in the south, he returned to Phila-
delphia and became a master brick mason,
but this was too tiresome to the young man,
and he opened up the " Oak Hall " clothing
store in April, 1861, at Philadelphia. The
capital of the firm was rather limited, but
finally, after many discouragements, they
laid the foundations of one of the largest
business houses in the world. The estab-
lishment covers at the present writing som.e,
fourteen acres of floor space, and furnishes
90
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
employment for five thousand persons. Mr.
Wanamaker was also a great church worker,
and built a church that cost him $60,000,
and he was superintendent of the Sunday-
school, which had a membership of over
three thousand children. He steadily re-
fused to run for mayor or congress and the
only public office that he ever held was that
of postmaster-general, under the Harrison
administration, and here he exhibited his
extraordinary aptitude for comprehending
the details of public business.
DAVID BENNETT HILL, a Demo-
cratic politician who gained a na-
tional reputation, was born August 29,
1843, at Havana, New York. He was
educated at the academy of his native town,
and removed to Elmira, New York, in 1862,
where he studied law. He was admitted to
the bar in 1864, in which year he was ap-
pointed city attorney. Mr. Hill soon gained
a considerable practice, becoming prominent
in his profession. He developed a taste for
politics in which he began to take an active
part in the different campaigns and became
the recognized leader of the local Democ-
racy. In 1870 he was elected a member of
the assembly and was re-elected in 1872.
While a member of this assembly he formed
the acquaintance of Samuel J. Tilden, after-
ward governor of the state, who appointed
Mr. Hill, W. M. Evarts and Judge Hand
as a committee to provide a uniform charter
for the different cities of the state. The
pressure of professional engagements com-
pelled him to decline to serve. In 1877
Mr. Hill was made chairman of the Demo-
cratic state convention at Albany, his elec-
tion being due to the Tilden wing of the
party, and he held the same position again
in 1 88 1. He served one term as alderman
in Elmira, at the expiration of which term,
in 1882, he was elected mayor of Elmira,
and in September of the same year was
nominated for lieutenant-governor on the
Democratic state ticket. He was success-
ful in the campaign and two years later,
when Grover Cleveland was elected to the
presidency, Mr. Hill succeeded to the gov-
ernorship for the unexpired term. In 1885
he was elected governor for a full term of
three years, at the end of which he was re-
elected, his term expiring in 1891, in which
year he was elected United States senator.
In the senate he became a conspicuous
figure and gained a national reputation.
ALLEN G. THURMAN.—" The noblest
Roman of them all " was the title by
which Mr. Thurman was called by his com-
patriots of the Democracy. He was the
greatest leader of the Democratic party in
his day and held the esteem of all the
people, regardless of their political creeds,
Mr. Thurman was born November 13, 18 13,
at Lynchburg, Virginia, where he remained
until he had attained the age of six years,
when he- moved to Ohio. He received an
academic education and after graduating,
took up the study of law, was admitted to
the bar in 1835, ^"^ achieved a brilliant
success in that line. In political life he was
very successful, and his first office was that
of representative of the state of Ohio in the
twenty-ninth congress. He was elected
judge of the supreme court of Ohio in 185 i,
and was chief justice of the same from 1854
to 1856, In 1867 he was the choice of the
Democratic party of his state for governor,
and was elected to the United States senate
in 1869 to succeed Benjamin F, Wade,
and was re-elected to the same position in
1874, He was a prominent figure in the
senate, until the expiration of his service in
1 88 1. Mr. Thurman was also one of the
COMPENDIUM OF JUOGRAPJir.
91
principal presidental possibilities in the
Democratic convention held at St. Louis in
1876. In 1 888 he was the Democratic
nominee for vice-president on the ticket
with Grover Cleveland, but was defeated.
Allen Cranberry Thurman died December
12, 1895, ^t Columbus, Ohio.
CHARLES FARRAR BROWNE, better
known as " Artemus Ward," was born
April 26, 1834, in the village of Waterford,
Maine. He was thirteen years old at the
time of his father's death, and about a year
later he was apprenticed to John M, Rix,
who published the "Coos County Dem-
ocrat " at Lancaster, New Hampshire. Mr.
Browne remained with him one year, when,
hearing that his brother Cyrus was starting
a paper at Norway, Maine, he left Mr. Rix
and determined to get work on the new
paper. He worked for his brother until the
failure of the newspaper, and then went to
Augusta, Maine, where he remained a few
weeks and then removed to Skovvhegan,
and secured a position on the "Clarion."
But either the climate or the work was not
satisfactory to him, for one night he silently
left the town and astonished his good mother
by appearing unexpectedly at home. Mr.
Browne then received some letters of recom-
mendation to Messrs. Snow and Wilder, of
Boston; at whose office Mrs. Partington's
(B. P. Shillaber) ' ' Carpet Bag " was printed,
and he was engaged and remained there for
three years. He then traveled westward in
search of employment and got as far as Tif-
fin, Ohio, where he found employment in the
office of the "Advertiser," and remained
there some months when he proceeded to
Toledo, Ohio, where he became one of the
staff of the "Commercial," which position
he held until 1857. Mr. Browne next went
CO Cleveland, Ohio, and became the local
editor of the "Plain Dealer," and it was in
the columns of this paper that he published
his first articles and signed them " Artemus
Ward." In i860 he went to New York and
became the editor of " Vanity Fair," but
the idea of lecturing here seized him, and he
was fully determined to make the trial.
Mr. Browne brought out his lecture, "Babes
in the Woods" at Clinton Hall, December
23, 1 861, and in 1862 he published his first
book entitled, " Artemus Ward; His Book."
He attained great fame as a lecturer and his
lectures were not confined to America, for
he went to England in 1866, and became
exceedingly popular, both as a lecturer and
a contributor to "Punch." Mr. Browne
lectured for the last time January 23, 1867.
He died in Southampton, England, March
6, 1867.
THURLOW WEED, a noted journalist
and politician, was born in Cairo, New
York, November 15, 1797. He learned the
printer's trade at the age of twelve years,
and worked at this calling for several years
in various villages in central New York. He
served as quartermaster-sergeant during the
war of 1 8 12. In 18 18 he established the
"Agriculturist," at Norwich, New York,
and became editor of the "Anti-Masonic
Enquirer," at Rochester, in 1826. In the
same year he was elected to the legislature
and re-elected in 1830, when he located in
Albany, New York, and there started the
" Evening Journal," and conducted it in op-
position to the Jackson administration and
the nullification doctrines of Calhoun. H2
became an adroit party manager, and was
instrumental in promoting the nominations
of Harrison, Taylor and Scott for the pres-
idency. In 1856 and in i860 he threw his
support to W. H. Seward, but when defeat-
ed in his object, he gave cordial support to
92
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Fremont and Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln pre-
vailed upon him to visit the various capitals
of Europe, where he proved a valuable aid
tc the administration in moulding the opin-
ions of the statesmen of that continent
favorable to the cause of the Union.
Mr. Weed's connection with the " Even-
ing Journal " was severed in 1862, when he
settled in New York, and for a time edited
the "Commercial Advertiser." In 1868 he
retired from active hfe. His " Letters from
Europe and the West Indies," published in
1 866, together with some interesting ' ' Rem-
iniscences, " published in the "Atlantic
Monthly," in 1870, an autobiography, and
portions of an extensive correspondence will
be of great value to writers of the political
history of the United States. Mr. Weed
died in New York, November 22, 1882.
WILLIAM COLLINS WHITNEY,
one of the prominent Democratic
politicians of the country and ex-secretary of
the navy, was born July 5th, 1841, at Con-
way, Massachusetts, and received his edu-
cation at Williston Seminary, East Hamp-
ton, Massachusetts. Later he attended
Yale College, where he graduated in 1863,
and entered the Harvard Law School, which
he left in 1864. Beginning practice in New
York city, he soon gained a reputation as
an able lawyer. He made his first appear-
ance in public affairs in 1871, when he was
active in organizing a young men's Demo-
cratic club. In 1872 he was the recognized
leader of the county Democracy and in 1875
was appointed corporation counsel for the
city of New York. He resigned the cf^ce,
1882, to attend to personal interests and on
March 5, 1885, he was appointed secretary
of the navy by President Cleveland. Under
his administration the navy of the United
States rapidly rose in rank among the navies
of the world. When he retired from office
in 1889, the vessels of the United States
navy designed and contracted for by him
were five double-turreted monitors, two
new armor-clads, the dynamite cruiser "Ve-
suvius," and five unarmored steel and iron
cruisers.
Mr. Whitney was the leader of the
Cleveland forces in the national Democratic
convention of 1892.
EDWIN FORREST, the first and great-
est American tragedian, was born in
Philadelphia in 1806. His father was a
tradesman, and some accounts state that he
had marked out a mercantile career for his
son, Edwin, while others claim that he had
intended him for the ministry. His wonder-
ful memory, his powers of mimicry and his
strong musical voice, however, attracted at-
tention before he was eleven years old, and
at that age he made his first appearance on
the stage. The costume in which he appeared
was so ridiculous that he left the stage in a
fit of anger amid- a roar of laughter from
the audience. This did not discourage him,
however, and at the age of fourteen, after
some preliminary training in elocution, he
appeared again, this time as Young Norvel,
and gave indications of future greatness.
Up to 1826 he played entirely with strolling
companies through the south and west, but
at that time he obtained an engagement at
the Bowery Theater in New York. From
that time his fortune was made. His man-
ager paid him $40 per night, and it is stated
that he loaned Forrest to other houses from
time to time at $200 per night. His great
successes were Virginius, Damon, Othello,
Coriolanus, William Tell, Spartacus and
Lear. He made his first appearance in
London in 1836, and his success was un-
questioned from the start. In 1845, o^^ ^''s
COMPENDIUM OF BfOGRAPIir.
93
second appearance in London, he became
involved in a bitter rivalry with the great
English actor, Macready, who had visited
America two years before. The result vvas
that Forrest was hissed from the stage, and
it was charged that Macready had instigated
the plot. Forrest's resentment was so bitter
that he himself openly hissed Macready
from his bo.\ a few nights later. In 1848
Macready again visited America at a time
when American admiration and enthusiasm
for Forrest had reached its height. Macready
undertook to play at Astor Place Opera
House in May, 1849, but was hooted off the
stage. A few nights later Macready made a
second attempt to play at the same house,
thistime under police protection. The house
was filled with Macready's friends, but the vio-
olence of the mob outside stopped the play,
and the actor barely escaped with his life.
Upon reading the riot act the police and
troops were assaulted with stones. The
troops replied, first with blank cartridges,
and then a volley of lead dispersed the
mob, leaving thirty men dead or seriously
wounded.
After this incident Forrest's popularity
waned, until in 1855 he retired from the
stage. He re-appeared in i860, however,
and probably the most remunerative period
of his life was between that date and the
close of the Civil war. His last appearance
on the stage was at the Globe Theatre,
Boston, in Richelieu, in April, 1872, his
death occurring December 12 of that year.
NOAH PORTER, D. D., LL. D., was
one of the most noted educators, au-
thors and scientific writers of the United
States. He was born December 14, 181 r,
at Farmington, Connecticut, graduated at
Yale College in 183 1, and was master of
Hopkins Grammar School at New Haven in
1831^33. During 1833-35 he was a tutor
at Yale, and at the same time was pursuing
his theological studies, and became pastor
of the Congregational church at New Mil-
ford, Connecticut, in April, 1836. Dr.
Porter removed to Springfield, Massachu-
setts, in 1843, and was chosen professor of
metaphysics and moral philosophy at Yale
in 1846. He spent a year in Germany in
the study of modern metaphysics in 1853-
54, and in 1871 he was elected president of
Yale College. He resigned the presidency
in 1885, but still remained professor of met-
aphysics and moral philosophy. He was
the author of a number of works, among
which are the following: " Historical Es-
say," written in commemorationofthe200lh
aniversary of the settlement of the town of
Farmington; " Educational S3'stem of the
Jesuits Compared;" "The Human Intel-
lect," with an introduction upon psychology
and the soul; " Books and Reading;"
"American Colleges and the American Pub-
lic;" " Elementsof Intellectual Philosophy;"
" The Science of Nature versus the Science
of Man;" "Science and Sentiment;" "Ele-
ments of Moral Science." Dr. Porter was
the principal editor of the revised edition of
Webster's Dictionary in 1864, and con-
tributed largely to religious reviews and
periodicals. Dr. Porter's death occurred
March 4, 1892, at New Haven, Connecticut.
JOHN TYLER, tenth president of the
United States, was born in Charles City
county, Virginia, March 29, 1790, and was
the son of Judge John Tyler, one of the
most distinguished men of his day.
When but twelve years of age young
John Tyler entered William and Mary Col-
lege, graduating from there in 1806. He
took up the study of law and was admitted
to the bar in 1809, when but nineteen years
94
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
of age. On attaining his majority in 1811
he was elected a member of the state legis-
lature, and for five years held that position
by the almost unanimous vote of his county.
He was elected to congress in 18 16, and
served in that body for four years, after
which for two years he represented his dis-
trict again in the legislature of the state.
While in congress, he opposed the United
States bank, the protective policy and in-
ternal improvements by the United States
government. 1825 saw Mr. Tyler governor
of Virginia, but in 1827 he was chosen
member of the United States senate, and
held that office for nine years. He therein
opposed the administration of Adams and
the tariff bill of 1 828, sympathized with the
nullifers of South Carolina and V\'as the
only senator who voted against the Force
bill for the suppression of that state's insip-
ient rebellion. He resigned his position as
senator on account of a disagreement with
the legislature of his state in relation to his
censuring President Jackson. He retired to
Williamsburg, Virginia, but being regarded
as a martyr by the Whigs, whom, hereto-
fore, he had always opposed, was supported
by many of that party for the vice-presi-
dency in 1836. He sat in the Virginia leg-
islature as a Whig in 1839-40, and was a
delegate to the convention of that party in
i8.'9. This national convention nominated
him for the second place on the ticket with
General William H. H. Harrison, and he
was elected vice-president in November,
1840. President Harrison dying one month
after his inauguration, he was succeeded by
John Tyler. He retained the cabinet chosen
by his predecessor, and for a time moved in
harmony with the Whig party. He finally
instructed the secretary of the treasury,
Thomas Ewing, to submit to congress a bill
for the incorporation of a fiscal bank of the
United States, which was passed by con-
gress, but vetoed by the president on ac-
count of some amendments he considered
unconstitutional. For this and other meas-
ures he was accused of treachery to his
party, and deserted by his whole cabinet,
except Daniel Webs^3r. Things grew worse
until he was abandoned by the Whig party
formally, when Mr. Webster resigned. He
was nominated at Baltimore, in May, 1844,
at the Democratic convention, as their pres-
idential candidate, but withdrew from the
canvass, as he saw he had not succeed-
ed in gaining the confidence of his old
party. He then retired from politics until
February, 1861, when he was made presi-
dent of the abortive peace congress, which
met in Washington. He shortly after re-
nounced his allegiance to the United States
and was elected a member of the Confeder-
ate congress. He died at Richmond, Janu-
ary 17, 1862.
Mr. Tyler married, in 18 13, Miss Letitia
Christian, who died in 1842 at Washington.
June 26, 1844, he contracted a second mar-
riage, with Miss Julia Gardner, of New York.
COLLIS POTTER HUNTINGTON,
one of the great men of his time and
who has left his impress upon the history of
our national development, was born October
22, 1 32 1, at Harwinton, Connecticut,
He received a common-school education
and at the age of fourteen his spirit of get-
ting along in the world mastered his educa-
tional propensities and his father's objec-
tions and he left school. He went to Cali-
fornia in the early days and had opportunities
which he handled masterfully. Others had
the same opportunities but they did not have
his brains nor his energy, and it was he who
overcame obstacles and reaped the reward
of his genius. Transcontinental railways
COMPENDIUM OF JilOGRAPHT,
95
were inevitable, but the realization of this
masterful achievement would have been de-
layed to a much later day if there had been
no Huntington. He associated himself with
Messrs. Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford,
and Charles Crocker, and they furnished the
money necessary for a survey across the
Sierra Nevadas, secured a charter for the
road, and raised, with the government's aid,
money enough to construct and equip that
railway, which at the time of its completion
was a marvel of engineering and one of the
wonders of the world. Mr. Huntington be-
came president of the Southern Pacific rail-
road, vice-president of the Central Pacific;
trustee of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph
Company, and a director of the Occidental
and Oriental Steamship Company, besides
being identified with many other business
enterprises of vast importance.
GEORGE A. CUSTER, a famous In-
dian fighter, was born in Ohio in 1840.
He graduated at West Point in 1861, an-
served in the Civil war; was at Bull Run id
1 86 1, and was in the Peninsular campaign,
being one of General McClellan's aides-de,
camp. He fought in the battles of South
Mountain and Antietam in 1863, and was
with General Stoneman on his famous
cavalry raid. He was engaged in the battle
of Gettysburg, and was there made brevet-
major. In 1863 was appointed brigadier-
general of volunteers. General Custer was
in many skirmishes in central Virginia in
1863-64, and was present at the following
battles of the Richmond campaign: Wil-
derness, Todd's Tavern, Yellow Tavern, where
hewasbrevetted lieutenant-colonel; Meadow
Bridge, Haw's Shop, Cold Harbor, Trevil-
lian Station. In the Shenandoah Valley
1 864 65 he was brevetted colonel at Opequan
Creek, and at Cedar Creek he was made
brevet major-general for gallant conduct
during the engagement. General Custer
was in command of a cavalry division in the
pursuit of Lee's army in 1865, and fought
at Dinwiddle Court House, Five Forks,
where he was made brevet brigadier-general ;
Sailors Creek and Appomattox, where he
gained additional honors and was made
brevet major-general, and was given the
command of the cavalry in the military
division of the southwest and Gulf, in 1865.
After the establishment of peace he went
west on frontier duty and performed gallant
and valuable service in the troubles with the
Indians. He was killed in the massacre on
the Little Big Horn river. South Dakota,
June 25, 1876.
DANIEL WOLSEY VOORHEES, cel-
brated as " The Tall Sycamore of the
Wabash," was born September 26, 1827,
in Butler county, Ohio. When he was two
months old his parents removed to Fount-
ain county, Indiana. He grew to manhood
on a farm, engaged in all the arduous work
pertaining to rural life. In 1845 he entered
the Indiana Asbury University, now the De
Pauw, from which he graduated in 1849.
He took up the study of law at Crawfords-
ville, and in 1851 began the practice of his
profession at Covington, Fountain county,
Indiana. He became a law partner of
United States Senator Hannegan, of Indi-
ana, in 1852, and in 1856 he was an unsuc-
cessful candidate for congress. In the fol-
lowing year he took up his residence in Terre
Haute, Indiana. He was United States
district attorney for Indiana from 1857 until
1 86 1, and he had during this period been
elected to congress, in i860. Mr. Voorhees
was re-elected to congress in 1862 and 1864,
but he was unsuccessful in the election of
1866. However, he was returned to con-
96
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
gress in 1868, where he remained until 1874,
having been re-elected twice. In 1877 he
was appointed United States senator from
Indiana to fill a vacancy caused by the death
of O. P. Morton, and at the end of the term
was elected for the ensuing term, being re-
elected in 1885 and in 1891 to the same of-
fice. He served with distinction on many
of the committees, and took a very prom-
inent part in the discussion of all the im-
portant legislation of his time. His death
occurred in August, 189 .
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, fa-
mous as one of the inventors of the tele-
phone, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland,
March 3rd, 1847. He received his early
education in the high school and later he
attended the university, and was specially
trained to follow his grandfather's profes-
sion, that of removing impediments of
speech. He emigrated to the United States
in 1872, and introduced into this country
his father's invention of visible speech in the
institutions for deaf-mutes. Later he was
appointed professor of vocal physiology in
the Boston University. He worked for
many years during his leisure hours on his
telephonic discovery, and finally perfected
it and exhibited it publicly, before it had
reached the high state of perfection to which
he brought it. His first exhibition of it was
at the Centennial Exhibition that was held
in Philadelphia in 1876. Its success is now
established throughout the civilized world.
In 1882 Prof. Bell received a diploma and
the decoration of the Legion of Honor from
the Academy of Sciences of France.
WILLIAM HICKLING PRESCOTT,
the justly celebrated historian and
author, was a native of Salem, Massachu-
setts, and was born May 4, 1796. He was
the son of Judge William Prescott and the
grandson of the hero of Bunker Hill, Colonel
William Prescott.
Our subject in 1808 removed with the
family to Boston, in the schools of which
city he received his early education. He
entered Harvard College as a sophomore in
181 1, having been prepared at the private
classical college of Rev. Dr. J. S. J. Gardi-
jner. The following year he received an in-
ury in his left eye which made study
through life a matter of difBculty. He
graduated in 18 14 with high honors in the
classics and belle lettres. He spent several
months on the Azores Islands, and later
visited England, France and Italy, return-
ing home in 18 17. In June, 18 18, he
founded a social and literary club at Boston
for which he edited " The Club Room," a
periodical doomed to but a short life. May
4, 1820, he married Miss Susan Amory.
He devoted several years after that event to
a thorough study of ancient and modern
history and literature. As the fruits of his
labors he published several well written
essays upon French and Italian poetry and
romance in the " North American Review."
January 19, 1826, he decided to take up his
first great historical work, the " History of
the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella." To
this he gave the labor of ten years, publish-
ing the same December 25, 1837. Although
placed at the head of all American authors,
so diffident was Prescott of his literary merit
that although he had four copies of this
work printed for his own convenience, he
hesitated a long time before giving it to the
public, audit was only by the solicitation of
friends, especially of that talented Spanish
scholar, George Ticknor, that he was in-
duced to do so. Soon the volumes were
translated into French, Italian, Dutch and
German, and the work was recognized
co^rPENDIU^[ of BiOGR.\riir
97
throughout the world as one of the most
meritorious of historical compositions. In
1843 he published the "Conquest of Mexi-
co," and in 1847 the "Conquest of Peru."
Two years later there came from his pen a
volume of *' Biographical and Critical Mis-
cellanies." Going abroad in the summer of
1S50, he was received with great distinction
in the literary circles of London, Edinburgh,
Paris, Antwerp and Brussels. Oxford Uni-
versity conferred the degree of D. C. L.
upon him. In 1855 he issued two volumes
of his "History of the Reign of Philip the
Second," and a third in 1858. In the
meantime he edited Robertson's "Charles
the p-ifth," adding a history of the life of
that monarch after his abdication. Death
cut short his work on the remaining volumes
Oi " Philip the Second," coming to him at
Boston, Massachusetts, May 28, 1859.
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY, a noted
American commodore, was born in
South Kingston, Rhode Island, August 23,
1785. He saw his first service as a mid-
shipman in the United States navy in April,
1799. He cruised with his father, Captain
Christopher Raymond Perry, in the West In-
dies for about two years. In 1804 he was
in the war against Tripoli, and was made
lieutenant in 1 807. At the opening of hostili-
ties with Great Britain in 1812 he was given
command of a fleet of gunboats on the At-
lantic coast. At his request he was trans-
ferred, a year later, to Lake Ontario, where
he served under Commodore Chauncey, and
took an active part in the attack on Fort
George. He was ordered to fit out a squad-
ron on Lake Erie, which he did, building
most of his vessels from the forests along
the shore, and by the summer of 1 8 1 3 he had
a fleet of nine vessels at Presque Isle, now
Erie, Pennsylvania. September loth he
attacked and captured the British fleet near
Put-in-Bay, thus clearing the lake of hostile
ships. His famous dispatch is part of his
fame, " We have met the enemy, and they
are ours." He co-operated with Gen. Har-
rison, and the success of the campaign in
the northwest was largely due to his victory.
The next year he was transferred to the Po-
tomac, and assisted in the defense of Balti-
more. After the war he was in constant
service with the various squadrons in cruising
in all parts of the world. He died of yellow
fever on the Island of Trinidad, August 23,
1 8 19. His remains were conveyed to New-
port, and buried there, and an imposing
obelisk was erected to his memory by the
Slate of Rhode Island. A bronze statue
was also erected in his honor, the unveiling
taking place in 1885.
JOHN PAUL JONES, though a native
of Scotland, was one of America's most
noted fighters during the Revolutionary war.
He was born July 6, 1747. His father was
a gardener, but the young man soon be-
came interested in a seafaring life and at
the age of twelve he was apprenticed to a
sea captain engaged in the American trade.
His first voyage landed him in Virginia,
where he had a brother who had settled
there several years prior. The failure of
the captain released young Jones from his
apprenticeship bonds, and he was engaged
as third mate of a vessel engaged in the
slave trade. He abandoned this trade after
a few years, from his own sense of disgrace.
He took passage from Jamaica for Scotland
in 1768, and on the voyage both the captain
and the mate died and he was compelled to
take command of the vessel for the re-
mainder of the voyage. He soon after
became master of the vessel. He returned
to Virginia about 1773 to settle up the estate
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COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
of his brother, and at this time added the
name "Jones," having previously been
known as John Paul. He settled down in
Virginia, but when the war broke out in
1775 he offered his services to congress and
was appointed senior lieutenant of the flag-
ship "Alfred," on which he hoisted the
American flag with his own hands, the first
vessel that had ever carried a flag of the
new nation. He was afterward appointed
to the command of the "Alfred," and later
of the "Providence," in each of which ves-
sels he did good service, as also in the
" Ranger," to the command of which he
was later appointed. The fight that made
him famous, however, was that in which he
captured the " Serapis," off the coast of
Scotland. He was then in command of the
"Bon Homme Richard," which had been
fitted out for him by the French government
and named by Jones in honor of Benjamin
Franklin, or " Good Man Richard," Frank-
lin being author of the publication known
as " Poor Richard's Almanac." The fight
between the " Richard" and the "Serapis"
lasted three hours, all of which time the
vessels were at close range, and most of the
time in actual contact. Jones' vessel was
on fire several times, and early in the en-
gagement two of his guns bursted, rendering
the battery useless. Also an envious officer
of the Alliance, one of Jones' own fleet,
opened fire upon the " Richard " at a crit-
ical time, completely disabling the vessel.
Jones continued the fi.ght, in spite of coun-
sels to surrender, and after dark the " Ser-
apis "struck her colors, and was hastily
boarded by Jones and his crew, while the
"Richard" sank, bows first, after the
wounded had been taken on board the
"Serapis." Most of the other vessels of
the fleet of which the " Serapis" was con-
voy, surrendered, and were taken with the
"Serapis" to France, where Jones was
received with greatest honors, and the king
presented him with an elegant sword and
the cross of the Order of Military Merit.
Congress gave him a vote of thanks and
made him commander of a new ship, the
"America," but the vessel was afterward
given to France and Jones never saw active
sea service again. He came to America again,
in 1787, after the close of the war, and was
voted a gold medal by congress. He went to
Russia and was appointed rear-admiral and
rendered service of value against the Turks,
but on account of personal enmity of the fav-
orites of the emperor he was retired on a pen-
sion. Failing to collect this, he returned to
France, where he died, July 18, 1792.
THOMAS MORAN, the well-known
painter of Rocky Mountain scenery,
was born in Lancashire, England, in 1837.
He came to America when a child, and
showing artistic tastes, he was apprenticed
to a wood engraver in Philadelphia. Three
years later he began landscape painting, and
his style soon began to exhibit signs of genius.
His first works were water-colors, and
though without an instructor he began the
use of oils, he soon found it necessary to
visit Europe, where he gave particular at-
tention to the works of Turner. He joined
the Yellowstone Park exploring expedition
and visited the Rocky Mountains in 1871
and again in 1873, making numerous
sketches of the scenery. The most note-
worthy results were his * ' Grand Canon of
the Yellowstone," and " The Chasm of the
Colorado," which were purchased by con-
gress at $10,000 each, the first of which is
undoubtedly the finest landscape painting
produced in this country. Mr. Moran has
subordinated art to nature, and the subjects
he has chosen leave little ground for fault
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COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
101
finding on that account. "The Mountain
of the Holy Cross," "The Groves Were
God's First Temples," " The Cliffs of Green
River, "•' The Children of the Mountain,"
" The Ripening of the Leaf," and others
have given him additional fame, and while
they do not equal in grandeur the first
mentioned, in many respects from an artis-
tic standpoint they are superior.
L ELAND STANFORD was one of the
greatest men of the Pacific coast and
also had a national reputation. He was
born March 9, 1824, in Albany county. New
York, and passed his early life on his
father's farm. He attended the local
schools of the county and at the age of
twenty began the study of law. He
entered the law office of Wheaton, Doolittle
and Hadley, at Albany, in 1845, and a few
years later he moved to Port Washington,
Wisconsin, where he practiced law four
years with moderate success. In 1852 Mr.
Stanford determined to push further west,
and, accordingly went to California, where
three of his brothers were established in
business in the mining towns. They took
Leland into partnership, giving him charge
of a branch store at Michigan Bluff, in
Placer county. There he developed great
business ability and four years later started
a mercantile house of his own in San Fran-
cisco, which soon became one of the most
substantial houses on the coast. On the
formation of the Republican party he inter-
ested himself in politics, and in i860 was
sent as a delegate to the convention that
nominated Abraham Lincoln. In the
autumn of 1861 he was elected, by an im-
mense majority, governor of California.
Prior to his election as governor he had
been chosen president of the newly-orga-
nized Central Pacific Railroad Company,
and after leaving the executive chair he de-
voted all of his time to the construction of
the Pacific end of the transcontinental rail-
way. May 10, 1869, Mr. Stanford drove
the last spike of the Central Pacific road,
thus completing the route across the conti-
nent. He was also president of the Occi-
dental and Oriental Steamship Company.
He had but one son, who died of typhoid
fever, and as a monument to his child he
founded the university which bears his son's
name, Leland Stanford, Junior, University.
Mr. Stanford gave to this university eighty-
three thousand acres of land, the estimated
value of which is $8,000,000, and the entire
endowment is $20,000,000. In 18S5 Mr.
Stanford was elected United Stales senator
as a Republican, to succeed J. T. Farley, a
Democrat, and was re-elected in 1 891. His
death occurred June 20, 1894, at Palo Alto,
California.
STEPHEN DECATUR, a famous com-
modore in the United States navy, was
born in Maryland in 1779. He entered the
naval service in 1798. In 1804, when the
American vessel Philadelphia had been run
aground and captured in the harbor of Trip-
oli, Decatur, at the head of a few men,
boarded her and burned her in the face of
the guns from th e city defenses. For this
daring deed he was made captain. He was
given command of the frigate United States
at the breaking out of the war of 18 12, and
in October of that year he captured the
British frigate Macedonian, and was re-
warded with a gold medal by congress. Af-
ter the close of the war he was sent as com-
mander of a fleet of ten vessels to chastise
the dey of Algiers, who was preying upon
American commerce with impunity and de-
manding tribute and ransom for the release
of American citizens captured. Decatur
102
COMPENDIUM OF BTOGRAPHT.
captured a number of Algerian vessels, and
compelled the dey to sue for peace. He
was noted for his daring and intrepidity,
and his coolness in the face of danger, and
helped to bring the United States navy into
favor with the people and congress as a
means of defense and offense in time of
war. He was killed in a duel by Commo-
dore Barron, March 12, 1820.
JAMES KNOX POLK, the eleventh
president of the United States, 1845 to
1849, was born November 2, 1795, in Meck-
lenburg county. North Carolina, and was
the eldest child of a family of six sons. He
removed with his father to the Valley of the
Duck River, in Tennessee, in 1806. He
attended the common schools and became
very proficient in the lower branches of
education, and supplemented this with
a course in the Murfreesboro Academy,
which he entered in 18 13 and in the autumn
of 18 1 5 he became a student in the sopho-
more class of the University of North Caro-
lina, at Chapel Hill, and was graduated in
18 1 8. He then spent a short time in re-
cuperating his health and then proceeded to
Nashville, Tennessee, where he took up the
study of law in the office of Felix Grundy.
After the completion of his law studies he
was admitted to the bar and removed to
Columbia, Maury county, Tennessee, and
started in the active practice of his profes-
sion, Mr. Polk was a Jeffersonian "Re-
publican " and in 1823 he was elected to the
legislature of Tennessee. He was a strict
constructionist and did not believe that the
general government had the power to carry
on internal improvements in the states, but
deemed it important that it should have that
power, and wanted the constitution amended
to that effect. But later. on he became
alarmed lest the general government might
become strong enough to abolish slavery
and therefore gave his whole support to the
" State's Rights" movement, and endeavored
to check the centralization of power in the
general-government. Mr. Polk was chosen
a member of congress in 1825, and held that
office until 1839. He then withdrew, as he
was the successful gubernatorial candidate
of his state. He had become a man of
great influence in the house, and, as the
leader of the Jackson party in that body,
weilded great influence in the election of
General Jackson to the presidency. He
sustained the president in all his measures
and still remained in the house after Gen-
eral Jackson had been succeeded by Martin
Van Buren. He was speaker of the house
during five sessions of congress. He was
elected governor of Tennessee by a large
majority and took the oath of office at Nash-
ville, October 4, 1839. He was a candidate
for re-election but was defeated by Governor
Jones, the Whig candidate. In 1844 the
most prominent question in the election was
the annexation of Texas, and as Mr. Polk
was the avowed champion of this cause he
was nominated for president by the pro-
slavery wing of the democratic party, was
elected by a large majority, and was inaug-
urated March 4, 1845. President Polk
formed a very able cabinet, consisting of
James Buchanan, Robert J. Walker, Will-
iam L. Marcy, George Bancroft, Cave John-
son, and John Y. Mason. The dispute re-
garding the Oregon boundary was settled
during his term of office and a new depart-
ment was added to the list of cabinet po-
sitions, that of the Interior. The low tariff
bill of 1846 was carried and the financial
system of the country was reorganized. It
was also during President Polk's term that
the Mexican war was successfully conducted,
which resulted in the acquisition of Califor-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPJIT.
108
nia and New Mexico. Mr. Polk retired from
the presidency March 4, 1849, after having
declined a re-nomination, and was succeeded
by General Zachary Taylor, the hero of the
Mexican war. Mr. Polk retired to private
life, to his home in Nashville, where he died
at the age of fifty-four on June 9, 1849,
ANNA DICKINSON (Anna Elizabeth
Dickinson), a noted lecturer and pub-
lic speaker, was born at Philadelphia, Oc-
tober 28, 1842. Herparents were Quakers,
and she was educated at the Friends' free
schools in her native city. She early man-
ifested an inclination toward elocution and
public speaking, and when, at the age of 18,
she found an opportunity to appear before
a national assemblage for the discussion of
woman's rights, she at once established her
reputation as a public speaker. From i860
to the close of the war and during the ex-
citing period of reconstruction, she was one
of the most noted and influential speakers
before the American public, and her popu-
larity was unequaled by that of any of her
sex. A few weeks after the defeat and
death of Colonel Baker at Ball's Bluff, Anna
Dickinson, lecturing in New York, made
the remarkable assertion, " Not the incom-
petency of Colonel Baker, but the treachery
of General McClellan caused the disaster at
Ball's Bluff." She was hissed and hooted
off the stage. A year later, at the same
hall and with much the same class of audi-
tors, she repeated the identical words, and
the applause was so great and so long con-
tinued that it was impossible to go on with
her lecture for more than half an hour. The
change of sentiment had been wrought by
the reverses and dismissal of McClellan and
his ambition to succeed Mr. Lincoln as presi-
dent.
Ten years after the close of the war, Anna
Dickinson was not heard of on the lec-
ture platform, and about that time she made
an attempt to enter the dramatic profession,
but after appearing a number of times in dif-
ferent plays she was pronounced a failure.
ROBERT J. BURDETTE.— Some per-
sonal characteristics of Mr. Burdette
were quaintly given by himself in the follow-
ing words: "Politics.? Republican after
the strictest sect. Religion .? Baptist. Per-
sonal appearance } Below medium height,
and weigh one hundred and thirty-five
pounds, no shillings and no pence. Rich }
Not enough to own a yacht. Favorite read-
ing .'' Poetry and history — know Longfellow
by heart, almost. Write for magizines ?
Have mo.-e ' declined with thanks ' letters
than would fill a trunk. Never able to get
into a magazine with a line. Care about it.-*
Mad as thunder. Think about starting a
magazine and rejecting everbody's articles
except my own." Mr. Burdette was born
at Greensborough, Pennsylvania, in 1844.
He served through the war of the rebellion
under General Banks "on an excursion
ticket" as he felicitously described it, "good
both ways, conquering in one direction and
running in the other, pay going on just the
same." He entered into journalism by the
gateway of New York correspondence for
the "Peoria Transcript," and in 1874 went
on the "Burlington Hawkeye " of which he
became the managing editor, and the work
that he did on this paper made both him-
self and the paper famous in the world of
humor. Mr. Burdette married in 1870,
and his wife, whom he called "Her Little
Serene Highness," was to him a guiding
light until the day of her death, and it was
probably the unconscious pathos with which
he described her in his work that broke the
barriers that had kept him out of the maga-
104
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
zines and secured him the acceptance of his
"Confessions" by Lippincott some years
ago, and brought him substantial fame and
recognition in the Hterary world.
WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS, one
of the leading novelists of the present
century and author of a number of works
that gained for him a place in the hearts of
the people, was born March i, 1837, at
Martinsville, Belmont county, Ohio. At
the age of three years he accompanied his
father, who was a printer, to Hamilton,
Ohio, where he learned the printer's trade.
Later he was engaged on the editorial staff
of the "Cincinnati Gazette" and the " Ohio
State Journal." During 1861-65 he was
the United States consul at Venice, and
from 1 87 1 to 1878 he was the editor-in-
chief of the "Atlantic Monthly." As a
writer he became one of the most fertile
and readable of authors and a pleasing poet.
In 1885 he became connected with "Har-
per's Magazine. " Mr. Howells was author
of the list of books that we give below:
"Venetian Life," " Italian Journeys," "No
Love Lost," " Suburban Sketches," "Their
Wedding Journey," "A Chance Acquaint-
ance," "A Foregone Conclusion," "Dr.
Breen's Practice," "A Modern Instance,"
"The Rise of Silas Lapham," "Tuscan
Cities," "Indian Summer," besides many
others. He also wrote the " Poem of Two
Friends," with J. J. Piatt in i860, and
som.e minor dramas: "The Drawing
Room Car," "The Sleeping Car," etc.,
that are full of exqusite humor and elegant
dialogue.
T AMES RUSSELL LOWELL was a son
<J of the Rev. Charles Lowell, and was born
at Cambridge, Massachusetts, February 22,
J 8 19. He graduated at Harvard College in
1838 as class poet, and went to Harvard
Law School, from which he was graduated
in 1840, and commenced the practice of his
profession in Boston, but soon gave his un-
divided attention to literary labors. Mr.
Lowell printed, in 1841, a small volume of
poems entitled " A Year's Life," edited with
Robert Carter; in 1843, "The Pioneer," a
literary and critical magazine (monthly), and
in 1848 another book of poems, that con-
tained several directed against slavery. He
published in 1844 a volume of "Poems"
and in 1845 " Conversations on Some
of the Old Poets," "The Vision of Sir
Launfal," " A Fable for Critics, " and "The
Bigelow Papers," the latter satirical es-
says in dialect poetry directed against
slavery and the war with Mexico. In
1851-52 he traveled in Europe and re-
sided in Italy for a considerable time, and
delivered in 1854-55 a course of lectures on
the British poets, before the Lowell Insti-
tute, Boston. Mr. Lowell succeeded Long-
fellow in January, 1855, as professor of
modern languages and literature at Harvard
College, and spent another year in Euiope
qualifying himself for that post. He edited
the " Atlantic Monthly " from 1857 to 1862,
and the "North American Review" from
1863 until 1872. From 1864 to 1870 he
published the following works: "Fireside
Travels," " Under the Willows," "The
Commemoration Ode," in honor of the
alumni of Harvard who had fallen in the
Civil war; "The Cathedral," two volumes
of essays; "Among My Books" and "My
Study Windows," and in 1867 he published
a new series of the " Bigelow Papers. " He
traveled extensively in Europe in 1872-74,
and received in person the degree of D. C.
L. at Oxford and that of LL. D. at the
University of Cambridge, England. He
was also interested in political life and held
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
105
many important offices. He was United
States minister to Spain in 1877 and was
also minister to England in 1880-85. On
January 2, 1884, he was elected lord rector
of St. Andrew University in Glasgow, Scot-
land, but soon after he resigned the same.
Mr. Lowell's works enjoy great popularity
in the United States and England. He
died August 12, 1891.
JOSEPH HENRY, one of America's
greatest scientists, was born at Albany,
New York, December 17, 1797. He was
educated in the common schools of the city
and graduated from the Albany Academy,
where he became a professor of mathemat-
ics in 1826. In 1827 he commenced a
course of investigation, which he continued
for a number of years, and the results pro-
duced had great effect on the scientific world.
The first success was achieved by producing
the electric magnet, and he next proved the
possibility of exciting magnetic energy at a
distance, and it was the invention of Pro-
fessor Henry's intensity magnet that first
made the invention of electric telegraph a
possibility. He made a statement regarding
the practicability of applying the intensity
magnet to telegraphic uses, in his article to
the ' 'American Journal of Science " in 1 83 1 .
During the same year he produced the first
mechanical contrivance ever invented for
maintaining continuous motion by means of
electro-magnetism, and he also contrived a
machine by which signals could be made at
a distance by the use of his electro-magnet,
the signals being produced by a lever strik-
ing on a bell. Some of his electro-magnets
were of great power, one carried over a ton
and another not less than three thousand six
hundred pounds. In 1832 he discovered
that secondary currents could be produced
in a long conductor by the induction of the
primary current upon itself, and also in the
same year he produced a spark by means of
a purely magnetic induction. Professor
Henry was elected, in 1832, professor of nat-
ural philosophy in the College of New Jer-
sey, and in his earliest lectures at Princeton,
demonstrated the feasibility of the electric
telegraph. He visited Europe in 1837, and
while there he had an interview with Pro-
fessor Wheatstone, the inventor of the
needle magnetic telegraph. In 1846 he was
elected secretary of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, being the first incumbent in that office,
which he held until his death. Professor
Henry was elected president of the Ameri-
can Association for the Advancement of
Science, in 1849, and of the National
Academy of Sciences. He was made chair-
man of the lighthouse board of the United
States in 1871 and held that position up to
the time of his death. He received the
honorary degree of doctor of laws from
Union College in 1829, and from Harvard
University in 185 i, and his death occurred
May 13, 1878. Among his numerous works
may be mentioned the following: "Contri-
butions to Electricity and Magnetism,"
" American Philosophic Trans, " and many
articles in the "American Journal of
Science," the journal of the Franklin Insti-
tute; the proceedings of the American As-
sociation for the Advancement of Science,
and in the annual reports of the Smith-
sonian Institution from its foundation.
FRANKLIN BUCHANAN, the famous
rear-admiral of the Confederate navy
during the rebellion, was born in Baltimore,
Maryland. He became a United States
midshipman in 18 15 and was promoted
through the various grades of the service
and became a captain in 1855. Mr. Buch-
anan resigned his captaincy in order to join
106
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
the Confederate service in 1861 and later he
asked to be reinstated, but his request was
refused and he then entered into the service
of the Confederate government. He was
placed in command of the frigate " Merri-
mac " after she had been fitted up as an iron-
clad, and had command of her at the time
of the battle of Hampton Roads, It was
he who had command when the " Merri-
mac " sunk the two wooden frigates, " Con-
gress" and "Cumberland," and was also
in command during part of the historical
battle of the " Merrimac " and the "Moni-
tor," where he was wounded and the com-
mand devolved upon Lieutenant Catesby
Jones. He was created rear-admiral in the
Confederate service and commanded the
Confederate fleet in Mobile bay, which was
defeated by Admiral Farragut, August 5,
1864. Mr. Buchanan was in command of
the "Tennessee," an ironclad, and during
the engagement he lost one of his legs and
was taken prisoner in the end by the Union
fleet. After the war he settled in Talbot
county, Maryland, where he died May 11,
1874-
RICHARD PARKS BLAND, a celebrated
American statesman, frequently called
"the father of the house," because of his
many years of service in the lower house
of congress, was born August 19, 1835,
near Hartford, Kentucky, where he received
a plain academic education. He moved,
in 1855, to Missouri, from whence he went
overland to California, afterward locating in
Virginia City, now in the state of Nevada,
but then part of the territory of Utah.
While there he practiced law, dabbled in
mines and mining in Nevada and California
for several years, and served for a time as
treasurer of Carson county, Nevada. Mr.
Bland returned to Missouri in 1865, where
he engaged in the practice of law at Rolla,
Missouri, and in 1869 removed to Lebanon,
Missouri, He began his congressional career
in 1873, when he was elected as a Demo-
crat to the forty-third congress, and he was
regularly re-elected to every congress after
that time up to the fifty-fourth, when he was
defeated for re-election, but was returned
to the fifty-fifth congress as a Silver Demo-
crat. During all his protracted service,
while Mr. Bland was always steadfast in his
support of democratic measures, yet he won
his special renown as the great advocate of
silver, being strongly in favor of the free
and unlimited coinage of silver, and on ac-
count of his pronounced views was one of
the candidates for the presidential nomina-
tion of the Democratic party at Chicago in
1896.
FANNY DAVENPORT (F. L. G. Daven-
port) was of British birth, but she be-
longs to the American stage. She was the
daughter of the famous actor, E. L, Daven-
port, and was born in London in 1850.
She first went on the stage as a child at the
Howard Athenaeum, Boston, and her entire
life was spent upon the stage. She played
children's parts at Burton's old theater in
Chambers street, and then, in 1862, appeared
as the King of Spain in " Faint Heart Never
Won Fair Lady. " Here she attracted the
notice of Augustin Daly, the noted mana-
ger, then at the Fifth Avenue theater, who
offered her a six weeks' engagement with
her father in "London Assurance." She
afterwards appeared at the same house in a
variety of characters, and her versatility
was favorably noticed by the critics. After
the burning of the old Fifth Avenue, the
present theater of that name was built at
Twenty-eighth street, and here Miss Daven-
port appeared in a play written for her by
COMPENDIUM OF JilOGRAPJir.
107
Mr. Daly. She scored a great success.
She then starred in this play throughout the
country, and was married to Mr. Edwin F.
Price, an actor of her company, in 1880.
In 1882 she went to Paris and purchased
the right to produce in America Sardou's
great emotional play, "Fedora." It was
put on at the Fourteenth Street theater in
New York, and in it she won popular favor
and became one of the most famous actresses
of her time.
HORACE BRIGHAM CLAFLIN, one
of the greatest merchants America has
produced, was born in Milford, Massachu-
setts, a son of John Claflin, also a mer-
chant. Young Clallin started his active life
as a clerk in his father's store, after having
been offered the opportunity of a college
education, but with the characteristic
promptness that was one of his virtues he
exclaimed, "No law or medicine for me."
He had set his heart on being a merchant,
and when his father retired he and his
brother Aaron, and his brother-in-law, Sam-
uel Daniels, conducted the business. Mr.
Claflin was not content, however, to run a
store in a town like Milford, and accordingly
opened a dry goods store at Worcester, with
his brother as a partner, but the partnership
was dissolved a year later and H. B. Claflin
assumed complete control. The business
in Worcester had been conducted on ortho-
dox principles, and when Mr. Claflin came
there and introduced advertising as a means
of drawing trade, he created considerable
animosity among the older merchants. Ten
years later he was one of the most prosper-
ous merchants. He disposed of his busi-
ness in Worcester for $30,000, and went to
New York to search for a wider field than
that of a shopkeeper. Mr. Claflin and
William M. Bulkley started in the dry goods
business there under the firm name of Bulk-
ley & Claflin, in 1843, ^"d Mr. Bulkley was
connected with the firm until 185 i, when he
retired. A new firm was then formed under
the name of Claflin, Mellin & Co. This
firm succeeded in founding the largest dry
goods house in the world, and after weather-
ing the dangers of the civil war, during
which the house came very near going un-
der, and was saved only by the superior
business abilities of Mr. Claflin, continued to
grow. The sales of the firm amounted to
over $72,000,000 a year after the close of
the war. Mr. Claflin died November 14,
1885.
CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN (Charlotte
Saunders Cushman), one of the most
celebrated American actresses, was born in
Boston, July 23, 1816, She was descended
from one of the earliest Puritan families.
Her first attempt at stage work was at the
age of fourteen years in a charitable concert
given by amateurs in Boston. From this
time her advance to the first place on the
American lyric stage was steady, until, in
1835, while singing in New Orleans, she
suddenly lost control of her voice so far as
relates to singing, and was compelled to re-
tire. She then took up the study for the
dramatic stage under the direction of Mr.
Barton, the tragedian. She soon after
made her debut as " Lady Macbeth." She
appeared in New York in September, 1836,
and her success was immediate. Her
"Romeo" was almost perfect, and she is
the only woman that has ever appeared in
the part of " Cardinal Wolsey." She at
different times acted as support of Forrest
and Macready. Her London engagement,
secured in 1845, after many and great dis-
couragements, proved an unqualified suc-
cess.
108
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Her farewell appearance was at Booth's
theater, New York, November 7, 1874, in
the part of " Lady Macbeth," and after that
performance an Ode by R. H. Stoddard
was read, and a body of citizens went upon
the stage, and in their name the venerable
poet Longfellow presented her with a wreath
of laurel with an inscription to the effect
that "she who merits the palm should bear
it," From the time of her appearance as a
modest girl in a charitable entertainment
down to the time of final triumph as a tragic
queen, she bore herself with as much honor
to womanhood as to the profession she rep-
resented. Her death occurred in Boston,
February 18, 1876. By her profession she
acquired a fortune of $600,000.
NEAL DOW, one of the most prominent
temperance reformers our country has
known, was born in Portland, Me., March 20,
1804. He received his education in the
Friends Seminary, at New Bedford, Massa-
chusetts, his parents being members of that
sect. After leaving school he pursued a
mecrantile and manufacturing career for a
number of years. He was active in the
affairs of his native city, and in 1839 be-
came chief of the fire department, and in
1 85 1 was elected mayor. He was re-elected
to the latter office in 1854. Being opposed
to the liquor traffic he was a champion of
the project of prohibition, first brought for-
ward in 1839 by James Appleton. While
serving his first term as mayor he drafted a
bill for the "suppression of drinking houses
and tippling shops," which he took to the
legislature and which was passed without an
alteration. In 1858 Mr. Dow was elected
to the legislature. On the outbreak of the
Civil war he was appointed colonel of the
Thirteenth Maine Infantry and accompanied
General Butler's expedition to New Orleans.
In 1862 he was made brigadier-general. At
the battle of Port Hudson May 27, 1863, he
was twice wounded, and taken prisoner. He
was confined at Libby prison a*nd Mobile
nearly a year, when, being exchanged, he
resigned, his health having given way under
the rigors of his captivity. He made sev-
eral trips to England in the interests of
temperance organization, where he addressed
large audiences. He was the candidate of
the National Prohibition party for the presi-
dency in 1880, receiving about ten thousand
votes. In 1884 he was largely instrumental
in the amendment of the constitution of
Maine, adopted by an overwhelming popular
vote, which forever forbade the manufacture
or sale of any intoxicating beverages, and
commanding the legislature to enforce the
prohibition. He died October 2, 1897.
ZACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth president
of the United States, was born in
Orange county, Virginia, September 24,
1784. His boyhood was spent on his fath-
er's plantation and his education was lim-
ited. In 1808 he was made lieutenant of
the Seventh Infantry, and joined his regi-
ment at New Orleans. He was promoted
to captain in 18 10, and commanded at Fort
Harrison, near the present site of Terre
Haute, in 181 2, where, for his gallant de-
fense, he was brevetted major, attaining full
rank in 18 14. In 1815 he retired to an es-
tate near Louisville, In 18 16 here-entered
the army as major, and was promoted to
lieutenant-colonel and then to colonel.
Having for many years been Indian agent
over a large portion of the western country,
he was often required in Washington to give
advice and counsel in matters connected
with the Indian bureau. He served through
the Black Hawk Indian war of 1832, and in
1837 was ordered to the command of the
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
109
army in Florida, where he attacked the In-
dians in the swamps and brakes, defeated
them and ended the war. He was brevetted
brigadier-general and made commander-in-
chief of tlie armj' in Florida. He was as-
signed to the command of the army of the
southwest in 1840, but was soon after re-
lieved of it at his request. He was then
stationed at posts in Arkansas. In 1845 he
was ordered to prepare to protect and de-
fend Texas boundaries from invasion by
Mexicans and Indians. On the annexation
of Texas he proceeded with one thousand
five hundred men to Corpus Christi, within
the disputed territory. After reinforcement
he was ordered by the Mexican General Am-
pudia to retire beyond the Nueces river,
with which order he declined to comply.
The battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma followed, and he crossed the Rio
Grande and occupied Matamoras May i8th.
He was commissioned major-general for this
campaign, and in September he advanced
upon the city of Monterey and captured it
after a hard fight. Here he took up winter
quarters, and when he was about to resume
activity in the spring he was ordered to send
the larger part of his army to reinforce
General Scott at Vera Cruz. After leaving
garrisons at various points his army was re-
duced to about five thousand, mostly fresh
recruits. He was attacked by i:he army of
Santa Anna at Buena Vista, February 22,
1847, and after a severe fight completely
routed the Mexicans. He received the
thanks of congress and a gold medal for
this victory. He remained in command of
the "army of occupation" until winter,
when he returned to the United States.
In 1848 General Taylor was nominated
by the Whigs for president. He was elected
over his two opponents, Cass and Van
Buren. Great bitterness was developing in
the struggle for and against the extension of
slavery, and the newly acquired territory in
the west, and the fact that the states were
now equally divided on that question, tended
to increase the feeling. President Taylor
favored immediate admission of California
with her constitution prohibiting slavery,
and the admission of other states to be
formed out of the new territory as they
might elect as they adopted constitutions
from time to time. This policy resulted in
the " Omnibus Bill," which afterward passed
congress, though in separate bills; not, how-
ever, until after the death of the soldier-
statesman, which occurred July 9, 1850,
One of his daughters became the wife of
Jefferson Davis.
MELVILLE D. LANDON, better known
as " EliPerkins," author, lecturer and
humorist, was born in Eaton, New York,
September 7, 1839. He was the son of
John Landon and grandson of Rufus Lan-
don, a revolutionary soldier from Litchfield
county, Connecticut. Melville was edu-
cated at the district school and neighboring
academy, where he was prepared for the
sophomore class at Madison University. He
passed two years at the latter, when he was
admitted to Union College, and graduated
in the class of 1861, receiving the degree of
A. M., in 1862. He was, at once, ap-
pointed to a position in the treasury depart-
ment at Washington. This being about the
time of the breaking out of the war, and
before the appearance of any Union troops
at the capital, he assisted in the organiza-
tion of the " Clay Battalion," of Washing-
ton. Leaving his clerkship some time later,
he took up duties on the staff of General A.
L. Chetlain, who was in command at Mem-
phis. In 1864 he resigned from the army
and engaged in cotton planting in Arkansas
110
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT,
and Louisiana. In 1867 he went abroad,
making the tour of Europe, traversing Rus-
sia. While in the latter country his old
commander of the " Clay Battalion," Gen-
eral Cassius M. Clay, then United States
minister at St. Petersburg, made him secre-
tary of legation. In 1 87 1, on returning to
America, he published a history of the
Franco-Prussian war, and followed it with
numerous humorous writings for the public
press under the name of "Eli Perkins,"
which, with his regular contributions to the
" Commercial Advertiser," brought him into
notice, and spread his reputation as a hu-
morist throughout the country. He also pub-
lished "Saratoga in 1891," "Wit, Humor
and Pathos," "Wit and Humor of the Age,"
" Kings of Platform and Pulpit, "" Thirty
Years of Wit and Humor," " Fun and Fact,"
-and " China and Japan,"
LEWIS CASS, one of the most prom-
inent statesman and party leaders of his
day, was born at Exeter, New Hampshire,
October 9, 1782. He studied law, and hav-
ing removed to Zanesville, Ohio, commenced
the practice of that profession in 1802, He
entered the service of the American govern-
ment in 181 2 and was made a colonel in
the army under General William Hull, and
on the surrender of Fort Maiden by that
officer was held as a prisoner. Being re-
leased in 18 1 3, he was promoted to the
rank of brigadier-general and in 18 14 ap-
pointed governor of Michigan Territory.
After he had held that office for some
sixteen years, negotiating, in the meantime,
many treaties with the Indians, General
Cass was made secretary of war in the cabi-
net of President Jackson, in 1831. He was,
in 1836, appointed minister to France,
which office he held for six years. In 1844
he -vas elected United States senator from
Michigan. In 1846 General Cass opposed
the Wilmot Proviso, which was an amend-
ment to a bill for the purchase of land from
Mexico, which provided that in any of the
territory acquired from that power slavery
should not exist. For this and other reasons
he was nominated as Democratic candidate
for the presidency of the United States in
1848, but was defeated by General Zachary
Taylor, the Whig candidate, having but
one hundred and thirty-seven electoral votes
to his opponent's one hundred and sixty-
three. In 1849 General Cass was re-elected
to the senate of the United States, and in
1854 supported Douglas' Kansas-Nebraska
bill. He became secretary of state in
March, 1857, under President Buchanan,
but resigned that office in December, i860.
He died June 17, 1866. The published
works of Lewis Cass, while not numerous,
are well written and display much ability.
He was one of the foremost men of his day
in the political councils of the Democratic
party, and left a reputation for high probity
and honor behind him.
DEWITT CLINTON.— Probably there
were but few men who were so popular
in their time, or who have had so much in-
fluence in moulding events as the individual
Vv'hose name honors the head of this article.
De Witt Clinton was the son of General
James Clinton, and a nephew of Governor
George Clinton, who was the fourth vice-
president of the United States. He was a
native of Orange county, New York, born at
Little Britain, March 2, 1769. He gradu-
ated from Columbia College, in his native
state, in 1796, and took up the study of law.
In 1790 he became private secretary to his
uncle, then governor of New York. He en-
tered public life as a Republican or anti-
Federalist, and was elected to the lovv^er
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Ill
house of the state assembly in 1797, and the
senate of that body in 1798; At that time
he was looked on as " the most rising man
in the Union." In 1801 he was elected to
the United States senate. In 1803 he was
appointed by the governor and council
mayor of the city of New York, then a
very important and powerful office. Hav-
ing been re-appointed, he held the office
of mayor for nearly eleven years, and
rendered great service to that city. Mr.
Clinton served as lieutenant-governor of
the state of New York, 181 1- 13, and
was one of the commissioners appointed
to examine and survey a route for a canal
from the Hudson river to Lake Erie. Dif-
fering with President Madison, in relation to
the war, in 18 12, he was nominated for the
presidency against that gentleman, by a
coalition party called the Clintonians, many
of whom were Federalists. Clinton received
eight-nine electoral votes. His course at
this time impaired his popularity for a time.
He was removed from the mayoralty in
1 8 14, and retired to private life. In 181 5
he wrote a powerful argument for the con-
struction of the Erie canal, then a great and
beneficent work of which he was the prin-
cipal promoter. This was in the shape of
a memorial to the legislature, which, in
18 17, passed a bill authorizing the construc-
tion of that canal. The same year he was
elected governor of New York, almost unani-
mously, notwithstanding the opposition of
a few who pronounced the scheme of the
canal visionary. He was re-elected governor
in 1820. He was at this time, also, presi-
dent of the canal commissioners. He de-
clined a re-election to the gubernatorial
chair in 1822 and was removed from his
place on the canal board two years later.
But he was triumphantly elected to the of-
fice of governor that fall, and his pet project,
the Erie canal, was finished the next year.
He was re-elected governor in 1826, but
died while holding that office, February 11,
1828.
AARON BURR, one of the many brilliant
figures on the political stage in the early
days of America, was born at Newark, New
Jersey, February 6, 1756. He was the son
of Aaron and Esther Burr, the former the
president of the College of New Jersey, and
the latter a daughter of Jonathan Edwards,
w^ho had been president of the same educa-
tional institution. Young Burr graduated
at Princeton in 1772. In 1775 he joined
the provincial army at Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts. For a time, he served as a private
soldier, but later was made an aide on the
staff of the unfortunate General Montgom-
er}', in the Quebec expedition. Subse-
quently he was on the staffs of Arnold, Put-
nam and Washington, the latter of whom
he disliked. He was promoted to the rank
of lieutenant-colonel and commanded a
brigade on Monmouth's bloody field. In
I779i on account of feeble health. Colonel
Burr resigned from the army. He took up
the practice of law in Albany, New York,
but subsequently removed to New York City.
In 1789 he became attorney-general of that
state. In 1791 he was chosen to represent
the state of New York in the United States
senate and held that position for six years.
In 1800 he and Thomas Jefferson were both
candidates for the presidency, and there
being a tie in the electoral college, each
having seventy-three votes, the choice was
left to congress, who gave the first place to
Jefferson and made Aaron Burr vice-presi-
dent, as the method then was. In 1804 Mr.
Burr and his great rival, Alexander Hamil-
ton, met in a duel, which resulted in the
death of the latter, Burr losing thereby con-
112
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
siderable political and social influence. He
soon embarked in a wild attempt upon
Mexico, and as was asserted, upon the
southwestern territories of the United
States. Ke was tried for treason at
Richmond, Virginia, in 1807, but acquitted,
and to avoid importunate creditors, fled to
Europe. After a time, in 18 12, he returned
to New York, where he practiced law, and
where he died, September 14, 1836. A man
of great abilit}-, brilliant and popular talents,
his influence was destroyed by his unscrupu-
lous political actions and immoral private
life. ^_^_^_
ALBERT GALLATIN, one of the most
distinguished statesmen of the early
days of the republic, was born at Geneva,
Switzerland, January 29, 1761. He was
the son of Jean de Gallatin and Sophia A.
Rolaz du Rosey Gallatin, representatives of
an old patrician family. Albert Gallatin
was left an orphan at an early age, and was
educated under the care of friends of his
parents. He graduated from the University
of Geneva in 1779, and declining employ-
ment under one of the sovereigns of Ger-
many, came to the struggling colonies, land-
ing in Boston July 14, 1780. Shortly after
his arrival he proceeded to Maine, where he
served as a volunteer under Colonel Allen.
He made advances to the government for
the support of the American troops, and in
November, 1780, was placed in command
of a sm_all fort at Passamaquoddy, defended
by a force of militia, volunteers and Indians.
In 1783 he was professor of the French
language at Harvard University. A year
later, having received his patrimony from
Europe, he purchased large tracts of land
in western Virginia, but was prevented by
the Indians from forming the large settle-
ment he proposed, and, in 1786, purchased
a farm in Fayette county, Pennsylvania.
In 1789 he was a member of the convention
to amend the constitution of that state, and
united himself with the Republican party,
the head of which was Thomas Jefferson.
The following year he was elected to the
legislature of Pennsylvania, to which he was
subsequently re-elected.' In 1793 he was
elected to the United States senate, but
could not take his seat on account of not
having been a citizen long enough. In 1794
Mr. Gallatin was elected to the representa-
tive branch of congress, in which he served
three terms. He also took an important
position in the suppression of the. " whiskey
insurrection." In 1801, on the accession of
Jefferson to the presidency, Mr. Gallatin
was appointed secretary of the treasury.
In 1809 Mr. Madison offered him the posi-
tion of secretary of state, but he declined,
and continued at the head of the treasury
until 18 12, a period of twelve years. He
exercised a great influence on the other de-
partments and in the general administration,
especially in the matter of financial reform,
and recommended measures for taxation,
etc. , which were passed by congress, and be-
came laws May 24, 18 1 3. The same year he
was sent as an envoy extraordinary to Rus-
sia, which had offered to mediate between
this country and Great Britain, but the lat-
ter country refusing the interposition of
another power, and agreeing to treat di-
rectly with the United States, in 18 14, at
Ghent, Mr. Gallatin, in connection with his
distinguished colleagues, negotiated and
signed the treaty of peace. In 181 5, in
conjunction with Messrs. Adams and Clay,
he signed, at London, a commercial treaty
between the two countries. In 18 16, de-
clining his old post at the head of the treas-
ury, Mr. Gallatin was sent as minister to
France, where he remained until 1823.
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
113
After a year spent in England as envoy ex-
traordinary, he took up his residence in New
York, and from that time held no public
office. In 1830 he was chosen president of
the council of ihe University of New York.
He was, in 1831, made president of the
National bank, which position he resigned
in 1839. He died August 12, 1849.
MILLARD FILLMORE, the thirteenth
president of the United States, was
born of New England parentage in Summer
Hill, Cayuga county, New York, January 7,
1800. His school education was very lim-
ited, but he occupied his leisure hours in
study. He worked in j^outh upon his fa-
ther's farm in his native county, and at the
age of fifteen was apprenticed to a wool
carder and cloth dresser. Four years later
he was induced by Judge Wood to enter his
office at Montville, New York, and take up
the study of law. This warm friend, find-
ing young Fillmore destitute of means,
loaned him money, but the latter, not wish-
ing to incur a heavy debt, taught school
during part of the time and in this and other
ways helped maintain himself. In 1822 he
removed to Buffalo, New York, and the year
following, being admitted to the. bar, he
commenced the practice of his profession
at East Aurora, in the same state. Here
he remained until 1830, having, in the
meantime, been admitted to practice in the
supreme court, when he returned to Buffalo,
where he became the partner of S. G.
Haven and N. K. Hall. He entered poli-
tics and served in the state legislature from
1829 to 1832. He was in congress in 1833-
35 and in 1837-41, where he proved an
active and useful member, favoring the
views of John Quincy Adams, then battling
almost alone the slave-holding party in na-
tional politics, and in most 01 public ques-
tions acted with the Whig party. While
chairman of the committee of ways and
means he took a leading part in draughting
the tariff bill of 1842. In 1844 Mr. Fill-
more was the Whig candidate for governor
of New York. In 1847 he was chosen
comptroller of the state, and abandoning
his practice and profession removed to Al-
bany. In 1848 he was elected vice presi-
dent on the ticket with General Zachary
Taylor, and they were inaugurated the fol-
lowing March. On the death of the presi-
dent, July 9, 1850, Mr. Fillmore was in-
ducted into that office. The great events
of his administration were the passage of
the famous compromise acts of 1850, and
the sending out of the Japan expedition of
1852.
March 4, 1853, having served one term,
President Fillmore retired from office, and
in 1855 went to Europe, where he received
marked attention. On returning home, in
1856, he was nominated for the presidency
by the Native American or " Know-Noth-
ing" party, but was defeated, James Buch-
anan being the successful candidate.
Mr. Fillmore ever afterward lived in re-
tirement. During the conflict of Civil war
he was mostly silent. It was generally sup-
posed, however, that his sympathy was with
the southern confederacy. He kept aloof
from the conflict without any words of cheer
to the one party or the other. For this rea-
son he was forgotten by both. He died of
paralysis, in Buffalo, New York, March 8,
1874-
PETER F. ROTHERMEL, one of Amer-
ica's greatest and best-known historical
painters, was born in Luzerne county, Penn-
sylvania, July 8, 1 8 17, and was of German
ancestry. He received his earlier education
in his native county, and in Philadelphia
114
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
learned the profession of land surveying.
But a strong bias toward art drew him away
and he soon opened a studio where he did
portrait painting. This soon gave place to
historical painting, he having discovered the
bent of his genius in that direction. Be-
sides the two pictures in the Capitol at
Washington — ' 'DeSoto Discovering the Mis-
sissippi" and "Patrick Henry Before the
Virginia House of Burgesses" — Rothermel
painted many others, chief among which
are: "Columbus Before Queen Isabella,"
"Martyrs of the Colosseum," "Cromwell
Breaking Up Service in an English Church, "
and the famous picture of the "Battle
of Gettysburg." The last named was
painted for the state of Pennsylvania, for
which Rothermel received the sum of $25,-
000, and which it took him four years to
plan and to paint. It represents the portion
of that historic field held by the First corps,
an exclusively Pennsylvania body of men,
and was selected by Rothermel for that
reason. For many years most of his time
was spent in Italy, only returning for short
periods. He died at Philadelphia, August
16, 1895.
EDMUND KIRBY SMITH, one of the
distinguished leaders upon the side of the
south in the late Civil war, was born at St.
Augustine, Florida, in 1824. After receiv-
ing the usual education he was appointed to
the United States Military Academy at West
Point, from which he graduated in 1845 and
entered the army as second lieutenant of
infantry. During the Mexican war he was
made first lieutenant and captain for gallant
conduct at Cerro Gordo and Contreras.
From 1849 to 1852 he was assistant pro-
fessor of mathematics at West Point. He
was transferred to the Second cavalry with
the rank of captain in 1855, served on the
frontier, and was wounded in a fight with
Comanche Indians in Texas, May 13, 1859.
In January, 1861, he became major of his
regiment, but resigned April 9th to fol-
low the fortunes of the southern cause.
He was appointed brigadier-general in the
Confederate army and served in Virginia.
At the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861,
he arrived on the field late in the day, but
was soon disabled by a wound. He was
made major-general in 1862, and being trans-
ferred to East Tennessee, was given com-
mand of that department. Under General
Braxton Bragg he led the advance in the
invasion of Kentucky and defeated the Union
forces at Richmond, Kentucky, August 30,
1862, and advanced to Frankfort. Pro-
moted to the rank of lieutenant-general, he
was engaged at the battle of Perryville,
October 10, and in the battle of Murfrees-
boro, December 31, 1862, and January 3,
1863. He was soon made general, the
highest rank in the service, and in com-
mand of the trans-Mississippi department
opposed General N. P. Banks in the famous
Red River expedition, taking part in the
battle of Jenkins Ferry, April 30, 1864, and
other engagements of that eventful cam-
paign. He was the last to surrender the
forces under his command, which he did
May 26, 1865. After the close of the war
he located in Tennessee, where he died
March 28, 1893.
JOHN JAMES INGALLS, a famous
American statesman, was born Decem-
ber 29, 1833, at Middleton, Massachusetts,
where he was reared and received his early
education. He went to Kansas in 1858
and joined the free-soil army, and a year
after his arrival he was a member of the his-
torical Wyandotte convention, which drafted
a free-state constitution. In i860 he was
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
115
made secretary of the territorial council,
and in 1861 was secretary of the state sen-
ate. The next year he was duly elected to
the legitimate state senate from Atchison,
where he had made his home. From that
time he was the leader of the radical Re-
publican element in the state. He became
the editor of the " Atchison Champion " in
1863, which was a "red-hot free-soil Re-
publican organ." In 1862 he was the anti-
Lane candidate for lieutenant-governor, but
was defeated. He was elected to the Unit-
ed States senate to succeed Senator Pom-
eroy, and took his seat in the forty-third
congress and served until the fiftieth. In
the forty-ninth congress he succeeded Sen-
ator Sherman as president pro tem., which
position he held through the fiftieth con-
gress.
BENJAMIN WEST, the greatest of the
early American painters, was of Eng-
lish descent and Quaker parentage. He was
born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, in 1738.
From what source he inherited his genius it
is hard to imagine, since the tenets and
tendencies of the Quaker faith were not cal-
culated to encourage the genius of art, but
at the age of nine years, with no suggestion
except that of inspiration, we find him choos-
ing his model from life, and laboring over
his first work calculated to attract public
notice. It was a representation of a sleep-
ing child in ils cradle. The brush with
which he painted it was made of hairs
which he plucked from the cat's tail, and
the colors were obtained from the war paints
of friendly Indians, his mother's indigo bag,
and ground chalk and charcoal, and the juice
of berries, but there were touches in the rude
production that he declared in later days
were a credit to his best works. The pic-
ture attracted notice, for a council was
called at once to pass upon the boy's con-
duct in thus infringing the laws of the so-
ciety. There were judges among them who
saw in his genius a rare gift and their wis-
dom prevailed, and the child was given per-
mission to follow his inclination. He studied
under a painter named Williams, and then
spent some years as a portrait painter with
advancing success. At the age of twenty-
two he went to Italy, and not until he had
perfected himself by twenty-three years of
labor in that paradise of art was he satisfied
to turn his face toward home. However, he
stopped at London, and decided to settle
there, sending to America for his intended
bride to join him. Though the Revolution-
ary war was raging. King George III showed
the American artist the highest considera-
tion and regard. His remuneration from
works for royalty amounted to five thou-
sand dollars per year for thirty 5'ears.
West's best known work in America is,
perhaps, "The Death of General Wolf."
West was one of the thirty-six original mem-
bers of the Royal academy and succeeded
Joshua Reynolds as president, which posi-
tion he held until his death. His early
works were his best, as he ceased to display
originality in his later life, conventionality
having seriously afiected his efforts. He
died in 1820.
SAMUEL PORTER JONES, the famous
Georgia evangelist, was born October
16, 1847, in Chambers county, Alabama.
He did not attend school regularly during
his boyhood, but worked on a farm, and
went to school at intervals, on account of
ill health. His father removed to Carters-
villc, Georgia, when Mr. Jones was a small
boy. He quit school at the age of nineteen
and never attended college. The war inter-
fered with his education, which was intended
116
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
to prepare him for the legal profession.
Af.ter the war he renewed his preparation
for college, but was compelled to desist from
such a course, as his health failed him en-
tirely. Later on, however, he still pursued
his legal studies and was admitted to the
bar. Soon after this event he went to Dal-
las, Paulding county, Georgia, where he was
engaged in the practice of his profession,
and in a few months removed to Cherokee
county, Alabama, where he taught school.
In 1 869 he returned to Cartersville, Georgia,
and arrived in time to see his father die.
Immediately after this event he applied for
a license to preach, and went to Atlanta,
Georgia, to the meeting of the North Geor-
gia Conference of the M. E. church south,
which received him on trial. He became
an evangelist of great note, and traveled
extensively, delivering his sermons in an
inimitable style that made him very popular
with the masses, his methods of conducting
revivals being unique and original and his
preaching practical and incisive.
SHELBY MOORE CULLOM, a national
character in political affairs and for
many years United States senator from
Illinois, was born November 22, 1829, at
Monticello, Kentucky. He came with his
parents to Illinois in 1830 and spent his early
yearson afarm, but havingformed the purpose
of devoting himself to the lawyer's profession
he spent two years study at the Rock River
seminary at Mount Morris, Illinois. In 1853
Mr. Cullom entered the law office of Stuart
and Edwards at Springfield, Illinois, and two
years later he began the independent prac-
tice of law in that city. He took an active
interest in politics and was soon elected city
attorney of Springfield. In 1856 he was
elected a member of the Illinois house of
representatives. He identified himself with
the newly formed Republican party and in
i860 was re-elected to the legislature of his
state, in which he was chosen speaker of the
house. In 1862 President Lincoln appoint-
ed a commission to pass upon and examine
the accounts of the United States quarter-
masters and disbursing officers, composed
as follows: Shelby M. Cullom, of Illinois;
Charles A. Dana, of New York, and
Gov. Boutwell, of Massachusetts. Mr.
Cullom was nominated for congress in
1864, and was elected by a majority of
1,785. In the house of representatives he
became an active and aggressive member,
was chairman of the committee on territories
and served in congress until 1868. Mr.
Cullom was returned to the state legislature,
of which he was chosen speaker in 1872,
and Vv^as re-elected in 1874. In 1876 he
was elected governor of Illinois and at the
end of his term he was chosen for a second
term. He was elected United States senator
in 1883 and twice re-elected.
an
RICHARD JORDAN CATLING,
American inventor of much note, was
born in Hertford county, North Carolina,
September 12, 1818. At an early age he
gave promise of an inventive genius. The
first emanation from his mind was the
invention of a screw for the propulsion of
water craft, but on application for a
patent, found that he was forestalled but
a short time by John Ericsson. Subse-
quently he invented a machine for sowing
wheat in drills, which was used to a great
extent throughout the west. He then stud-
ied medicine, and in 1847-8 attended
lectures at the Indiana Medical College
at Laporte, and in 1848-9 at the Ohio
Medical College at Cincinnati. He later
discovered a method of transmitting power
through the medium of compressed air. A
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
119
double-acting hemp break was also invented
by him. The invention, however, by which
Dr. Catling became best known was the
famous machine gun which bears his name.
This he brought to light in 1861-62, and on
the first trial of it, in the spring of the latter
year, two hundred shots per minute were
fired from it. After making some improve-
ments which increased its efficiency, it was
submitted to severe trials by our govern-
ment at the arsenals at Frankfort, Wash-
ington and Fortress Monroe, and at other
points. The gun was finally adopted by
our government, as well as by that of Great
Britain, Russia and others.
BENJAMIN RYAN TILLMAN, who won
a national fame in politics, was born
August II, 1847, in Edgefield county. South
Carolina. He received his education in the
Oldfield school, where he acquired the
rudiments of Latin and Creek, in addition
to a good English education. He left school
in 1864 to join the Confederate army, but
was prevented from doing so by a severe
illness, which resulted in the loss of an eye.
In 1867 he removed to Florida, but returned
in 1868, when he was married and devoted
himself to farniing. He was chairman of
the Democratic organization of his" county,
but except a few occasional services he took
no active part in politics then. Gradually,
however, his attention was directed to the
depressed condition of the farming interests
of his state, and in August, 1885, before a
joint meeting of the agricultural society and
state grange at Bennettsville, he made a
speech in which he set forth the cause of
agricultural depression and urged measures
of relief. From his active interest in the
farming class he was styled the '* Agricult-
ural Moses." He advocated an industrial
school for women and for a separate agri-
7
cultural college, and in 1887 he secured a
modification in the final draft of the will of
Thomas C. Clemson, which resulted in the
erection of the Clemson Agricultural Col-
lege at Fort Hill. In 1890 he was chosen
governor on the Democratic ticket, and
carried the election by a large majority.
Governor Tillman was inaugurated Decem-
ber 4, 1890. Mr. Tillman was next elected
to the United States senate from South
Carolina, and gained a national reputation
by his fervid oratory.
GEORGE DENISON PRENTICE.—
No journalist of America was so cele-
brated in his time for the wit, spice, and
vigor of his writing, as the gentleman whose
name heads this sketch. From Atlantic to
Pacific he was well known by his witticism
as well as by strength and force of his edi-
torials. He was a native of Preston, Con-
necticut, born December 18, 1802. After
laying the foundation of a liberal education
in his youth, he entered Brown University,
from which he was graduated in 1823. Tak-
ing up the study of law, he was admitted to
the bar in 1829. During part of his time
he was editor of the " New England Weekly
Review," a position which he relinquished
to go south and was succeeded by John
Greenleaf Whittier, the Quaker poet.
On arriving in Louisville, whither he
had gone to gather items for his history of
Henry Clay, Mr. Prentice became identified
with the " Louisville Journal," which, under
his hands, became one of the leading Whig
newspapers of the country. At the head of
this he remained until the day of his death.
This latter event occurred January 22, 1870,
and he was succeeded in the control of the
"Journal "by Colonel Henry Watterson.
Mr. Prentice was an author of consider-
able celebrity, chief among his works being
120
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
"The Life of Henry Clay," and "Prentice-
ana," a collection of wit and humor, that
passed through several large editions.
SAM, HOUSTON, in the opinion of some
critics one of the most remarkable men
who ever figured in American history, was a
native of Rockbridge county, Virginia, born
March 2, 1793. Early in life he was left in
destitute circumstances by the death of his
father, and, with his mother, removed to
Tennessee, then almost a boundless wilder-
ness. He received but little education,
spending the most of his time among the
Cherokee Indians. Part of the time of his
residence there Houston acted as clerk for a
trader and also taught one of the primitive
schools of the day. In 181 3 he enlisted as
private in the United States army and was
engaged under General Jackson in the war
with the Creek Indians. When peace was
made Houston was a lieutenant, but he re-
signed his commission and commenced the
study of law at Nashville. After holding
some minor offices he was elected member
of congress from Tennessee. This was in
1823. He retained this office until 1827,
when he was chosen governor of the state.
In 1829, resigning that office before the ex-
piration of his term, Sam Houston removed
to Arkansas, and made his home among the
Cherokees, becoming the agent of that
tribe and representing their interests at
Washington. On a visit to Texas, just
prior to the election of delegates to a con-
vention called for the purpose of drawing
up a constitution previous to the admission
of the state into the Mexican union, he was
unanimously chosen a delegate. The con-
vention framed the constitution, but, it be-
ing rejected by the government of Mexico,
and the petition for admission to the Con-
federacy denied and the Texans told by the
president of the Mexican union to give up
their arms, bred trouble. It was determined
to resist this demand. A military force was
soon organized, with General Houston at
the head of it. War was prosecuted with
great vigor, and with varying success, but
at the battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836,
the Mexicans were defeated and their leader
and president, Santa Anna, captured. Texas
was then proclaimed an independent repub-
lic, and in October of the same year Hous-
ton was inaugurated president. On the ad-
mission of Texas to the Federal Union, in
1845, Houston was elected senator, and
held that position for twelve years. Oppos-
ing the idea of secession, he retired from
political life in 1861, and died at Hunts-
ville, Texas, July 25, 1863.
ELI WHITNEY, the inventor of the cot-
ton-gin, was born in Westborough, Mas-
sachusetts, December 8, 1765. After his
graduation from Yale College, he went to
Georgia, where he studied law, and lived
with the family of the widow of General
Nathaniel Greene. At that time the only
way known to separate the cotton seed from
the fiber was by hand, making it extremely
slow and expensive, and for this reason cot-
ton was little cultivated in this country.
Mrs. Greene urged the inventive Whitney
to devise some means for accomplishing
this work by machinery. This he finally
succeeded in doing, but he was harassed by
attempts to defraud him by those who had
stolen his ideas. He at last formed a part-
nership with a man named Miller, and they
began the manufacture of the machines at
Washington, Georgia, in 1795. The suc-
cess of his invention was immediate, and the
legislature of South Carolina voted the sum
of $50,000 for his idea. This sum he had
great difficulty in collecting, after years of
.COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
121
litigation and delay. North Carolina al-
lowed him a royalty, and the same was
agreed to by Tennessee, but was never paid.
While his fame rests upon the invention
of the cotton-gin, his fortune came from his
improvements in the manufacture and con-
struction of firearms. In 1798 the United
States government gave him a contract for
this purpose, and he accumulated a fortune
from it. The town of Whitneyville, Con-
necticut, was founded by this fortune.
Whitney died at New Haven, Connecticut,
January 8, 1825.
The cotton-gin made the cultivation of
cotton profitable, and this led to rapid in-
troduction of slavery in the south. His in-
vention thus affected our national history in
a manner little dreamed of by the inventor.
LESTER WALLACK (John Lester Wal-
lack), for many years the leading light
comedian upon the American stage, was
the son of James W. Wallack, the " Brum-
mell of the Stage." Both father and son
were noted for their comeliness of feature
and form. Lester Wallack was born in
New York, January i, 18 19. He received
his education in England, and made his first
appearance on the stage in 1848 at the New
Broadway theater, New York. He acted
light comedy parts, and also occasion-
ally in romantic plays like Monte Cristo,
which play made him his fame. He went
to England and played under management
of such men as Hamblin and Burton, and then
returned to New York with his father, who
opened the first Wallack's theater, at the
corner of Broome and Broadway, in 1852.
The location was afterward changed to
Thirteenth and Broadway, in 1861, and
later to its present location, Broadway and
Thirteenth, in 1882. The elder Wallack
died in 1864, after which Lester assumed
management, jointly with Theodore Moss.
Lester Wallack was commissioned in the
queen's service while in England, and there
he also married a sister to the famous artist,
the late John Everett Millais. While Les-
ter Wallack never played in the interior
cities, his name was as familiar to the public
as that of our greatest stars. He died Sep-
tember 6, 1888, at Stamford, Connecticut.
GEORGE MORTIMER PULLMAN,
the palace car magnate, inventor,
multi-millionaire and manufacturer, may
well be classed among the remarkable
self-made men of the century. He was
born March 3, 1831, in Chautauqua county.
New York. His parents were poor, and
his education was limited to what he could
learn of the rudimentary branches in the
district school. At the age of fourteen he
went to work as clerk for a country mer-
chant. He kept this place three years,
studying at night. When seventeen he
went to Albion, New York, and worked for
his brother, who kept a cabinet shop there.
Five years later he went into business for
himself as contractor for moving buildings
along the line of the Erie canal, which was
then being widened by the state, and was
successful in this. In 1858 he removed to
Chicago and engaged in the business of
moving and raising houses. The work was
novel there then and he was quite success-
ful. About this time the discomfort attend-
ant on traveling at night attracted his at-
tention. He reasoned that the public would
gladly pay for comfortable sleeping accom-
modations. A few sleeping cars were in
use at that time, but they were wretchedly
crude, uncomtortable affairs. In 1859 he
bought two old day coaches from the Chi-
cago & Alton road and remodeled them some-
thing like the general plan of the sleeping-
122
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
cars of the present day. They were put
into service on the Chicago & Alton and
became popular at once. In 1863 he built
the first sleeping-car resembling the Pullman
cars of to-day. It cost $18,000 and was
the "Pioneer." After that the Pullman
Palace Car Company prospered. It had
shops at different cities. In 1880 the Town
of Pullman was founded by Mr. Pullman
and his company, and this model manufac-
turing community is knov/n all over the
world. Mr. Pullman died October 19, 1897.
JAMES E. B. STUART, the most famous
cavalry leader of the Southern Confed-
eracy during the Civil war, was born in
Patrick county, Virginia, in 1833. On
graduating from the United States Military
Academy, West Point, in 1854, he was as-
signed, as second lieutenant, to a regiment
of mounted riflles, receiving his commission
in October. In March, 1855, he was trans-
ferred to the newly organized First cavalry,
and was promoted to first lieutenant the
following December, and to captain April
22, 1 86 1, Taking the side of the south,
May 14, 1 861, he was made colonel of a
Virginia cavalry regiment, and served as
such at Bull Run. In September, 1861, he
■was promoted to the rank of brigadier-gen-
eral, and major-general early in 1862. On
the reorganization of the Army of Northern
Virginia, in June of the latter year, when
R. E. Lee assumed command, General Stu-
art made a reconnoissance with one thou-
sand five hundred cavalry and four guns,
and in two days made the circuit of McClel-
lan's army, producing much confusion and
gathering useful information, and losing but
one man. August 25, 1862, he captured
part of Pope's headquarters' train, including
that general's private baggage and official
correspondence, and the next night, in a
descent upon Manasses, capturing immense
quantities of commissary and quartermaster
store, eight guns, a number of locomotives
and a few hundred prisoners. During the
invasion of Maryland, in September, 1862,
General Stuart acted as rearguard, resisting
the advance of the Federal cavalry at South
Mountain, and at Antietam commanded the
Confederate left. Shortly after he crossed
the Potomac, m.aking a raid as far as Cham-
bersburg, Pennsylvania. In the battle of
Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, Gen-
eral Stuart's command was on the extreme
right of the Confederate line. At Chancel-
lorsville, after "Stonewall " Jackson's death
and the wounding of General A. P. Hill,
General Stuart assumed command of Jack-
son's corps, which he led in the severe con-
test of May 3, 1863. Early in June, the
same year, a large force of cavalry was
gathered under Stuart, at Culpepper, Vir-
ginia, which, advancing to join General Lee
in his invasion of Pennsylvania, was met at
Brandy Station, by two divisions of cavalry
and two brigades of infantry, under General
John I. Gregg, and driven back. During the
movements of the Gettysburg campaign he
rendered important services. In May, 1864,
General Stuart succeeded, by a detour, in
placing himself between Richmond and
Sheridan's advancing column, and at Yellow
Tavern was attacked in force. During the
fierce conflict that ensued General Stuart
was mortally wounded, and died at Rich-
mond, May 1 1, 1864.
FRANKLIN PIERCE, the fourteenth
president of the United States — from
1853 until 1857 — was born November 23,
1804, at Hillsboro, New Hampshire. He
came of old revolutionary stock and his
father was a governor of the state. Mr.
Pierce entered Bowdoin College in 1820,
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
123
was graduated in 1824, and took up the
study of law in the oflace of Judge Wood-
bury, and later he was admitted to the bar.
Mr. Pierce practiced his profession with
varying successes in his native town and
also in Concord. He was elected to the
state legislature in 1833 and served in that
body until 1837, the last two years of his
term serving as speaker of the house. He
was elected to the United States senate in
1837, just as President Van Buren began
his term of office. Mr. Pierce served until
1842, and many times during Polk's term he
declined important public offices. During
the war Vv'ith Mexico Mr. Pierce was ap-
pointed brigadier-general, and he embarked
with a portion of his troops at Newport,
Rhode Island, May 27, 1847, and went with
them to the field of battle. He served
through the war and distinguished himself
by his skill, bravery and excellent judg-
ment. When he reached his home in his
native state he was received coldly by the
opponents of the war, but the advocates of
the war made up for his cold reception by
the enthusiastic welcome which they ac-
corded him. Mr. Pierce resumed the prac-
tice of his profession, and in the political
strife that followed he gave his support to
the pro- slavery wing of the Democratic
party. The Democratic convention met in
Baltimore, June 12, 1852, to nominate a
candidate for the presidency, and they con-
tinued in session four days, and in thirty-
five ballotings no one had secured the re-
quisite two-thirds vote. Mr. Pierce had not
received a vote as yet, until the Virginia
delegation brought his name forward, and
finally on the forty-ninth ballot Mr, Pierce
received 282 votes and all the other candi-
dates eleven. His opponent on the Whig
ticket was General Winfield Scott, who
only received the electoral votes of four
states. Mr. Pierce was inaugurated presi-
dent of the United States March 4, 1853,
with W. R. King as vice president, and the
following named gentlemen were afterward
chosen to fill the positions in the cabinet:
William S. Marcy, James Guthrie, Jeffer-
son Davis, James C. Dobbin, Robert Mc-
Clelland, James Campbell and Caleb Gush-
ing. During the administration of President
Pierce the Missouri compromise law was
repealed, and all the territories of the Union
were thrown open to slavery, and the dis-
turbances in Kansas occurred. In 1857 he
was succeeded in the presidency by James
Buchanan, and retired to his home in Con-
cord, New Hampshire. He always cherished
his principles of slavery, and at the out-
break of the rebellion he was an adherent of
the cause of the Confederacy. He died at
Concord, New Hampshire, October 8, 1869.
JAMES B. WEAVER, well known as a
leader of the Greenback and later of the
Populist .party, was born at Dayton, Ohio,
June 12, 1833. He received his earlier
education in the schools of his native town,
and entered the law department of the Ohio
University, at Cincinnati, from which he
graduated in 1854. Removing to the grow-
ing state of Iowa, he became connected
with "The Iowa Tribune," at the state
capital, Des Moines, as one of its editors.
He afterward practiced law and was elected
district attorney for the second judicial dis-
trict of Iowa, on the Republican ticket in
1 866, which office he held for a short time.
In 1 867 Mr. Weaver was appointed assessor
of internal revenue for the first district of
Iowa, and filled that position until some-
time in 1873. He was elected and served
in the forty-sixth congress. In 1880 the
National or Greenback party in convention
at Chicago, nominated James B. Weaver as
121
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHl.
its candidate for the presidency. By a
union of the Democratic and National
parties in his district, he was elected to the
forty-ninth congress, and re-elected to the
same office in the fall of 1886. Mr. Weaver
was conceded to be a very fluent speaker,
and quite active in all political work. On
July 4, 1892, at the National convention
of the People's party, General James B.
Weaver was chosen as the candidate for
president of that organization, and during
the campaign that followed, gained a na-
tional reputation.
ANTHONY JOSEPH DREXEL, one
of the leading bankers and financiers of
the United States, was born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in 1826, and was the son of
Francis M. Drexel, who had established
the large banking institution of Drexel &
Co., so well known. The latter was a native
of Dornbirn, in the Austrian Tyrol. He
studied languages and fine arts at Turin,
Italy. On returning to his mountain home,
in 1809, and finding it in the hands of the
French, he went to Switzerland and later
to Paris. In 18 12, after a short visit home,
he went to Berlin, where he studied paint-
ing until 18 17, in which year he emigrated
to America, and settled in Philadelphia. A
few years later he went to Chili and Peru,
where he executed some fine portraits of
notable people, including General Simon
Bolivar. After spending some time in Mex-
ico, he returned to Philadelphia, and en-
gaged in the banking business. In 1837 he
founded the house of Drexel & Co. He
died in 1837, and was succeeded by his two
sons, Anthony J. and Francis A. His son,
Anthony J. Drexel, Jr. , entered the bank
when he was thirteen years of age, before he
was through with his schooling, and after
that the history of the banking business of
v/hich he was the head, was the history of his
life. The New York house of Drexel, Mor-
gan & Co. v^as established in 1850; the
Paris house, Drexel, Harjes & Co., in 1867.
The Drexel banking houses have supplied
iand placed hundreds of millions of dollars
n government, corporation, railroad and
other loans and securities. The reputation
of the houses has always been held on the
highest plane. Mr. Drexel founded and
heavily endowed the Drexel Institute, in
Philadelphia, an institution to furnish better
and wider avenues of employment to young
people of both sexes. It has departments
of arts, science, mechanical arts and domes-
tic economy. Mr. Drexel.Jr., departed this
Hfe June 30, 1893.
SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE,
inventor of the recording telegraph in-
strument, was born in Charlestown, Massa-
chusetts, April 27, 1791. He graduated
from Yale College in 18 10, and took up art
as his profession. He went to London with
the great American painter, Washington
Allston, and studied in the Royal Academy
under Benjamin West. His " Dying Her-
cules," his first effort in sculpture, took the
gold medal in 1813. He returned to Amer-
ica in 181 5 and continued to pursue his
profession. He was greatly interested in
scientific studies, which he carried on in
connection with other labors. He founded
the National Academy of Design and was
many years its president. He returned to
Europe and spent three years in study
in the art centers, Rome, Florence, Venice
and Paris. In 1832 he returned to America
and while on the return voyage the idea of
a recording telegraph apparatus occurred to
him, and he made a drawing to represent his
conception. He was the first to occupy the
chair of fine arts in the University of New
COMPEXDJCrM OF BIOGRAPHT.
125
York City, and in 1835 he set up his rude
instrument in his room in the university.
But it was not until after many years of
discouragement and reverses of fortune that
he finally was successful in placing his inven-
tion before the public. In 1844, by aid of
the United States government, he had con-
structed a telegraph line forty miles in length
from Washington to Baltimore. Over this
line the test was made, and the first tele-
graphic message was flashed May 24, 1844,
from the United States supreme court rooms
to Baltimore. It read, "What hath God
wrought!" His fame and fortune were es-
tablished in an instant. Wealth and honors
poured in upon him from that day. The
nations of Europe vied with each other
in honoring the great inventor with medals,
titles and decorations, and the learned
societies of Europe hastened to enroll his
name upon their membership lists and confer
degrees. In 1858 hewasthe recipient of an
honor never accorded to an inventor before.
The ten leading nations of Europe, at the
suggestion of the Emporer Napoleon, ap-
pointed representatives to an international
congress, which convened at Paris for the
special purpose of expressing gratitude of the
nations, and they voted him a present of
400,000 francs.
Professor Morse was present at the unveil-
ing of a bronze statue erected in his honor in
Central Park, New York, in 1871. His last
appearance in public was at the unveiling
of the statue of Benjamin Franklin in New
Y'ork in 1872, when he made the dedica-
tory speech and unveiled the statue. He
died April 2, 1872, in the city of New York.
MORRISON REMICH W^AITE, seventh
chief justice of the United States, was
born at Lyme, Connecticut, November 29,
1 8 16. He was a graduate from Y'ale Col-
lege in 1837, in the class with William M.
Evarts. His father was judge of the su-
preme court of errors of the state of Con-
necticut, and in his office young Waite
studied law. He subsequently removed to
Ohio, and was elected to the legislature of
that state in 1849. He removed from
Maumee City to Toledo and became a prom-
inent legal light in that state. He was
nominated as a candidate for congress re-
peatedly but declined to run, and also de-
clined a place on the supreme bench of the
state. He won great distinction for his able
handling of the Alabama claims at Geneva,
before the arbitration tribunal in 1871, and
was appointed chief justice of the supreme
court of the United States in 1874 o^ the
death of Judge Chase. When, in 1876, elec-
toral commissioners were chosen to decide
the presidential election controversy between
Tilden and Hayes, Judge Waite refused to
serve on that commission.
His death occurred March 23, 1888.
ELISHA KENT KANE was one of the
distinguished American explorers of the
unknown regions of the frozen north, and
gave to the world a more accurate knowl-
edge of the Arctic zone. Dr. Kane was
born February 3, 1820, at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of the
universities of Virginia and Pennsylvania,
and took his medical degree in 1843. He
entered the service of the United States
navy, and was physician to the Chinese
embassy. Dr. Kane traveled extensively
in the Levant, Asia and Western Africa,
and also served in the Mexican war, in
which he was severely wounded. His
first Arctic expedition was under De Haven
in the first Grinnell expedition in search
of Sir John Franklin in 1850. He com-
manded the second Grinnell expedition
126
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
in 1853-55, and discovered an open polar
sea. For this expedition he received a gold
medal and other distinctions. He published
a narrative of his first polar expedition in
1853, and in 1856 published two volumes
relating to his second polar expedition. He
was a man of active, enterprising and cour-
ageous spirit. His health, w^hich was al-
ways delicate, was impaired by the hard-
ships of his Arctic expeditions, from which
he never fully recovered and from which he
died February 16, 1857, at Havana.
ELIZABETH CADY STANTON was a
daughter of Judge Daniel Cady and
Margaret Livingston, and was born Novem-
ber 12, 181 5, at Johnstown, New York. She
was educated at the Johnstown Academy,
where she studied with a class of boys, and
was fitted for college at the age of fifteen,
after which she pursued her studies at Mrs.
Willard's Seminary, at Troy. Her atten-
tion was called to the disabilities of her sex
by her own educational experiences, and
through a study of Blackstone, Story, and
Kent. Miss Cady was married to Henry B.
Stanton in 1840, and accompanied him to
the world's anti-slavery convention in Lon-
don. While there she made the acquain-
tance of Lucretia Mott. Mrs. Stanton
resided at Boston until 1847, when the
family moved to Seneca Falls, New York,
and she and Lucretia Mott signed the first
call for a woman's rights convention. The
meeting was held at her place of residence
July 19-20, 1848. This was the first oc-
casion of a formal claim of suffrage for
women that was made. Mrs. Stanton ad-
dressed the New York legislature, in 1854,
on the rights of married women, and in
i860, in advocacy of the granting of di-
vorce for drunkenness. She also addressed
the legislature and the constitutional con-
vention, and maintained that during the
revision of the constitution the state was
resolved into its original elements, and that
all citizens had, therefore, a right to vote
for the members of that convention. After
1869 Mrs. Stanton frequently addressed
congressional committees and state consti-
tutional conventions, and she canvassed
Kansas, Michigan, and other states when
the question of woman suffrage was sub-
mitted in those states. Mrs. Stanton was
one of the editors of the " Revolution," and
most of the calls and resolutions for con-
ventions have come from her pen. She
was president of the national comimittee,
also of the Woman's Loyal League, and
of the National Association, for many years.
DAVID DUDLEY FIELD, a great
American jurist, was born in Connecti-
cut in 1805. He entered Williams College
when sixteen years old, and commenced the
study of law in 1825. In 1828 he was ad-
mitted to the bar, and went to New York,
where he soon came into prominence be-
fore the bar of, that state. He entered upon
the labor of reforming the practice and
procedure,- which was then based upon the
common law practice of England, and had
become extremely complicated, difficult and
uncertain in its application. His first paper
on this subject was published in 1839, and
after eight years of continuous efforts in this
direction, he was appointed one of a com-
mission by New York to reform the practice
of that state. The result was embodied in
the two codes of procedure, civil and crimi-
nal, the first of which was adopted almost
entire by the state of New York, and has
since been adopted by more than half the
states in the Union, and became the basis
of the new practice and procedure in Eng-
land, contained in the Judicature act. He
COMPENlJir.M OF niOGRAPIir
127
was later appointed chairman of a new com-
mission to codify the entire body of laws.
This great work employed many years in its
completion, but when finished it embraced
a civil, penal, and political code, covering
the entire field of American laws, statutory
and common. This great body of law was
adopted by California and Dakota territory
in its entirety, and many other states have
since adopted its substance. In 1867 the
British Association for Social Science heard
a proposition from Mr. Field to prepare an
international code. This led to the prepara-
tion of his " Draft Outlines of an Interna-
tional Code," which was in fact a complete
body of international laws, and introduced
the principle of arbitration. Other of his
codes of the state of New York have since
been adopted by that state.
In addition to his great works on law,
Mr. Field indulged his literary tastes by fre-
quent contributions to general literature,
and his articles on travels, literature, and
the political questions of the hour gave
him rank with the best writers of his time.
His father was the Rev. David Dudley Field,
and his brothers were Cyrus W. Field, Rev.
Henry Martin Field, and Justice Stephen
J. Field of the United States supreme
court. David Dudley Field died at New
York, April 13, 1894.
HENRY M. TELLER, a celebrated
American politician, and secretary of
the interior under President Arthur, was born
May 23, 1830, in Allegany county, New
York. He was of Hollandish ancestry and
received an excellent education, after which
he took up the study of law and was ad-
mitted to the bar in the state of New York.
Mr. Teller removed to Illinois in January,
1858, and practiced for three years in that
state. From thence he moved to Colorado
in 1 86 1 and located at Central City, which
was then one of the principal mining towns
in the state. His exceptional abilities as
a lawyer soon brought him into prominence
and gained for him a numerous and profit-
able clientage. In politics he affiliated with
the Republican party, but declined to become
a candidate for office until the admission of
Colorado into the Union as a state, when
he was elected to the United States senate.
Mr. Teller drew the term ending March
4, 1877, but was re-elected December i i,
1876, and served until April 17, 1S82, when
he was appointed by President Arthur as
secretary of the interior. He accepted a
cabinet position with reluctance, and on
March 3, 1885, he retired from the cabinet,
having been elected to the senate a short
time before to succeed Nathaniel P. Hill.
Mr. Teller took his seat on March 4, 1885,
in the senate, to which he was afterward
re-elected. He served as chairman on the
committee of pensions, patents, mines and
mining, and was also a member of commit-
tees on claims, railroads, privileges and
elections and public lands. Mr. Teller came
to be recognized as one of the ablest advo-
cates of the silver cause. He was one of the
delegates to the Republican National conven-
tion at St. Louis in 1896, in which he took
an active part and tried to have a silver
plank inserted in the platform of the party.
Failing in this he felt impelled to bolt the
convention, which he did and joined forces
with the great silver movement in the cam-
paign which followed, being recognized in
that campaign as one of the most able and
eminent advocates of "silver" in America.
JOHN ERICSSON, an eminent inven-
tor and machinist, who won fame in
America, was born in Sweden, July 31, 1803.
In early childhood he evinced a decided in-
128
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
clination to mechanical pursuits, and at the
age of eleven he was appointed to a cadet-
ship in the engineer corps, and at the age of
seventeen was promoted to a lieutenancy.
In 1826 he introduced a "flame engine,"
which he had invented, and offered it to
English capitalists, but it was found that it
could be operated only by the use of wood
for fuel. Shortly after this he resigned his
commission in the army of Sweden, and de-
voted himself to mechanical pursuits. He
discovered and introduced the principle of
artificial draughts in steam boilers, and re-
ceived a prize of two thousand five hundred
dollars for his locomotive, the "Novelty,"
which attained a great speed, for that day.
The artificial draught effected a great saving
in fuel and made unnecessary the huge
smoke-stacks formerly used, and the princi-
ple is still applied, in modified form, in boil-
ers. He also invented a steam fire-engine,
and later a hot-air engine, which he at-
tempted to apply in the operation of his
ship, "Ericsson," but as it did not give the
speed required, he abandoned it, but after-
wards applied it to machinery for pumping,
hoisting, etc.
Ericsson was first to apply the screw
propeller to navigation. The English peo-
ple not receiving this new departure readily,
Ericsson came to America in 1839, and
built the United States steamer, "Prince-
ton," in which the screw-propeller was util-
ized, the first steamer ever built in which
the propeller was under water, out of range
of the enemy's shots. The achievement
which gave him greatest renown, however,
was the ironclad vessel, the "Monitor," an
entirely new type of vessel, which, in March,
1862, attacked the Confederate monster
ironclad ram, ' ' Virginia, " and after a fierce
struggle, compelled her to withdraw from
Hampton Roads for repairs. After the war
one of his most noted inventions was his
vessel, " Destroyer," with a submarine gun,
which carried a projectile torpedo. In 1886
the king of Spain conferred on him the
grand cross of the Order of Naval Merit.
He died in March, 1889, and his body was
transferred, with naval honors, to the country
of his birth.
JAMES BUCHANAN, the fifteenth presi-
dent of the United States, was a native
of Pennsylvania, and was born in Franklin
county, April 23, 1791. He was of Irish
ancestry, his father having come to this
country in 1783, in quite humble circum-
stances, and settled in the western part of
the Keystone state.
James Buchanan remained in his se-
cluded home for eight years, enjoying but
few social or intellectual advantages. His
parents were industrious and frugal, and
prospered, and, in 1799, the family removed
to Mercersbur Pennsylvania, where he
was placed in school. His progress was
rapid, and in 1801 he entered Dickinson
College, at Carlisle, where he took his place
among the best scholars in the institution.
In 1809 he graduated with the highest hon-
ors in his class. He was then eighteen, tall,
graceful and in vigorous health. He com-
menced the study of law at Lancaster, and
was admitted to the bar in 1812. He rose
ver}'' rapidly in his profession and took a
stand with the ablest of his fellow lawyers.
When but twenty-six years old he success-
fully defended, unaided by counsel, one of
the judges of the state who was before the
bar of the state senate under articles of im-
peachment.
During the war of 18 12-15, Mr. Buch-
anan sustained the government with all his
power, eloquently urging the vigorous prose-
cution of the war, and enlisted as a private
COMPENDIU^f OF BlOGRAPIir.
129
volunteer to assist in repelling the British
who had sacked and burned the public
buildings of Washington and threatened
Baltimore. At that time Buchanan was
a Federalist, but the opposition of that
party to the war with Great Britain and the
alien and sedition laws of John Adams,
brought that party into disrepute, and drove
many, among them Buchanan, into the Re-
publican, or anti-Federalist ranks. He was
elected to congress in 1828. In 1831 he
was sent as minister to Russia, and upon
his return to this country, in 1833, was ele-
vated to the United States senate, and re-
mained in that position for twelve years.
Upon the accession of President Polk to
office he made Mr. Buchanan secretary of
state. Four years later he retired to pri-
vate life, and in 1853 he was honored with
the mission to England. In 1856 the na-
tional Democratic convention nominated
him for the presidency and he was elected.
It was during his administration that the
rising tide of the secession movement over-
took the country. Mr. Buchanan declared
that the national constitution gave him no
power to do anything against the movement
to break up the Union. After his succession
by Abraham Lincoln in i860, Mr. Buchanan
retired to his home at Wheatland, Pennsyl-
vania, where he died June i, 1868.
JOHN HARVARD, the founder of the
Harvard University, was born in Eng-
land about the year 1608. He received his
education at Emanuel College, Cambridge,
and came to America in 1637, settling in
Massachusetts. He was a non-conformist
minister, and a tract of land was set aside
for him in Charlestown, near Boston. He
was at once appointed one of a committee to
formulate a body of laws for the colony.
One year before his arrival in the colony
the general court had voted the sum of four
hundred pounds toward the establishment of
a school or college, half of which was to be
paid the next year In 1637 preliminary
plans were made for starting the school. In
1638 John Harvard, who had shown great
interest in the new institution of learning
proposed, died, leaving his entire property,
about twice the sum originally voted, to the
school, together with three hundred volumes
as a nucleus for a library. The institution
was then given the name of Harvard, and
established at Newton (now Cambridge),
Massachusetts. It grew to be one of the two
principal seats of learning in the new world,
and has maintained its reputation since. It
now consists of twenty-two separate build-
ings, and its curriculum embraces over one
hundred and seventy elective courses, and it
ranks among the great universities of the
world.
ROGER BROOKE TANEY, a noted
jurist and chief justice of the United
States supreme court, was born in Calvert
county, Maryland, March 17, 1777. He
graduated fiom Dickinson College at the
age of eighteen, took up the study of law.
and was admitted to the bar in 1799. He
was chosen to the legislature from his county,
and in 1801 removed to Frederick, Mary-
land. He became United States senator
from Maryland in 1816, and took up his
permanent residence in Baltimore a few
years later. In 1824 he became an ardent
admirer and supporter of Andrew Jackson,
and upon Jackson's election to the presi-
dency, was appointed attorney general of
the United States. Two years later he was
appointed secretary of the treasury, and
after serving in that capacity for nearly one
year, the senate refused to confirm the ap-
pointment. In 1835, upon the death of
130
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Chief-justice Marshall, he was appointed to
that place, and a political change having
occurred in the make up of the senate, he
was confirmed in 1836. He presided at
his first session in January of the following
year.
The case which suggests itself first to
the average reader in connection with this
jurist is the celebrated " Dred Scott " case,
which came before the supreme court for
decision in 1856. In his opinion, delivered
on behalf of a majority of the court, one
remarkable statement occurs as a result of
an exhaustive survey of the historical
grounds, to the effect that ' ' for more than
a century prior to the adoption of the con-
stitution they (Africans) had been regarded
so far inferior that they had no rights which
a white man was bound to respect." Judge
Taney retained the office of chief justice
until his death, in 1864.
JOHN LOTHROP MOTLEY.— This gen-
tleman had a world-wide reputation as
an historian, which placed him in the front
rank of the great men of America. He was
born April 15, 18 14, at Dorchester, Massa-
chusetts, was given a thorough preparatory
education and then attended Harvard, from
which he was graduated- in 1831. He also
studied at Gottingen and Berlin, read law
and in 1836 was admitted to the bar. In
1 841 he was appointed secretary of the
legation at St. Petersburg, and in 1866-67
served as United States minister to Austria,
serving in the same capacity during 1869
and 1870 to England. In 1856, after long
and exhaustive research and preparation, he
published in London "The Rise of the
Dutch Republic." It embraced three vol-
umes and immediately attracted great at-
tention throughout Europe and America as
a work of unusual merit. From 1861 to
1868 he produced "The History of the
United Netherlands," in four volumes.
Other works followed, with equal success,
and his position as one of the foremost his-
torians and writers of his day was firmly
established. His death occured May 29,
1877.
ELIAS HOWE, the inventor of the sew-
ing machine, well deserves to be classed
among the great and noted men of Amer-
ica. He was the son of a miller and farmer
and was born at Spencer, Massachusetts,
July 9, 1819. In 1835 he went to Lowell
and worked there, and later at Boston, in the
machine shops. His first sewing machine
was completed in 1 845 , and he patented it in
1846, laboring with the greatest persistency
in spite of poverty and hardships, working
for a time as an engine driver on a railroad
at pauper wages and with broken health.
He then spent two years of unsuccessful ex-
ertion in England, striving in vain to bring
his invention into public notice and use.
He returned to the United States in almost
hopeless poverty, to find that his patent
had been violated. At last, however, he
found friends who assisted him financially,
and after years of litigation he made good
his claims in the courts in 1854. His inven-
tion afterward brought him a large fortune.
During the Civil war he volunteered as a
private in the Seventeenth Connecticut Vol-
unteers, and served for some time. During
his life time he received the cross of the
Legion of Honor and many other medals.
His death occurred October 3, 1867, at
Brooklyn, New York.
PHILLIPS BROOKS, celebrated as an
eloquent preacher and able pulpit ora-
tor, was born in Boston on the 13th day of
December, 1835. He received excellent
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
131
educational advantages, and graduated at
Harvard in 1855. Early in life he decided
upon the ministry as his life work and
studied theology in the Episcopal Theolog-
ical Seminary, at Alexandria, Virginia. In
1859 he was ordained and the same year
became pastor of the Church of the Advent,
in Philadelphia. Three years later he as-
sumed the pastorate of the Church of the
Holy Trinity, where he remained until 1870.
At the e.xpiration of that time he accepted
the pastoral charge of Trinity Church in
Boston, where his eloquence and ability at-
tracted much attention and built up a pow-
erful church organization. Dr. Brooks also
devoted considerable time to lecturing and
literary work and attained prominence in
these lines.
WILLIAM B. ALLISON, a statesman
of national reputation and one of the
leaders of the Republican party, was born
March 2, 1829, at Perry, Ohio. He grew
up on his father's farm, which he assisted
in cultivating, and attended the district
school. When sixteen years old he went
to the academy at Wooster, and subse-
quently spent a year at the Allegheny Col-
lege, at Meadville, Pennsylvania. He next
taught school and spent another year at the
Western Reserve College, at Hudson, Ohio.
Mr. Allison then took up the study of law
at Wooster, where he was admitted to the
bar in 1 85 1, and soon obtained a position
as deputy county clerk. His political lean-
ings were toward the old line Whigs, who
afterward laid the foundation of the Repub-
lican party. He was a delegate to the state
convention in 1856, in the campaign of
which he supported Fremont for president.
Mr. Allison removed to Dubuque, Iowa,
in the following year. He rapidly rose to
prominence at the bar and in politics. In
i860 he was chosen as a delegate to the
Republican convention held in Chicago, of
which he was elected one of the secretaries.
At the outbreak of the civil war he was ap-
pointed on the staf^ of the governor. His
congressional career opened in 1862, when
he was elected to the thirty-eighth congress;
he was re-elected three times, serving from
March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1871. He was
a member of the ways and means committee
a good part of his term. His career in the
United States senate began in 1873, and he
rapidly rose to eminence in national affairs,
his service of a quarter of a century in that
body being marked by close fealty to the
Republican party. He twice declined the
portfolio of the treasury tendered him by
Garfield and Harrison, and his name was
prominently mentioned for the presidency
at several national Republican conventions.
M
ARY ASHTON LIVERMORE, lec-
turer and writer, was born in Boston,
December 19, 1821. She was the daughter
of Timothy Rice, and married D. P. Liver-
more, a preacher of the Universalist church.
She contributed able articles to many of the
most noted periodicals of this country and
England. During the Civil war she labored
zealously and with success on behalf of the
sanitary commission which played so impor-
tant a part during that great struggle. She
became editor of the " Woman's Journal,"
published at Boston in 1870.
She held a prominent place as a public
speaker and writer on woman's suffrage,
temperance, social and religious questions,
and her influence was great in every cause
she advocated.
JOHN B. GOUGH. a noted temperance
lecturer, who won his fame in A.merica,
was born in the village of Sandgate, Kent,
132
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
England, August 22, 1817. He came to
the United States at the age of twelve.
He followed the trade of bookbinder, and
lived in great poverty on account of the
liquor habit. In 1843, however, he re-
formed, and began his career as a temper-
ance lecturer. He worked zealously in the
cause of temperance, and his lectures and
published articles revealed great earnestness.
He formed temperance societies throughout
the entire country, and labored with great
success. He visited England in the same
cause about the year 1853 and again in
1878. He also lectured upon many other
topics, in which he attained a wide reputa-
tion. His death occurred February 18,
1886.
THOMAS BUCHANAN READ, author,
sculptor and painter, was born in Ches-
ter county, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1822.
He early evinced a taste for art, and began
the study of sculpture in Cincinnati. Later
he found painting more to his liking. He
went to New York, where he followed this
profession, and later to Boston. In 1846
he located in Philadelphia. He visited
Italy in 1850, and studied at Florence,
where he resided almost continuously for
twenty-two years. He returned to America
in 1872, and died in New York May 11 of
the same year.
He was the author of many heroic
poems, but the one giving him the most re-
nown is his famous "Sheridan's Ride," of
which he has also left a representation in
painting.
EUGENE V. DEBS, the former famous
president of the American Railway
Union, and great labor leader, was born in
the city of Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1855.
He received his education in the public
schools of that place and at the age of
sixteen years began work as a painter in
the Vandalia shops. After this, for some
three years, he was employed as a loco-
motive fireman on the same road. His
first appearance in public life was in his
canvass for the election to the office of city
clerk of Terre Haute, In this capacity he
served two terms, and when twenty six
years of age was elected a member of the
legislature of the state of Indiana. While
a member of that body he secured the
passage of several bills in the interest of
organized labor, of which he was always
a faithful champion. Mr. Debs' speech
nominating Daniel Voorhees for the United
States senate gave him a wide reputation for
oratory. On the expiration of his term in
the legislature, he was elected grand secre-
tary and treasurer of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Fireman and filled that office
for fourteen successive years. He was
always an earnest advocate of confederation
of railroad men and it was mainly through
his efforts that the United Order of Railway
Employes, composed of the Brotherhood
of Railway Trainmen and Conductors,
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and
the Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association was
formed, and he became a member of its
supreme council. The order was dissolved
by disagreement between two of its leading
orders, and then Mr. Debs conceived the
idea of the American Railway Union. He
worked on the details and the union came
into existence in Chicago, June 20, 1 893. For
a time it prospered and became one of the
largest bodies of railway men in the world.
It won in a contest with the Great Northern
Railway. In the strike made by the union
in sympathy with the Pullman employes
inaugurated in Chicago June 25, 1894, and
the consequent rioting, the Railway Union.
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIir.
Ib3
lost much prestige and Mr. Debs, in company
with others of the officers, being heldas in con-
tempt of the United States courts, he suffered
a sentence of six months in jail at Wood-
stock, McHenry county, Illinois. In 1897
Mr. Debs, on the demise of the American
Railway Union. organized the Social
Democracy, an institution founded on the
best lines of the communistic idea, which
was to provide homes and employment for
its members.
JOHN G. CARLISLE, famous as a law-
yer, congressman, senator and cabinet
officer, was born in Campbell (now Kenton)
county, Kentucky, September 5, 1835, on a
farm. He received the usual education oi
the time and began at an early age to teach
school and, at the same time, the study of
law. Soon opportunity offered and he
entered an office in Covington, Kentucky,
and was admitted to practice at the bar in
1858. Politics attracted his attention and
in 1859 he was elected to the house of rep-
resentatives in the legislature of his native
state. On the outbreak of the war in 1861,
he embraced the cause of the Union and was
largely instrumental in preserving Kentucky
to the federal cause. He resumed his legal
practice for a time and declined a nomina-
tion as presidential elector in 1864. In
1866 and again in 1869 Mr. Carlisle was
elected to the senate of Kentucky. He re-
signed this position in 1871 and was chosen
lieutenant governor of the state, which office
he held until 1875. He was one of the
presidential electors-at-large for Ken-
tucky in 1876. He first entered congress in
1877, and soon became a prominent leader
on the Democratic side of the house of rep-
resentatives, and continued a member of
that body through the forty-sixth, forty-
seventh, forty-eighth and forty-ninth con-
gresses, and was speaker of the house during \
the two latter. He was elected to the
United States senate to succeed Senator
Blackburn, and remained a member of that I
branch of congress until March, 1S93, when!
he was appointed secretary of the treasury, j
He performed the duties of that high office!
until March 4, 1897, throughout the en-
tire second administration of President
Cleveland. His ability and many years of
public service gave him a national reputa-
tion.
FRANCES E. WILLARl), for many years I
president of the -Woman's Christian]
Temperance Union, and a noted American'
lecturer and writer, was born in Rochester, j
New York, September 28, 1839. Graduating]
from the Northwestern Female College at the ■
age of nineteen she began teaching and met 1
with great success in many cities of the west. ;
She was made directress of Genesee Wes- !
leyan Seminary at Lima, Ohio, in 1867, and i
four years later was elected president of the
Evanston College for young ladies, a branch I
of the Northwestern University. \
During the two years succeeding 1869
she traveled extensively in Europe and the
east, visiting Egypt and Palestine, and
gathering materials for a valuable course of ;
lectures, which she delivered at Chicago on j
her return. She became ver}' popular, and j
won great influence in the temperance I
cause. Her work as president of the Wo- ,
man's Christian Temperance Union greatly '
strengthened that society, and she made '
frequent trips to Europe in the mterest of ■
that cause. !
RICHARD OLNEY.— Among the promi- j
nent men who were members of the \
cabinet of President Cleveland in his second 1
administration, the gentleman whose namo 1
134
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
heads this sketch held a leading place, oc-
cupying the positions of attorney general
and secretary of state.
Mr. Olney came from one of the oldest
and most honored New England families;
the first of his ancestors to come from Eng-
land settled in Massachusetts in 1635. This
was Thomas Olney. He was a friend and
co-religionist of Roger Williams, and when
the latter moved to what is now Rhode
Psland, went with him and became one of
the founders of Providence Plantations.
Richard Olney was born in Oxford,
Massachusetts, in 1835, and received the
elements of his earlier education in the com-
mon schools which New England is so proud
of. He entered Brown University, from
which he graduated in 1856, and passed the
Harvard law school two years later. He
began the practice of his profession with
Judge B. F. Thomas, a prominent man of
that locality. For years Richard Olney was
regarded as one of the ablest and most
learned lawyers in Massachusetts. Twice
he was offered a place on the bench of the
supreme court of the state, but both times
he declined. He was always a Democrat
in his political tenets, and for many years
was a trusted counsellor of members of that
party. In 1874 Mr. Olney was elected a
member of the legislature. In 1876, during
the heated presidential campaign, to
strengthen the cause of Mr. Tilden in the
New England states, it was intimated that
in the event of that gentleman's election to
the presidency, Mr. Olney would be attor-
Eey general.
When Grover Cleveland was elected presi-
d'^nt of the United States, on his inaugura-
tion in March, 1893, he tendered the posi-
tion of attorney general to Richard Olney.
This was accepted, and that gentleman ful-
^lled the duties of the ofBce until the death
of Walter Q. Gresham, in May, 1895, made
vacant the position of secretary of state.
This post was filled by the appointment of
Mr. Olney. While occupying the later
office, Mr. Olney brought himself into inter-
national prominence by some very able state
papers.
JOHN JAY KNOX, for many years comp-
troller of the currency, and an eminent
financier, was born in Knoxboro, Oneida
county. New York, May 19, 1828. He re-
ceived a good education and graduated at
Hamilton College in 1849. For about
thirteen years he was engaged as a private
banker, or in a position in a bank, where
he laid the foundation of his knowledge of
the laws of finance. In 1862, Salmon P.
Chase, then secretary of the treasury, ap-
pointed him to an office in that department
of the government, and later he had charge
of the mint coinage correspondence. In 1 867
Mr. Knox was made deputy comptroller
of the currency, and in that capacity, in
1870. he made two reports on the mint
service, with a codification of the mint and
coinage laws of the United States, and
suggesting many important amendments^
These reports were ordered printed by reso-
lution of congress. The bill which he pre-
pared, with some slight changes, was sub-
sequently passed, and has been known in
history as the '• Coinage Act of 1873."
In 1872 Mr. Knox was appointed comp-
troller of the currency, and held that re-
sponsible position until 1884, when he re-
signed. He then accepted the position of
president of the National Bank of the Re-
public, of New York City, which institution
he served for many years. He was the
author of •• United States Notes," published
in 1884. In the reports spoken of above, a
history of the two United States banks is
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPJn\
135
given, together with that of the state and
national banking system, and much valuable
statistical matter relating to kindred sub-
jects.
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE.— In the
opinion of many critics Hawthorne is
pronounced the foremost American novelist,
and in his peculiar vein of romance is said
to be without a peer. His reputation is
world-wide, and his ability as a writer is
recognized abroad as well as at home.
He was born July 4, 1804, at Salem, Massa-
chusetts. On account of feeble health he
spent some years of his boyhood on a farm
near Raymond, Maine. He laid the foun-
dation of a liberal education in his youth,
and entered Bowdoin College, from which
he graduated in 1825 in the same class with
H W Longfellow and John S. C. Abbott.
He then returned to Salem, where he gave
his attention to literature, publishing several
tales and other articles in various periodi-
cals. His first venture in the field of ro-
mance, " Fanshaw,'' proved a failure. In
1836 he removed to Boston, and became
editor of the "American Magazine," which
soon passed out of existence. In 1837 he
published "Twice Told Tales," which were
chiefly made up of his former contributions
to magazines. In 1838-41 he held a posi-
tion in the Boston custom house, but later
took part in the " Brook farm experiment,"
a socialistic idea after the plan of Fourier.
In 1843 he was married and took up his
residence at the old parsonage at Concord,
Massachusetts, which he immortalized in
his next work, " Mosses From an Old
Manse, "-published in 1846. From the lat-
ter date until 1850 he was surveyor of the
port of Salem, and while thus employed
wrote one of his strongest works, "The
Scarlet Letter." For the succeeding two
8
years Lenox, Massachusetts, was his home,
and the " House of the Seven Gables" was
produced there, as well as the " Blithedale
Romance." In 1852 he published a "Life
of Franklin Pierce," a college friend whom
he warmly regarded. In 1S53 he was ap-
pointed United States consul to Liverpool,
England, where he remained some years,
after which he spent some time in Italy.
On returning to his native land he took up
his residence at Concord, Massachusetts.
While taking a trip for his health with ex-
President Pierce, he died at Plymouth, New
Hampshire, May 19, 1864. In addition to
the works mentioned above Mr. Hawthorne,
gave to the world the following books:
" True Stories from History," "The Won-
der Book," " The Snow Image," "Tangle-
wood Tales," "The Marble Faun," and
' ' Our Old Home. " After his death appeared
a series of "Notebooks," edited by his wife,
Sophia P. Hawthorne; " Septimius Felton,"
edited by his daughter, Una, and " Dr.
Grimshaw's Secret," put into shape by his
talented son, Julian. He left an unfinished
work called " Dolliver Romance," which has
been published just as he left it.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, sixteenth presi-
dent of the United States, was born
February 12, 1809, in Larue county (Har-
din county), Kentucky, in a log-cabin near
Hudgensville. When he was eight years
old he removed with his parents to Indiana,
near the Ohio river, and a year later his
mother died. His father then married Mrs.
Elizabeth (Bush) Johnston, of Elizabeth-
town, Kentucky, who proved a kind of fos-
ter-mother to Abraham, and encouraged
him to study. He worked as a farm hand
and as a clerk in a store at Gentryville, and
was noted for his athletic feats and strength,
fondness for debate, a fund of humorous
136
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
anecdote, as well as the composition of rude
verses. He made a trip at the age of nine-
teen to New Orleans on a flat-boat, and set-
tled in Illinois in 1830. He assisted his
father to build a log house and clear a farm
on the Sangamon river near Decatur, Illinois,
and split the rails with which to fence it. In
185 1 he was employed in the building of a
flat-boat on the Sangamon, and to run it to
New Orleans. The voyage gave him a new
insight into the horrors of slavery in the
south. On his return he settled at New
Salem and engaged, first as a clerk in a store,
then as grocer, surveyor and postmaster, and
he piloted the first steamboat that as-
cended the Sangamon. He participated in
the Black Hawk war as captain of volun-
teers, and after his return he studied law,
interested himself in politics, and became
prominent locally as a public speaker. He
was elected to the legislature in 1834 as a
" Clay Whig, " and began at once to dis-
play a command of language and forcible
rhetoric that made him a match for his
more cultured opponents. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1837, and began prac-
tice at Springfield, He married a lady of a
prominent Kentucky family in 1842. He
was active in the presidential campaigns of
1840 and 1844 and was an elector on the
Harrison and Clay tickets, and was elected
to congress in 1846, over Peter Cartwright.
He voted for the Wilmot proviso and the
abolition of slavery in the District of Colum-
bia, and opposed the war with Mexico, but
gained little prominence during his two
years' service. He then returned to Spring-
field and devoted his attention to law, tak-
ing little interest in politics, until the repeal
of the Missouri compromise and the passage
of the Kansas-Nebraska bill in 1854. This
awakened his interest in politics again and
he attacked the champion of that measure,
Stephen A. Douglas, in a speech at Spring-
field that made him famous, and is said
by those who heard it to be the greatest
speech of his life, Lincoln was selected as
candidate for the United States senate, but
was defeated by Trumbull. Upon the pas-
sage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill the Whig
party suddenly went to pieces, and the Re-
publican party gathered head. At the
Bloomington Republican convention in 1856
Lincoln made an effective address in which
he first took a position antagonistic to the ex-
istence of slavery. He was a Fremont elector
and received a strong support for nomina-
tion as vice-president in the Philadelphia
convention. In 1858 he was the unanimous
choice of the Republicans for the United
States senate, and the great campaign of de-
bate which followed resulted in the election
of Douglas, but established Lincoln's repu-
tation as the leading exponent of Republican
doctrines. He began to be mentioned in
Illinois as candidate for the presidency, and
a course of addresses in the eastern states
attracted favorable attention. When the
national convention met at Chicago, his
rivals. Chase, Seward, Bates and others,
were compelled to retire before the western
giant, and he was nominated, with Hannibal
Hamlin as his running mate. The Demo-
cratic party had now been disrupted, and
Lincoln's election assured. He carried
practically every northern state, and the
secession of South Carolina, followed by a
number of the gulf states, took place before
his inauguration. Lincoln is the only presi-
dent who was ever compelled to reach
Washington in a secret manner. He es-
caped assassination by avoiding Baltimore,
and was quietly inaugurated March 4, 1861.
His inaugural address was firm but con-
ciliatory, and he said to the secessionists:
"You have no oath registered in heaven
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
137"
to destroy the government, while I have the
most solemn one to preserve, protect and
defend it.' He made up his cabinet chiefly
of those political rivals in his own party —
Seward, Chase, Cameron, Bates — and se-
cured the co-operation of the Douglas Dem-
ocrats. His great deeds, amidst the heat
and turmoil of war, were: His call for
seventy-five thousand volunteers, and the
blockading of southern ports; calling of con-
gress in extra session, July 14, 1861, and
obtaining four hundred thousand men and
four hundred million dollars for the prosecu-
tion of the war; appointing Stanton secre-
tary of war; issuing the emancipation proc-
lamation; calling three hundred thou-
sand volunteers; address at Gettysburg
cemetery; commissioned Grant as lieuten-
ant-general and commander-in-chief of the
armies of the United States; his second
inaugural address; his visit to the army be-
fore Richmond, and his entry into Rich-
mond the day after its surrender.
Abraham Lincoln was shot by John
Wilkes Booth in a box in Ford's theater
at Washington the night of April 14, 1865,
and expired the following morning. His
body was buried at Oak Ridge cemetery,
Springfield, Illinois, and a monument com-
memorating his great work marks his resting
place.
STEPHEN GIRARD, the celebrated
philanthropist, was born in Bordeaux,
France, May 24, 1750. He became a sailor
engaged in the American coast trade, and
also made frequent trips to the West Indies.
During the Revolutionary war he was a
grocer and liquor seller in Philadelphia.
He married in that city, and afterward
separated from his wife. After the war he
again engaged in the coast and West India
trade, and his fortune began to accumulate
from receiving goods from West Indian
planters during the insurrection in Hayti,
little of which was ever called for again.
He became a private banker in Philadelphia
in I 812, and afterward was a director in the
United States Bank. He made much money
by leasing property in the city in times of
depression, and upon the revival of industry
sub-leasing at enormous profit. He became
the wealthiest citizen of the United States
of his time.
He was eccentric, ungracious, and a
freethinker. He had few, if any, friends in
his lifetime. However, he was most chari-
tably disposed, and gave to charitable in-
stitutions and schools with a liberal hand.
He did more than any one else to relieve
the suffering and deprivations during the
great yellow fever scourge in Philadelphia,
devoting his personal attention to the sick.
He endowed and made a free institution,
the famous Will's Eye and Ear Infirmary
of Philadelphia — one of the largest institu-
tions of its kind in the world. At his death
practically all his immense wealth was be-
queathed to charitable institutions, more
than two millions of dollars going to the
founding of Girard College, which was to
be devoted to the education and training of
boys between the ages of six and ten years.
Large donations were also made to institu-
tions in Philadelphia and New Orleans.
The principal building of Girard College is
the most magnificent example of Greek
architecture in America. Girard died De-
cember 26, 1831.
LOUIS J. R. AGASSIZ, the eminent nat-
uralist and geologist, was born in the
parish of Motier, near Lake Neuchatel, Swit-
zerland, May 28, 1807, but attained his
greatest fame after becoming an American
citizen. He studied the medical sciences at
188
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
Zurich, Heidelberg and Munich. His first
work was a Latin description of the fishes
which Martins and Spix brought from Brazil.
This was published in 1 829-3 1 . He devoted
much time to the study of fossil fishes, and
in 1832 was appointed professor of natural
history at Neuchatel. He greatly increased
his reputation by a great work in French,
entitled " Researches on Fossil Fishes," in
1832-42, in which he made many important
improvements in the classification of fishes.
Having passed many summers among the
Alps in researches on glaciers, he propounded
some new and interesting ideas on geology,
and the agency of glaciers in his "Studies
by the Glaciers." This was published in
1840. This latter work, with his " System
of the Glaciers," published in 1847, are
among his principal works.
In 1846, Professor Agassiz crossed the
ocean on a scientific excursion to the United
States, and soon determined to remain here.
He accepted, about the beginning of 1848,
the chair of zoology and geology at Harvard.
He explored the natural history of the
United States at different times and gave an
impulse to the study of nature in this
country. In 1865 he conducted an expedi-
tion to Brazil, and explored the lower Ama-
zon and its tributaries. In 1868 he was
made non-resident professor of natural his-
tory at Cornell University. In December,
1 87 1, he accompanied the Hassler expedi-
tion, under Professor Pierce, to the South
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He died at
Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 14,
1873-
Among other of the important works of
Professor Agassiz may be mentioned the fol-
lowing: "Outlines of Comparative Physi-
ology," "Journey to Brazil," and "Contri-
butions to the Natural History of the United
States." It is said of Professor Agassiz,
that, perhaps, with the exception of Hugh
Miller, no one had so popularized science in
his day, or trained so many young natural-
ists. Many of the theories held by Agassiz
are not supported by many of the natural-
ists of these later days, but upon many of
the speculations into the origin of species and
in physics he has left the marks of his own
strongly marked individuality.
WILLIAM WINDOM.— As a prominent
and leading lawyer of the great north-
west, as a member of both houses of con-
gress, and as the secretary of the treasury,
the gentleman whose name heads this sketch
won for himself a prominent position in the
history of our country.
Mr. Windom was a native of Ohio,
born in Belmont county. May 10, 1827.
He received a good elementary education in
the schools of his native state, and took up
the study of law. He was admitted to the
bar, and entered upon the practice of his
profession in Ohio, where he remained until
1855. In the latter year he made up his
mind to move further west, and accordingly
went to Minnesota, and opening an office,
became identified with the interests of that
state, and the northwest generally. In
1858 he took his place in the Minnesota
delegation in the national house of repre-
sentatives, at Washington, and continued
to represent his constituency in that body
for ten years. In 1871 Mr. Windom was
elected United States senator from Min-
nesota, and was re-elected to the same office
after fulfilling the duties of the position for
a full term, in 1876. On the inauguration
of President Garfield, in March, 1881, Mr.
Windom became secretary of the treasury
in his cabinet. He resigned this office Oc-
tober 27, 1 88 1, and was elected senator
from the North Star state to fill the va-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
139
cancy caused by the resignation of A. J.
Edgerton, Mr. WMndoin served in that
chamber until March, 1883.
WilHani \\'indoin died in New York
City January 29, 1891.
DON M. DICKINSON, an American
politician and lawyer, was born in
Port Ontario, New York, January 17, 1846.
He removed with his parents to Michigan
when he was but two years old. He was
educated in the public schools of Detroit
and at the University of Michigan at Ann
Arbor, and was admitted to the bar at the
age of twenty-one. In 1872 he was made
secretary of the Democratic state central
committee of Michigan, and his able man-
agement of the campaign gave him a prom-
inent place in the councils of his party. In
1876, during the Tilden campaign, he acted
as chairman of the state central committee.
He was afterward chosen to represent his
state in the Democratic national committee,
and in 1886 he was appointed postmaster-
general by President Cleveland. After the
expiration of his term of office he returned
to Detroit and resumed the practice of law.
In the presidential campaign of 1896. Mr.
Dickinson adhered to the "gold wing "of
the Democracy, and his influence was felt
in the national canvass, and especially in
his own state.
JOHN JACOB ASTOR, the founder of
<j the Astor family and fortunes, while not
a native of this country, was one of the
most noted men of his time, and as all his
wealth and fame were acquired here, he
may well be classed among America's great
men. He was born near Heidelberg, Ger-
many, July 17, 1763, and when twenty
years old emigrated to the United States.
Even at that age he exhibited remarkable
business ability and foresight, and soon he
was investing capital in furs which he took
to London and sold at a great profit. He
next settled at New York, and engaged ex-
tensively in the fur trade. He exported
furs to Europe in his own vessels, which re-
turned with cargoes of foreign commodities,
and thus he rapidly amassed an immense
fortune. In 181 i he founded Astoria on
the western coast of North America, near
the mouth of the Columbia river, as a depot
for the fur trade, for the promotion of
which he sent a number of expeditions to
the Pacific ocean. He also purchased a
large amount of real estate in New York,
the value of which increased enormously
All through life his business ventures were
a series of marvelous successes, and he
ranked as one of the most sagacious and
successful business men in the world. He
died March 29, 1848, leaving a fortune es-
timated at over twenty million dollars to
his children, who have since increased it.
John Jacob Astor left $400,000 to found a
public library in New York City, and his son,
William B. Astor, who died in 1875, left
$300,000 to add to his father's bequest.
This is known as the Astor Library, one of
the largest in the United States.
SCHUYLER COLFAX, an eminent
American statesman, was born in New
York City, March 23, 1S23, being a grand-
son of General William Colfax, the com-
mander of Washington's life-guards. In
1836 he removed with his mother, who was
then a widow, to Indiana, settling at South
Bend. Young Schuyler studied law, and
in 1845 became editor of the "St. Joseph
Valley Register," a Whig paper published
at South Bend. He was a member of the
convention which formed a new constitu-
tion for Indiana in 1850, and he opposed
140
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY,
the clause that prohibited colored men
from settling in that state. In 1851 he was
defeated as the Whig candidate for congress
but was elected in 1854, and, being repeat-
edly re-elected, continued to represent that
district in congress until 1869. He became
one of the most prominent and influential
members of the house of representatives,
and served three terms as speaker. During
the Civil war he was an active participant
in all public measures of importance, and
was a confidential friend and adviser of
President Lincoln. In May, 1868, Mr.
Colfax was nominated for vice-president on
the ticket with General Grant, and was
elected. After the close of his term he re-
tired from office, and for the remainder of
his life devoted much of his time to lectur-
ing and literary pursuits. His death oc-
curred January 23, 1885. He was one of
the most prominent members of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows in America,
and that order erected a bronze statue to
his memory in University Park, Indianapo-
Hs, Indiana, which was unveiled in May,
1887.
WILLIAM FREEMAN VILAS, who at-
tained a national reputation as an able
lawyer, statesman, and cabinet officer, was
born at Chelsea, Vermont, July 9, 1840.
His parents removed to Wisconsin when
our subject was but eleven years of age,
and there with the early settlers endured all
the hardships and trials incident to pioneer
life. William F. Vilas was given all the
advantages found in the common schools,
and supplemented this by a course of study
in the Wisconsin State University, after
which he studied law, was admitted to the
bar and began practicing at Madison.
Shortly afterward the Civil war broke out
and Mr. Vilas enlisted and became colonel
of the Twenty-third regiment of Wisconsin
Volunteers, serving throughout the war with
distinction. At the close of the war he re-
turned to Wisconsin, resumed his law prac-
tice, and rapidly rose to eminence in this
profession. In 1885 he was selected by
President Cleveland for postmaster-general
and at the close of his term again returned
to Madison, Wisconsin, to resume the prac-
tice of law.
■ f
THOMAS McINTYRE COOLEY, an em-
inent American jurist and law writer,
was born in Attica, New York, January 6,
1824. He was admitted to the bar in 1846,
and four years later was appointed reporter
of the supreme court of Michigan, which
office he continued to hold for seven years.
In the meantime, in 1859, he became pro-
fessor of the law department of the Univer-
sity of Michigan, and soon afterward was
made dean of the faculty of that depart-
ment. In 1864 he was elected justice of
the supreme court of Michigan, in 1867 be-
came chief justice of that court, and in
1869 was re-elected for a term of eight
years. In 1881 he again joined the faculty
of the University of Michigan, assuming -the
professorship of constitutional and adminis-
trative law. His v/orks on these branches
have become standard, and he is recog-
nized as authority on this and related sub-
jects. Upon the passage of the inter-state
commerce law in 1887 he became chairman
of the commission and served in that capac-
ity four years.
JOHN PETER ALTGELD, a noted
American politician and writer on social
questions, was born in Germany, December
30, 1847. He came to America with his
parents and settled in Ohio when two years
old. In 1864 he entered the Union army
COMPEADJLM OP^ BlOGRAPIir.
141
and served till the close of the war, after
which he settled in Chicago, Illinois. He
was elected judge of the superior court of
Cook county, Illinois, in 1886, in which
capacity he served until elected governor of
Illinois in 1892, as a Democrat. During
the first year of his term as governor he at-
tracted national attention by his pardon of
the anarchists convicted of the Haymarket
murder in Chicago, and again in 1894 by
his denunciation of President Cleveland for
calling out federal troops to suppress the
rioting in connection with the great Pull-
man strike in Chicago. At the national
convention of the Democratic party in Chi-
cago, in July, 1896, he is said to have in-
spired the clause in the platform denuncia-
tory of interference by federal authorities in
local affairs, and "government by injunc-
tion." He was gubernatorial candidate for
re-election on the Democratic ticket in 1896,
but was defeated by John R. Tanner, Re-
publican. Mr. Altgeld published two vol-
umes of essays on " Live Questions," evinc-
ing radical views on social matters.
ADLAI EWING STEVENSON, an Amer_
ican statesman and politician, was born
in Christian county, Kentucky, October 23,
1835, ^nd removed with the family to
Bloomington, Illinois, in 1852. He was
admitted to the bar in 1858, and set-
tled in the practice of his profession
in Metamora, Illinois. In 1861 he was
made master in chancery of Woodford
county, and in 1864 was elected state's at-
torney. In 1868 he returned to Blooming-
ton and formed a law partnership with
James S. Ewing. He had served as a pres-
idential elector in 1864, and in 1868 was
elected to congress as a Democrat, receiv-
ing a majority vote from every county in his
district. He became prominent in his
party, and was a delegate to the national
convention in 1884. On the election of
Cleveland to the presidency Mr. Stevenson
was appointed first assistant postmaster-
general. After the expiration of his term
he continued to e.xert a controlling influence
in the politics of his state, and in 1892 was
elected vice-president of the United States
on the ticket with Grover Cleveland. At
the expiration of his term of office he re-
sumed the practice of law at Bloomington,
Illinois.
SIMON CAMERON, whose name is
prominently identified with the history
of the United States as a political leader
and statesman, was born in Lancaster coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1799. He grew
to manhood in his native county, receiving
good educational advantages, and develop-
ing a natural inclination for, political life.
He rapidly rose in prominence and became
the most influential Democrat in Pennsyl-
vania, and in 1845 was elected by that party
to the United States senate. Upon the
organization of the Republican party he was
one of the first to declare his allegiance to
it, and in 1856 was re-elected United States
senator from Pennsylvania as a Republican.
In March, 1861, he was appointed secretary
of war by President Lincoln, and served
until early in 1862, when he was sent as
minister to Russia, returning in 1863. In
1866 he was again elected United States
senator and served until 1877, when he re-
signed and was succeeded by his son, James
Donald Cameron. He continued to exert a
powerful influence in political affairs up to
the time of his death, June 26, 1889.
James Donald Cameron was the eld-
est son of Simon Cameron, and also
attained a high rank among American
statesmen. He was born at Harrisburg,
Ul
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Pennsylvania, May 14, 1833, and received an
excellent education, graduating at Princeton
College in 1852. He rapidly developed into
one of the most able and successful business
men of the country and was largely inter-
ested in and identified with the develop-
ment of the coal, iron, lumber and manu-
facturing interests of his native state. He
served as cashier and afterward president of
the Middletown bank, and in 1861 was made
vice-president, and in 1863 president of
the Northern Central railroad, holding this
position until 1874, when he resigned and
was succeeded by Thomas A. Scott, This
road was of great service to the government
during the war as a means of communica-
tion between Pennsylvania and the national
capital, via Baltimore. Mr. Cameron also
took an active part in political affairs,
always as a Republican. In May, 1876,
he was appointed secretary of war in Pres-
ident Grant's cabinet, and in 1877 suc-
ceeded his father in the United States
senate. He was re-elected in 1885, and
again in 1891, serving until 1896, and was
recognized as one of the most prominent and
influential members of that bodv.
ADOLPHUS W. GREELEY, a famous
American arctic explorer, was born at
Newburyport, Massachusetts, March 27,
1844. He graduated from Brown High
School at the age of sixteen, and a year
later enlisted in Company B, Nineteenth
Massachusetts Infantry, and was made first
sergeant. In 1863 he was promoted to
second lieutenant. After the war he was
assigned to the Fifth United States Cavalry,
and became first lieutenant in 1873. He
was assigned to duty in the United States
signal service shortly after the close of the
war. An expedition was fitted out by the
United States government in 1881, un-
der auspices of the weather bureau, and
Lieutenant Greeley placed in command.
They set sail from St. Johns the first week
in July, and after nine days landed in Green-
land, where they secured the services of two
natives, together with sledges, dogs, furs
and equipment. They encountered an ice
pack early in August, and on the 28th of
that month freezing weather set in. Two
of his party, Lieutenant Lockwood and Ser-
geant Brainard, added to the known maps
about forty miles of coast survey, and
reached the highest point yet attained by
man, eighty-three degrees and twenty-four
minutes north, longitude, forty-four degrees
and five minutes west. On their return to
Fort Conger, Lieutenant Greeley set out
for the south on August 9, 1883. He
reached Baird Inlet twenty days later with
his entire party. Here they were compelled
to abandon their boats, and drifted on an
ice-floe for one month. They then went
into camp at Cape Sabine, where they suf-
fered untold hardships, and eighteen of the
party succumbed to cold and hunger, and
had relief been delayed two days longer
none would have been found alive. They
were picked up by the relief expedition,
under Captain Schley, June 22, 1884. The
dead were taken to New York for burial.
Many sensational stories were published
concerning the expedition, and Lieutenant
Greeley prepared an exhaustive account
of his explorations and experiences.
LEVI P. MORTON, the millionaire poli-
tician, was born in Shoreham, Ver-
mont, May 16, 1824, and his early educa-
tion consisted of the rudiments which he
obtained in the common school up to the
age of fourteen, and after that time what
knowledge he gained was wrested from the
hard school of experience. He removed to
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
143
Hanover, Vermont, then Concord, Vermont,
and afterwards to Boston. He had worked
in a store at Shoreham, his native village,
and on going to Hanover he established a
store and went into business for himself.
In Boston he clerked in a dry goods store,
and then opened a business of his own in
the same line in New York. After a short
career he failed, and was compelled to set-
tle with his creditors at only fifty cents on
the dollar. He began the struggle anew,
and when the war began he established a
banking house in New York, with Junius
Morgan as a partner. Through his firm
and connections the great government war
loans were floated, and it resulted in im-
mense profits to his house. When he was
again thoroughly established he invited his
former creditors to a banquet, and under
each guest's plate was found a check cover-
ing the amount of loss sustained respec-
tively, with interest to date.
President Garfield appointed Mr. Mor-
ton as minister to France, after he had de-
clined the secretaryship of the navy, and in
1888 he was nominated as candidate for
vice-president, with Harrison, and elected.
In 1894 he was elected governor of New
York over David B. Hill, and served one
term.
CHAI^LES KENDALL ADAMS, one
of the most talented and prominent
educators this country has known, was born
January 24, 1835, at Derby, Vermont. He
received an elementary education in the
common schools, and studied two terms in
the Derby Academy. Mr. Adams moved
with his parents to Iowa in 1856. He was
very anxious to pursue a collegiate course,
but this was impossible until he had attained
the age of twenty-one. In the autumn of
1856 he began the study of Latin and Greek
at Denmark Academy, and in September,
1857, he was admitted to the University of
Michigan. Mr. Adams was wholly depend-
ent upon himself for the means of his edu-
cation. During his third and fourth year
he became deeply interested in historical
studies, was assistant librarian of the uni-
versity, and determined to pursue a post-
graduate course. In 1864 he was appointed
instructor of history and Latin and was ad-
vanced to an assistant professorship in 1865,
and in 1867, on the resignation o^. Professot
White to accept the presidency of Cornell,
he was appointed to iill the chair of profes-
sor of history. This he accepted on con-
dition of his being allowed to spend a year
for special study in Germany, France and
Italy. Mr. Adams returned in 1868, and
assumed the duties of his professorship.
He introduced the German system for the
instruction of advanced history classes, and
his lectures were largely attended. In 1885,
on the resignation of President White at
Cornell, he was elected his successor and
held the office for seven years, and on Jan-
uary 17, 1893, he was inaugurated presi-
dent of the University of Wisconsin. Pres-
ident Adams was prominently connected
with numerous scientific and literary organ-
izations and a frequent contributor to the
historical and educational data in the peri-
odicals and journals of the country. He
was the author of the following: " Dem-
ocracy and Monarchy in France," " Manual
of Historical Literature," " A Plea for Sci-
entific Agriculture," " Higher Education in
Germany."
JOSEPH B. FORAKER, a prominent po-
litical leader and ex-governor of Ohio,
was born near Rainsboro, Highland county,
Ohio, July 5, 1846. His parents operated
a small farm, with a grist and sawmill, hav-
144
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
ing emigrated hither from Virginia and
Delaware on account of their distaste for
slavery.
Joseph was reared upon a farm until
1862, when he enlisted in the Eighty -ninth
Ohio Infantry. Later he was made ser-
geant, and in 1864 commissioned first lieu-
tenant. The next year he was brevetted
captain. At the age of nineteen he was
mustered out of the army after a brilliant
service, part of the time being on the staff
of General Slocum. He participated in the
battles of Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mount-
ain and Kenesaw Mountain and in Sher-
man's march to the sea.
For two years subsequent to the war
young Foraker was studying at the Ohio
Wesleyan University at Delaware, but later
went to Cornell University, at Unity, New
York, from which he graduated July i,
1869. He studied law and was admitted to
the bar. In 1879 Mr. Foraker was elected
judge of the superior court of Cincinnati
and held the office for three years. In 1883
he was defeated in the contest for the gov-
ernorship with Judge Hoadly. In 1885,
however, being again nominated for the
same office, he was elected and served two
terms. In 1889, in running for governor
again, this time against James E. Camp-
bell, he was defeated. Two years later his
career in the United States senate began.
Mr. Foraker was always a prominent figure
at all national meetings of the Republican
party, and a strong power, politically, in his
native state.
LYMAN ABBOTT, an eminent American
preacher and writer on religious sub-
jects, came of a noted New England
family. His father. Rev. Jacob Abbott, was
a prolific and popular writer, and his uncle,
Rev. John S. C. Abbott, was a noted
preacher and author. Lyman Abbott was
born December 18, 1835, in Roxbury,
Massachusetts. He graduated at the New
York University, in 1853, studied law, and
practiced for a time at the bar, after which
he studied theology with his uncle. Rev.
John S. C. Abbott, and in i860 was settled
in the ministry at Terre Haute, Indiana, re-
maining there until after the close of the
war. He then became connected with the
Freedmen's Commission, continuing this
until 1868, when he accepted the pastorate
of the New England Congregational church,
in New York City. A few years later he re-
signed, to devote his time principally to lit-
erary pursuits. For a number of years he
edited for the American Tract Society, its
"Illustrated Christian Weekly," also the
New York "Christian Union." He pro-
duced many works, which had a wide circu-
lation, among which may be mentioned the
following: "Jesus of Nazareth, His Life and
Teachings," "Old Testament Shadows of
New Testament Truths," "Morning and
Evening Exercises, Selected from Writings
of Henry Ward Beecher," " Laicus, or the
Experiences of a Layman in a Country
Parish," "Popular Religious Dictionary,"
and "Commentaries on Matthew, Mark,
Luke, John and Acts."
GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.— The
well-known author, orator and journal-
ist whose name heads this sketch, was born
at Providence, Rhode Island, February 24,
1824. Having laid the foundation of a
most excellent education in his native land,
he went to Europe and studied at the Uni-
versity of Berlin. He made an extensive
tour throughout the Levant, from which he
returned home in 1850. At that early age
literature became his field of labor, and in
185 1 he published his first important work,
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRArilT.
145
" Nile Notes of a Howadji." In 1852 two
works issued from his facile pen, "The
Howadji in Syria," and " Lotus-Eating. "
Later on he was the author of the well-
known " Potiphar Papers," " Prue and I,"
and "Trumps." He greatly distinguished
himself throughout this land as a lecturer
on many subjects, and as an orator had but
few peers. He was also well known as one
of the most fluent speakers on the stump,
making many political speeches in favor of
the Republican party. In recognition of
his valuable services, Mr. Curtis was ap-
pointed by President Grant, chairman of
the advisory board of the civil service. Al-
though a life-long Republican, Mr. Curtis
refused to support Blaine for the presidency
in 1884, because of his ideas on civil ser-
vice and other reforms. For his memorable
and magnificent eulogy on Wendell Phillips,
delivered in Boston, in 1884, that city pre-
sented Mr. Curtis with a gold medal.
George W. Curtis, however, is best
known to the reading public of the United
States by his connection with the Harper
Brothers, having been editor of the "Har-
per's Weekly," and of the "Easy Chair,"
in " Harper's Monthly Magazine, "for many
years, in fact retaining that position until
the day of his death, which occurred August
31. 1892.
ANDREW JOHNSON, the seventeenth
president of the United States, served
from 1865 to 1869. He was born Decem-
ber 8, 1808, at Raleigh, North Carolina,
and was left an orphan at the age of four
years. He never attended school, and was
apprenticed to a tailor. While serving his
apprenticeship he suddenly acquired a pas-
sion for knowledge, and learned to read.
From that time on he spent all his spare
time in reading, and after working for two
years as a journeyman tailor at Lauren's
Court House, South Carolina, he removed
to Greenville, Tennessee, where he worked
at his trade and was married. Under his
wife's instruction he made rapid progress in
his studies and manifested such an interest
in local politics as to be elected as " work-
ingmen's candidate " alderman in 1828, and
in 1830 to the mayoralty, and was twice
re-elected to each of^ce. Mr. Johnson
utilized this time in cultivating his talents
as a public speaker, by taking part in a de-
bating society. He was elected in 1835 to
the lower house of the legislature, was re-
elected in 1839 a-S a Democrat, and in
1 84 1 was elected state senator. Mr. John-
son was elected representative in congress
in 1843 and was re-elected four times in
succession until 1853, when he was the suc-
cessful candidate for the gubernatorial chair
of Tennessee. He was re-elected in 1855
and in 1857 he entered the United States
senate. In i860 he was supported by the
Tennessee delegation to the Democratic
convention for the presidential nomination,
and lent his 'influence to the Breckinridge
wing of the party. At the election of Lin-
coln, which brought about the first attempt
at secession in December, i860, Mr. John-
son took a firm attitude in the senate for
the Union. He was the leader of the loy-
alists in East Tennessee. By the course
that Mr. Johnson pursued in this crisis he
was brought prominently before the north-
ern people, and when, in March, 1862, he
was appointed military governor of Ten-
nessee with the rank of brigadier-general,
he increased his popularity by the vigorous
manner in which he labored to restore
order. In the campaign of 1864 he was
elected vice-president on the ticket with
President Lincoln, and upon the assassi-
nation of the latter he succeeded to the
146
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
presidency, April 15, 1865. He retained
the cabinet of President Lincoln, and at
first exhibited considerable severity towards
the former Confederates, but he soon inau-
gurated a policy of reconstruction, pro-
claimed a general amnesty to the late Con-
federates, and established provisional gov-
ernments in the southern states. These
states claimed representation in congress in
the following December, and then arose the
momentous question as to what should be
the policy of the victorious Union against
their late enemies. The Republican m^a-
jority in congress had an apprehension that
the President would undo the results of the
war, and consequently passed two bills over
the executive veto, and the two highest
branches of the government were in open
antagonism. The cabinet was reconstructed
in July, and Messrs. Randall, Stanbury and
Browning superseded Messrs. Denison,
Speed and Harlan. In August, 1867, Pres-
ident Johnson removed the secretary of war
and replaced him with General Grant, but
when congress met in December it refused
to ratify the removal of Stanton, who re-
sumed the functions of his of^ce. In 1868
the president again attempted to remove
Stanton, who refused to vacate his post
and was sustained by the senate. Presi-
dent Johnson was accused by congress of
high crimes and misdemeanors, but the trial
resulted in his acquittal. Later he was Uni-
ted States senator from Tennessee, and
died July 31, 1875.
EDMUND RANDOLPH, first attorney-
general of the United States, was born
in Virginia, August 10, 1753. His father,
John Randolph, was attorney-general of
Virginia, and lived and died a royalist. Ed-
mund was educated in the law, but joined
the army as aide-de-camp to Washington
in 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts. He
was elected to the Virginia convention in
1776, and attorney-general of the state the
same year. In 1779 he was elected to the
Continental congress, and served four years
in that body. He was a member of the con-
vention in 1787 that framed the constitu-
tion. In that convention he proposed what
was known as the " Virginia plan" of con-
federation, but it was rejected. He advo-
cated the ratification of the constitution in
the Virginia convention, although he had re-
fused to sign it. He became governor of
Virginia in 1788, and the next year Wash-
ington appointed him to the office of at-
torney-general of the United States upon
the organization of the government under
the constitution. He was appointed secre-
tary of state to succeed Jefferson during
Washington's second term, but resigned a
year later on account of differences in the
cabinet concerning the policy pursued to-
ward the new French republic. He died
September 12, 181 3.
W INFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK was
born in Montgomery county, Penn-
sylvania, February 14, 1824. He received
his early education at the Norristown
Academy, in his native county, and, in 1840,
was appointed a cadet in the United States
Military Academy, at West Point. He was
graduated from the latter in 1844, and brev-
etted as second lieutenant of infantry. In
1853 he was made first lieutenant, and two
years later transferred to the quartermaster's
department, with the rank of captain, and
in 1863 promoted to the rank of major. He
served on the frontier, and in the war with
Mexico, displaying conspicuous gallantry dur-
ing the latter. He also took a part in the
Seminole war, and in the troubles in Kan-
sas, in 1857, and in California, at the out-
COMPENDIUM OF JUOGRAPHT.
147
break of the Civil war, as chief quarter-
master of the Southern district, he exerted
a powerful influence. In 1861 he applied
for active duty in the field, and was assigned
to the department of Kentucky as chief
quartermaster, but before entering upon that
duty, was appointed brigadier-general of
volunteers. His subsequent history during
the war was substantially that of the Army
of the Potomac. He participated in the
campaign, under McClellan, and led the
gallant charge, which captured Fort Magru-
der, won the day at the battle of Wil-
liamsburg, and by services rendered at
Savage's Station and other engagements,
won several grades in the regular service,
and was recommended by McClellan for
major-general of volunteers. He was a con-
spicuous figure at South Mountain and An-
tietam. He was commissioned major-gen-
eral of volunteers, November 29, 1862, and
made commander of the First Division of
the Second Corps, which he led at Fred-
ricksburg and at Chancellorsville. He was
appointed to the command of the Second
Corps in June, 1863, and at the battle of
Gettysburg, July i, 2 and 3, of that year,
took an important part. On his arrival on
the field he found part of the forces then
in retreat, but stayed the retrograde
movement, checked the enemy, and on the
following day commanded the left center,
repulsed, on the third, the grand assault of
General Lee's army, and was severely
wounded. For his services on that field
General Hancock received the thanks of
congress. On recovering from his wound,
he was detailed to go north to stimulate re-
cruiting and fill up the diminished corps, and
was the recipient of many public receptions
and ovations. In March, 1864, he returned
to his command, and in the Wilderness and
at Spottsylvania led large bodies of men
successfully and conspicuously. From that
on to the close of the campaign he was a
prominent figure. In November, 1864, he
was detailed to organize the First Veteran
Reserve Corps, and at the close of hostilities
was appointed to the command of the Mid-
dle Military Division. In July, 1866, he
was made major-general of the regular
service. He was at the head of various
military departments until 1872, when he
was assigned to the command of the Depart-
ment of the Atlantic, which post he held
until his death. In 1869 he declined the
nomination for governor of Pennsylvania.
He was the nominee of the Democratic
party for president, in 1880, and was de-
feated by General Garfield, who had a popu-
lar majority of seven thousand and eighteen
and an electoral majority'.of fifty-nine. Gen-
eral Hancock died February 9, 1886.
THOMAS PAINE, the most noted polit-
ical and deistical writer of the Revolu-
tionary period, was born in England, Jan-
uary 29, 1737, of Quaker parents. His edu-
cation was. obtained in the grammar schools
of Thetford, his native town, and supple-
mented by hard private study while working
at his trade of stay-maker at London and
other cities of England. He was for a time
a dissenting preacher, although he did not
relinquish his employment. He married a
revenue official's daughter, and was employed
in the revenue service for some time. He
then became a grocer and during all this time
he was reading and cultivating his literary
tastes, and had developed a clear and forci-
ble style of composition. He was chosen to
represent the interests of the excisemen,
and published a pamphlet that brought
him considerable notice. He was soon after-
ward introduced to Benjamin Franklin, and
having been dismissed from the service on a
148
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
charge of smuggling, his resentment led him
to accept the advice of that statesman to
come to America, in 1774. He became
editor of the " Pennsylvania Magazine," and
the next year published his "Serious
Thoughts upon Slavery" in the "Penn-
sylvania Journal." His greatest political
work, hov^^ever, was written at the sugges-
tion of Dr. Rush, and entitled "Common
Sense." It was the most popular pamphlet
written during the period and he received
two thousand five hundred dollars from the
state of Pennsylvania in recognition of its
value. His periodical, the "Crisis," began
in 1776, and its distribution among the
soldiers did a great deal to keep up the spirit
of revolution. He was made secretary of
the committee of foreign affairs, but was dis-
missed for revealing diplomatic secrets in
one of his controversies with Silas Deane.
He was originator and promoter of a sub-
scription to relieve the distress of the soldiers
near the close of the war, and was sent to
France with Henry Laurens to negotiate the
treaty with France, and was granted three
thousand dollars by congress for his services
there, and an estate at New Rochelle, by the
state of New York.
In 1787, after the close of the Revolu-
tionary war, he went to France, and a few
years later published his " Rights of Man,"
defending the French revolution, which
gave him great popularity in France. He
was made a citizen and elected to the na-
tional convention at Calais. He favored
banishment of the king to America, and
opposed his execution. He was imprisoned
for about ten months during 1794 by the
Robespierre party, during which time he
wrote the " Age of Reason," his great deis-
tical work. He was in danger of the guillo-
tine for several months. He took up his
residence with the family of James Monroe,
then minister to France and was chosen
again to the convention. He returned
to the United States in 1802, and was
cordially received throughout the coun-
try except at Trenton, where he was insulted
by Federalists. He retired to his estate at
New Rochelle, and his death occurred June
8, 1809.
JOHN WILLIAM MACKAY was one of
<J America's noted men, both in the de-
velopment of the western coast and the
building of the Mackay and Bennett cable.
He was born in 1831 at Dublin, Ireland;
came to New York in 1840 and his boyhood
days were spent in Park Row. He went
to California some time after the argonauts
of 1849 and took to the primitive methods
of mining — lost and won and finally drifted
into Nevada about i860. The bonanza dis-
coveries which were to have such a potent
influence on the finance and statesmanship
of the day came in 1872. Mr. Mackay
founded the Nevada Bank in 1878. He is
said to have taken one hundred and
fifty million dollars in bullion out of
the Big Bonanza mine. There were as-
sociated with him in this enterprise James
G. Fair, senator from Nevada; William
O'Brien and James C. Flood. When
vast wealth came to Mr. Mackay he be-
lieved it his duty to do his country some
service, and he agitated in his mind the
building of an American steamship line,
and while brooding over this his attention
was called to the cable relations between
America and Europe. The financial man-
agement of the cable was selfish and ex-
travagant, and the capital was heavy with
accretions of financial " water" and to pay
even an apparent dividend upon the sums
which represented the nominal value of the
cables, it was necessary to hold the rates
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
149
at an exorbitant figure. And, moreover,
the cables were foreign; in one the influence
of France being paramount and in the other
that of England; and in the matter of intel-
ligence, so necessary in case of war, we
would be at the mercy of our enemies. This
train of thought brought Mr. Mackay into re-
lation with James Gordon Bennett, the pro-
prietor of the " New York Herald." The
result of their intercourse was that Mr. Mac-
kay so far entered into the enthusiasm of
Mr. Bennett over an independent cable,
that he offered to assist the enterprise with
five hundred thousand dollars. This was the
inception of the Commercial Cable Com-
pany, or of what has been known for years
as the Mackav-Bennett cable.
ELISHA GRAY, the great inventor and
electrician, was born August 2, 1835.
at Barnesville, Belmont county, Ohio. He
was, as a child, greatly interested in the
phenomena of nature, and read with avidity
all the books he could obtain, relating to
this subject. He was apprenticed to various
trades during his boyhood, but his insatiable
thirst for knowledge dominated his life and
he found time to study at odd intervals.
Supporting himself by working at his trade,
he found time to pursue a course at Oberlin
College, where he particularly devoted him-
self to the study of physicial science. Mr.
Gray secured his first patent for electrical
or telegraph apparatus on October i, 1867.
His attention was first attracted to tele-
phonic transmission during this year and he
saw in it a way of transmitting signals for
telegraph purposes, and conceived the idea
of electro-tones, tuned to different tones in
the scale. He did not then realize the im-
portance of his invention, his thoughts being
employed on the capacity of the apparatus
for transmitting musical tones through an
electric circuit, and it was not until 1874
that he was again called to consider the re-
production of electrically-transmitted vibra-
tions through the medium of animal tissue.
He continued experimenting with various
results, which finally culminated in his
taking out a patent for his speaking tele-
phone on February 14, 1876. He took out
fifty additional patents in the course of
eleven years, among which were, telegraph
switch, telegraph repeater, telegraph annun-
ciator and typewriting telegraph. From
1869 until 1873 he was employed in the
manufacture of telegraph apparatus in Cleve-
land and Chicago, and filled the office of
electrician to the Western Electric Com-
pany. He was awarded the degree of D.
S., and in 1874 he went abroad to perfect
himself in acoustics. Mr. Gray's latest in-
vention was known as the telautograpli or
long distance writing machine. Mr. Gray
wrote and published several works on scien-
tific subjects, among which were: "Tele-
graphy and Telephony," and " Experi-
mental Research in Electro-Harmonic Tele-
graphy and Telephony."
^X miTELAW REID.— Among the many
V V men who have adorned the field of
journalism in the United States, few stand
out with more prominence than the scholar,
author and editor whose name heads this ar-
ticle. Born at Xenia, Greene county, Ohio,
October 27, 1837, he graduated at Miami
University in 1856. For about a year he
was superintendent of the graded schools of
South Charleston, Ohio, after which he pur-
chased the "Xenia News," which he edited
for about two years. This paper was the
first one outside of Illinois to advocate the
nomination of Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Reid
having been a Republican since the birth of
that party in 1856. After taking an active
150
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
part in the campaign, in the winter of 1860-
61, he went to the state capital as corres-
pondent of three daily papers. At the close
of the session of the legislature he became
city editor of the "Cincinnati Gazette,"
and at the breaking out of the war went to
the front as a correspondent for that journal.
For a time he served on the staff of General
Morris in West Virginia, with the rank of
captain. Shortly after he was on the staff
of General Rosecrans, and, under the name
of "Agate," wrote most graphic descrip-
tions of the movements in the field, espe-
cially that of the battle of Pittsburg Land-
ing. In the spring of 1862 Mr. Reid went
to Washington and was appointed librarian
to the house of representatives, and acted as
correspondent of the " Cincinnati Gazette."
His description of the battle of Gettysburg,
written on the field, gained him added
reputation. In 1865 he accompanied Chief
Justice Chase on a southern tour, and pub-
lished "After the War; a Southern Tour."
During the next two years he was engaged
in cotton planting in Louisiana and Ala-
bama, and published "Ohio in the War."
In 1868 he returned to the " Cincinnati Ga-
zette," becoming one of its leading editors.
The same year he accepted the invitation of
Horace Greeley and became one of the staff
on the " New York Tribune." Upon the
death of Mr. Greeley in 1872, Mr. Reid be-
came editor and chief proprietor of that
paper. In 1878 he was tendered the United
States mission to Berlin, but declined. The
offer was again made by the Garfield ad-
ministration, but again he declined. In
1878 he was elected by the New York legis-
lature regent of the university, to succeed
General John A. Dix. Under the Harrison
administration he served as United States
minister to France, and in 1892 was the
Republican nominee for the vice-presidency
of the United States. Among other works
published by him were the " Schools of
Journalism," "The Scholar in Politics,"
"Some Newspaper Tendencies," and
' ' Town-Hall Suggestions. "
GEORGE WHITEFIELD was one of
the most powerful and effective preach-
ers the world has ever produced, swaying
his hearers and touching the hearts of im-
mense audiences in a manner that has rarely
been equalled and never surpassed. While
not a native of America, yet much of his
labor was spent in this country. He wielded
a great influence in the United States in
early days, and his death occurred here; so
that he well deserves a place in this volume
as one of the most celebrated men America
has known.
George Whitefield was born in the Bull
Inn, at Gloucester, England, December 16,
1 7 14. He acquired the rudiments of learn-
ing in St. Mary's grammar school. Later
he attended Oxford University for a time,
where he became intimate with the Oxford
Methodists, and resolved to devote himself
to the ministry. He was ordained in the
Gloucester Cathedral June 20, 1836, and
the following day preached his first sermon
in the same church. On that day there
commenced a new era in Whitefield's life.
He went to London and began to preach at
Bishopsgate church, his fame soon spread-
ing over the city, and shortly he was en-
gaged four times on a single Sunday in ad-
dressing audiences of enormous magnitude,
and he preached in various parts of his native
country, the people crowding in multitudes
to hear him and hanging upon the rails and
rafters of the churches and approaches there-
to. He finally sailed for America, landing
in Georgia, where he stirred the people to
great enthusiasm. During the balance of
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
153
his life he divided his time between Great
Britain and America, and it is recorded that
he crossed the Atlantic thirteen times. He
came to America for the seventh time in
1770. He preached every day at Boston
from the 17th to the 20th of September,
1770. then traveled to Newbury port, preach-
ing at Exeter, New Hampshire, September
29, on the way. That evening he went to
Newburyport, where he died the next day,
Sunday, September 30, 1770.
" W'hitefield's dramatic power was amaz-
ing," says an eminent writer in describing
him. " His voice was marvelously varied,
and he ever had it at command — an organ,
a flute, a harp, all in one. His intellectual
powers were not of a high order, but he had
an abundance of that ready talent and that
wonderful magnetism which makes the pop-
ular preacher; and beyond all natural en-
dowments, there was in his ministry the
power of evangelical truth, and, as his con-
verts believed, the presence of the spirit of
God."
CHARLES FRANCIS BRUSH, one of
America's prominent men in the devel-
opment of electrical science, was born March
17, 1849, near Cleveland, Ohio, and spent
his early life on his father's farm. From
the district school at Wickliffe, Ohio, he
passed to the Shaw Academy at Collamer,
and then entered the high school at Cleve-
land. His interest in chemistry, physics
and engineering was already marked, and
during his senior year he was placed in
charge of the chemical and physical appar-
atus. During these years he devised a plan
for lighting street lamps, constructed tele-
scopes, and his first electric arc lamp, also
an electric motor. In September, 1867, he
entered the engineering department of the
University of Michigan and graduated in
1869, which was a year in advance of his
class, with the degree of M. E. He then
returned to Cleveland, and for three years
was engaged as an analytical chemist and
for four years in the iron business. In
1875 Mr. Brush became interested in elec-
tric lighting, and in 1876, after four months'
experimenting, he completed the dynamo-
electric machine that has made his name
famous, and in a shorter time produced the
series arc lamps. These were both patent-
ed in the United States in 1876, and he
afterward obtained fifty patents on his later
inventions, including the fundamental stor-
age battery, the compound series, shunt-
winding for dynamo-electric machines, and
the automatic cut-out for arc lamps. His
patents, two-thirds of which have already
been profitable, are held by the Brush
Electric Company, of Cleveland, while his
foreign patents are controlled by the Anglo-
American Brush Electric Light Company,
of London. In 1880 the Western Reserve
University conferred upon Mr. Brush the
degree of Ph. D., and in 1881 the French
government decorated him as a chevalier of
the Legion of Honor.
HENRY CLEWS, of Wall-street fame,
was one of the noted old-time opera-
tors on that famous street, and was also an
author of some repute. Mr. Clews was
born in Staffordshire, England, August 14,
1840. His father had him educated with
the intention of preparing him for the minis-
try, but on a visit to the United States the
young man became interested in a business
life, and was allowed to engage as a clerk in
the importing house of Wilson G. Hunt &
Co., of New York. Here he learned the
first principles of business, and when the war
broke out in 1861 young Clews saw in the
needs of the government an opportunity to
154
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
reap a golden harvest. He identified him-
self with the negotiating of loans "for the
government, and used his powers of pur-
suasion upon the great money powers to
convince them of the stability of the govern-
ment and the value of its securities. By
enthusiasm and patriotic arguments he in-
duced capitalists to invest their money in
government securities, often against their
judgment, and his success was remarkable.
His was one of the leading firms that aided
the struggling treasury department in that
critical hour, and his reward was great. In
addition to the vast wealth it brought.
President Lincoln and Secretary Chase
both wrote important letters, acknowledging
his valued service. In 1873, by the repu-
diation of the bonded indebtedness of the
state of Georgia, Mr. Clews lost six million
dollars which he had invested in those se-
curities. It is said that he is the only man,
with one exception, in Wall street, who
ever regained great wealth after utter dis-
aster. His " Twenty-Eight Years in Wall
Street " has been widely read.
ALFRED VAIL was one of the men that
gave to the world the electric telegraph
and the names of Henry, Morse and Vail
■will forever remain linked as the prime fac-
tors in that great achievement. Mr. Vail
was born September 25, 1807, at Morris-
town, New Jersey, and was a son of Stephen
Vail, the proprietor of the Speedwell Iron
Works, near Morristown. At the age of
seventeen, after he had completed his stud-
ies at the Morristown Academy, Alfred Vail
went into the Speedwell Iron Works and
contented himself with the duties of his
position until he reached his majority. He
then determined to prepare himself for the
ministry, and at the age of twenty-five he
entered the University of the City of New
York, where he was graduated in 1836. His
health becoming impaired he labored for a
time under much uncertainty as to his future
course. Professor S. F. B. Morse had come
to the university in 1835 ^s professor of lit-
erature and fine arts, and about this time,
1837, Professor Gale, occupying the chair
of chemistry, invited Morse to exhibit his
apparatus for the benefit of the students.
On Saturday, September 2, 1837, the exhi-
bition took place and Vail was asked to at-
tend, and with his inherited taste for me-
chanics and knowledge of their construction,
he saw a great future for the crude mechan-
ism used by Morse in giving and recording
signals. Mr. Vail interested his father in
the invention, and Morse was invited to
Speedwell and the elder Vail promised to
help him. It was stipulated that Alfred
Vail should construct the required apparatus
and exhibit before a committee of congress
the telegraph instrument, and was to receive
a quarter interest in the invention. Morse
had devised a series of ten numbered leaden
types, which were to be operated in giving
the signal. This was not satisfactory to
Vail, so he devised an entirely new instru-
ment, involving a lever, or "point," on a
radically different principle, which, when
tested, produced dots and dashes, and de-
vised the famous dot-and-dash alphabet,
misnamed the "Morse." At last the ma-
chine was in working order, on January 6,
1838. The machine was taken to Wash-
ington, where it caused not only wonder,
but excitement. Vail continued his experi-
ments and devised the lever and roller.
When the line between Baltimore and
Washington was completed, Vail was sta-
tioned at the Baltimore end and received
the famous first message. It is a remarka-
ble fact that not a single feature of the
original invention of Morse, as formulated
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
155
by his caveat and repeated in his original
patent, is to be found in Vail's apparatus.
From 1837 to 1844 it was a combination of
the inventions of Morse, Henry and Vail,
but the work of Morse fell gradually into
desuetude, while Vail's conception of an
alphabet has remained unchanged for half a
century. Mr. Vail published but one work,
"American Electro-Magnetic Telegraph,"
in 1845, and died at Morristown at the com-
paratively early age of fifty-one, on January
19. 1859-
ULYSSES S. GRANT, the eighteenth
president of the United States, was
born April 27, 1822, at Point Pleasant, Cler-
mont county, Ohio. At the age of seven-
teen he entered the United States Military
Academy at West Point, from which he
graduated in June, 1843, ^nd was given his
brevet as second lieutenant and assigned to
the Fourth Infantry. He remained in the
service eleven years, in which time he
was engaged in the Mexican war with gal-
lantry, and was thrice brevetted for conduct
in the field. In 1848 he married Miss Julia
Dent, and in 1854, having reached the
grade of captain, he resigned and engaged
in farming near St. Louis. In i860 he en-
tered the leather business with his father at
Galena, Illinois.
On the breaking out of the war, in 1861,
he commenced to drill a company at -Ga-
lena, and at the same time offered his serv-
ices to the adjutant-general of the army,
but he had few influential friends, so re-
ceived no answer. He was employed by
the governor of Illinois in the organization
of the various volunteer regiments, and at
the end of a few weeks was given the
colonelcy of the Twenty-first Infantry, from
that state. His military training and knowl-
edge soon attracted the attention of his su-
perior officers, and on reporting to General
Pope in Missouri, the latter put him in
the way of advancement. August 7, 1861,
he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-
general of volunteers, and for a few weeks
was occupied in watching the movements of
partisan forces in Missouri. September i,
the same year, he was placed in command
of the Department of Southeast Missouri,
with headquarters at Cairo, and on the 6th
of the month, without orders, seized Padu-
cah, which commanded the channel of the
Ohio and Tennessee rivers, by which he se-
cured Kentucky for the Union. He now
received orders to make a demonstration on
Belmont, which he did, and with about three
thousand raw recruits held his own against
the Confederates some seven thousand
strong, bringing back about two hundred
prisoners and two guns. In February,) 1 862,
he moved up the Tennessee river with
the naval fleet under Commodore Foote.
The latter soon silenced Fort Henry, and
Grant advanced against Fort Donelson and
took their fortress and its garrison. His
prize here consisted of sixty-five cannon,
seventeen thousand six hundred stand of
arms, and fourteen thousand six hundred
and twenty-three prisoners. This was the
first important success won by the Union
forces. Grant was immediately made a
major-general and placed in command of
the district of West Tennessee. In April,
1862, he fought the battle of Pittsburg Land-
ing, and after the evacuation of Corinth by
the enemy Grant became commander of the
Department of the Tennessee. He now
made his first demonstration toward Vicks-
burg, but owing to the incapacity of subor-
dinate officers, was unsuccessful. In Janu-
ary, 1863, he took command of all the
troops in the Mississippi Valley and devoted
several months to the siege of Vicksburg,
156
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
which was finally taken possession of by him
July 4, with thirty-one thousand six hundred
prisoners and one hundred and seventy-two
cannon, thus throwing the Mississippi river
open to the Federals. He was now raised
to the rank of major-general in the regular
army. October following, at the head of
the Department of the Mississippi, General
Grant went to Chattanooga, where he over-
threw the enemy, and united with the Army
of the Cumberland. The remarkable suc-
cesses achieved by him pointed Grant out
for an appropriate commander of all na-
tional troops, and in February, 1864, the
rank of lieutenant-general was made for him
by act of congress. Sending Sherman into
Georgia, Sigel into the Valley of West Vir-
ginia and Butler to attempt the capture of
Richmond he fought his vvay through the
Wilderness to the James and pressed the
siege of the capital of the Confederacy.
After the fall of the latter Grant pressed
the Confederate army so hard that their
commander surrendered at Appomattox
Court House, April 9, 1865. This virtually
ended the war.
After the war the rank of general was
conferred upon U. S. Grant, and in 1868 he
was elected president of the United States,
and re-elected his own successor in 1872.
After the expiration of the latter term he
made his famous tour of the world. He died
at Mt. McGregor, near Saratoga, New York,
July 23, 1885, and was buried at Riverside
Park, New York, where a magnificent tomb
has been erected to hold the ashes of the
nation's hero.
JOHN MARSHALL, the fourth chief jus-
tice of the United States supreme court,
was born in Germantown, Virginia, Septem-
ber 24, 1755. His father, Colonel Thomas
Marshall, served with distinction in the Rev-
olutionary war, while he also served from
the beginning of the war until 1779, where
he became noted in the field and courts
martial. While on detached service he at-
tended a course of law lectures at William
and Mary College, delivered by Mr. Wythe,
and was admitted to the bar. The next year
he resigned his commission and began his
career as a lawyer. He was a distinguished
member of the convention called in Virginia
to ratify the Federal constitution. He was
tendered the attorney-generalship of the
United States, and also a place on the su-
preme bench, besides other places of less
honor, all of which he declined. He
went to France as special envoy in 1798,
and the next year was elected to congress.
He served one year and was appointed, first,
secretary of war, and then secretary of state,
and in 1801 was made chief justice of the
United States. He held this high office un-
til his death, in 1835.
Chief Justice Marshall's early education
was neglected, and his opinions, the most
valuable in existence, are noted for depth
of wisdom, clear and comprehensive reason-
ing, justice, and permanency, rather than for
wide learning and scholarly construction.
His decisions and rulings are resorted to
constantly by our greatest lawyers, and his
renown as a just judge and profound jurist
was world wide.
LAWRENCE BARRETT is perhaps
known more widely as a producer of
new plays than as a great actor. He was
born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1838, and
educated himself as best he could, and at
the age of sixteen years became salesman
for a Detroit dry goods house. He after-
wards began to go upon the stage as a
supernumerary, and his ambition was soon
rewarded by the notice of the management.
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
157
During the war of the Rebellion he was a
soldier, and after valiant service for his
country he returned to the stage. He went
to Europe and appeared in Liverpool, and
returning in 1869, he began playing at
Booth's theater, with Mr. Booth. He was
afterward associated with John McCullough
in the management of the California
theater. Probably the most noted period
of his work was during his connection with
Edwin Booth as manager of that great
actor, and supporting him upon the stage.
Mr. Barrett was possessed of the crea-
tive instinct, and, unlike Mr. Booth, he
sought new fields for the display of his
genius, and only resorted to traditional
drama in response to popular demand. He
preferred new plays, and believed in the
encouragement of modern dramatic writers,
and was the only actor of prominence in his
time that ventured to put upon the stage
new American plays, which he did at his
own expense, and the success of his experi-
ments proved the quality of his judgment.
He died March 21, iSgr.
ARCHBISHOP JOHN HUGHES, a cel-
ebrated Catholic clergyman, was born
at Annaboghan, Tyrone county, Ireland,
June 24, 1797, and emigrated to America
when twenty years of age, engaging for
some time as a gardener and nurseryman.
In 1 8 19 he entered St. Mary's College,
where he secured an education, paying his
way by caring for the college garden. In
1825 he was ordained a deacon of the Ro-
man Catholic church, and in the same year,
a priest. Until 1838 he had pastoral charges
in Philadelphia, where he founded St. John's
Asylum in 1829, and a few years later es-
tablished the "Catholic Herald." In 1838
he was made bishop of Basileopolis in parti-
bus and coadjutor to Bishop Dubois, of
New York, and in 1842 became bishop of
New York. In 1839 he founded St. John's
College, at Fordham. In 1850 he was
made archbishop of New York. In 186 1-2
he was a special agent of the United States
in Europe, after which he returned to this
country and remained until his death, Jan-
uary 3, 1864. Archbishop Hughes early
attracted much attention by his controver-
sial correspondence with Rev. John Breck-
inridge in 1833-35. He was a man of great
ability, a fluent and forceful writer and an
able preacher.
RUTHERFORD BIRCHARD HAYES
was the nineteenth president of the
United States and served from 1877 to 1881.
He was born October 4, 1822, at Delaware,
Ohio, and his ancestry can be traced back
as far as 1280, when Hayes and Rutherford
were two Scottish chieftans fighting side by
side with Baliol, William Wallace and
Robert Bruce. The Hayes family had for
a coat of arms, a shield, barred and sur-
mounted by a flying eagle. There was a
circle of stars about the eagle, while on a
scroll underneath was their motto, "Recte."
Misfortune overtook the family and in 1680
George Hayes, the progenitor of the Ameri-
can family, came to Connecticut and settled
at Windsor. Rutherford B. Hayes was
a very delicate child at his birth and was
not expected to live, but he lived in spite of
all and remained at home until he was
seven years old, when he was placed in
school. He was a very tractablepupil, being
always very studious, and in 1838 entered
Kenyon College, graduating from the same
in 1842. He then took up the study of law
in the office of Thomas Sparrow at Colum-
bus, but in a short time he decided to enter
a law school at Cambridge, Massachusetts,
where for two years he was immersed in the
158
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
study of law. Mr. Hayes was admitted to
the bar in 1845 in Marietta, Ohio, and very
soon entered upon the active practice of his
profession with Ralph P. Buckland, of
Fremont, Ohio. He remained there three
years, and in 1849 removed to Cincinnati,
Ohio, where his ambition found a new
stimulus. Two events occurred at this
period that had a powerful influence on his
after life. One was his marriage to Miss
Lucy Ware Webb, and the other was his
introduction to a Cincinnati literary club,
a body embracing such men as Salmon P.
Chase, John Pope, and Edward F. Noyes.
In 1856 he was nominated for judge of the
court of common pleas, but declined, and
two years later he was appointed city
solicitor. At the outbreak of the Rebellion
Mr. Hayes was appointed major of the
Twenty-third Ohio Infantry, June 7, 1861,
and in July the regiment was ordered to
Virginia, and October 15, 1861, saw him
promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of his
regiment. He was made colonel of the
Seventy-ninth Ohio Infantry, but refused to
leave his old comrades; and in the battle of
South Mountain he was wounded very
severely and was unable to rejoin his regi-
ment until Njovember 30, 1862. He had
been promoted to the colonelcy of the
regiment on October 15, 1862. In the
following December he was appointed to
command the Kanawa division and was
given the rank of brigadier-general for
meritorious services in several battles, and
in 1864 he was brevetted major-general for
distinguished services in 1864, during
which campaign he was wounded several
times and five horses had been shot under
him. Mr. Hayes' first venture in politics
was as a Whig, and later he was one of the
first to unite with the Republican party. In
1864 he was elected from the Second Ohio
district to congress, re-elected in 1866,
and in 1867 was elected governor of Ohio
over Allen G. Thurman, and was re-elected
in 1869. Mr. Hayes was elected to the
presidency in 1876, for the term of four
years, and at its close retired to private life,
and went to his home in Fremont, Ohio,
where he died on January 17, 1893.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN became
a celebrated character^as the nominee
of the Democratic and Populist parties for
president of the United States in 1896. He
was born March 19, i860, at Salem, Illi-
nois. He received his early education in
the public schools of his native county, and
later on he attended the Whipple Academy
at Jacksonville. He also took a course in
Illinois College, and after his graduation
from the same went to Chicago to study
law, and entered the Union College of Law
a<^ a student. He was associated with the
late Lyman Trumbull, of Chicago, during
his law studies, and devoted considerable
time to the questions of government. He
graduated from the college, was admitted to
the bar, and went to Jacksonville, Illinois,
where he was married to Miss Mary Eliza-
beth Baird. In 1887 Mr. Bryan removed
to Lincoln, Nebraska, and formed a law
partnership with Adolphus R. Talbot. He
entered the field of politics, and in 1888
was sent as a delegate to the state con-
vention, which was to choose delegates to
the national convention, during which he
made a speech which immediately won him
a high rank in political affairs. He declined,
in the next state convention, a nomination
for lieutenant-governor, and in 1890 he was
elected congressman from the First district
of Nebraska, and was the youngest member
of the fifty-second congress. He cham-
pioned the Wilson tariff bill, and served
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
159
three terms in the house of representatives.
He next ran for senator, but was defeated
by John M. Thurston, and in 1896 he was
selected by the Democratic and PopuHst
parties as their nominee for the presidency,
being defeated by WiUiam McKinley.
M
ARVIN HUGHITT, one of America's
famous railroad men, was born in
Genoa, New York, and entered the railway
service in 1856 as superintendent of tele-
graph and trainmaster of the St. Louis, Al-
ton & Chicago, now Chicago & Alton Rail-
road. Mr. Hughitt was superintendent of
the southern division of the Illinois Central
Railroad from 1862 until 1864, and was, later
on, the general superintendent of the road
until 1870. He was then connected with
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail-
road as assistant general manager, and re-
tained this position until 1871, when he be-
came the general manager of Pullman's-
Palace Car Company. In 1872 he was made
general superintendent of the Chicago &
Northwestern Railroad. He served during
1876 and up to 1880 as general manager,
and from 1880 until 1887 as vice-presi-
dent and general manager. He was elected
president of the road in 1887, in recog-
nition of his ability in conducting the
affairs of the road. He was also chosen
president of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minne-
apolis & Omaha Railway; the Fremont, Elk-
horn & Missouri Valley Railroad, and the
Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad,
and his services in these capacities stamped
hifn as one of the most able railroad mana-
gers of his day.
JOSEPH MEDILL, one of the most
<J eminent of American journalists, was
born in New Brunswick, Canada, April 6,
1823. In 1 83 1 his father moved to Stark
county, Ohio, and until 1841 Joseph Medill
worked on his father's farm. Later he
studied law, and began the practice of that
profession in 1846 at New Philadelphia,
Ohio. But the newspaper field was more
attractive to Mr. Medill, and three years
later he founded a free-soil Whig paper at
Coshocton, Ohio, and after that time jour-
nalism received all his abilities. "The
Leader," another free-soil Whig paper, was
founded by Mr. Medill at Cleveland in 1852.
In that city he also became one of the first
organizers of the Republican party. Shortly
after that event he removed to Chicago and
in 1855, with two partners, he purchased
the " Chicago Tribune." In the contest for
the nomination for the presidency in i860,
Mr. Medill worked with unilagging zeal for
Mr. Lincoln, his warm personal friend, and
was one of the president's stanchest sup-
porters during the war. Mr. Medill was a
member of the Illinois Constitutional con-
vention in 1870. President Grant, in 1871,
appointed the editor a member of the first
United States civil service commission, and
the following year, after the fire, he was
elected mayor of Chicago by a great ma-
jority. During 1873 and 1874 Mr. Medill
spent a year in Europe. Upon his return
he purchased a controlling interest in the
" Chicago Tribune."
CLAUSSPRECKELS, the great " sugar
baron," and one of the most famous
representatives of commercial life in Amer-
ica, was born in Hanover, Germany, and
emigrated to the United States in 1840,
locating in New York. He very soon be-
came the proprietor of a small retail gro-
cery store on Church street, and embarked
on a career that has since astonished the
world. He sold out his business and went
to California with the argonauts of 1849,
160
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
not as a prospector, but as a trader, and for
years after his arrival on the coast he was
still engaged as a grocer. At length, after a
quarter of a century of fairly prosperous
business life, he found himself in a position
where an ordinary man would have retired,
but Mr. Spreckles did not retire; he had
merely been gathering capital for the real
work of his life. His brothers had followed
him to California, and in combination with
them he purchased for forty thousand dollars
an interest in the Albany Brewery in San
Francisco. But the field was not extensive
enough for the development of his business
abilities, so Mr. Sprecklas branched out
extensively in the sugar business. He suc-
ceeded in securing the entire output of
sugar that was produced on the Sand-
wich Islands, and after 1885 was known as
the "Sugar King of Sandv/ich Islands."
He controlled absolutely the sugar trade of
the Pacific coast which was known to be
not less than ten million dollars a year.
CHARLES HENRY PARKHURST,
famous as a clergyman, and for many
years president of the Society for the
Prevention of Crime, was born April 17,
1842, at Framingham, Massachusetts, of
English descent. At the age ' of sixteen
he was pupil in the grammar school at
Clinton, Massachusetts, and for the ensu-
ing two years was a clerk in a dry goods
store, which position he gave up to prepare
himself for college at Lancaster academy.
Mr. Parkhurst went to Amherst in 1862,
and after taking a thorough course he gradu-
ated in 1866, and in 1867 became the prin-
cipal of the Amherst High School. He re-
tained this position until 1870, when he
visited Germany with the intention of tak-
ing a course in philosophy and theology,
but was forced to abandon this intention on
account of illness in the family causing his
early return from Europe. He accepted the
chair of Latin and Greek in Williston Semi-
nary, Easthampton, Massachusetts, and re-
mained there two years. He then accom-
panied his wife to Europe, and devoted two
years to study in Halle, Leipsic and Bonn.
Upon his return home he spent considerable
time in the study of Sanscrit, and in 1874
he became the pastor of the First Congrega-
tional church at Lenox, Massachusetts. He
gained here his reputation as a pulpit ora-
tor, and on March 9, 1880, he became the
pastor of the Madison Square Presbyterian
church of New York. He was, in 1890,
made a member of the Society for the Pre-
vention of Crime, and the same year be-
came its president. He delivered a sermon
in' 1892 on municipal corruption, for which
he was brought before the grand jury, which
body declared his charges to be without suffi-
cient foundation. But the matter did not end
here, for he immediately went to work on a
second sermon in which he substantiated his
former sermon and wound up by saying,
"I know, for I have seen." He was again
summoned before that august body, and as
a result of his testimony and of the investi-
gation of the jurors themselves, the police
authorities were charged with incompetency
and corruption. Dr. Parkhurst was the
author of the following works: ' ' The Forms
of the Latin Verb, Illustrated by Sanscrit,"
"The Blind Man's Creed and Other Ser-
mons," "The Pattern on the Mount," and
" Three Gates on a Side."
HENRY BERGH, although a writer,
diplomatist and government official,
was noted as a philanthropist — the founder
of the American Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals. On his labors for
the dumb creation alone rests his fame.
COMPENDIUM OP BIOGRAPIIT.
161
Alone, in the face of indifference, opposition
and ridicule, he began the reform which is
now recognized as one of the beneficent
movements of the age. Through his exer-
tions as a speaker and lecturer, but above
all as a bold worker, in the street, in the
court room, before the legislature, the cause
he adopted gained friends and rapidly in-
creased in power until it has reached im-
mense proportions and influence. The work
of the society covers all cases of cruelty to
all sorts of animals, employs every moral
agency, social, legislative and personal, and
touches points of vital concern to health as
well as humanity,
Henry Bergh was born in New York
City in 1823, and was educated at Colum-
bia College. In 1863 he was made secre-
tary of the legation to Russia and also
served as vice-consul there. He also de-
voted some time to literary pursuits and was
the author of "Love's Alternative," a
drama; "Married Off," a poem; "'The
Portentous Telegram," "The Ocean Para-
gon;" "The Streets of New York," tales
and sketches.
HENRY BENJAMIN WHIPPLE, one
of the most eminent of American di-
vines, was born in Adams, Jefferson county.
New York, February 15, 1822. He was
brought up in the mercantile business, and
early in life took an active interest in polit-
ical affairs. In 1847 he became a candidate
for holy orders and pursued theological
studies with Rev. W. D. Wilson, D. D.,
afterward professor in Cornell University.
He was ordained deacon in 1849, in Trinity
church, Geneva, New York, by Rt. Rev.
W. H. De Lancey, D. D., and took charge
of Zion church, Rome, New York, Decem-
ber I, 1849. In 1850, our subject was or-
dained priest by Bishop De Lancey. In
1857 he became rector of the Church of the
Holy Communion, Chicago. On the 30th
of June, 1859, he was chosen bishop of
Minnesota, and took charge of the interests
of the Episcopal church in that state, being
located at Faribault. In i860 Bishop
Whipple, with Revs. I. L. Breck. S. W.
Mauncey and E. S. Peake, organized the
Bishop Seabury Miission, out of which has
grown the Cathedral of Our Merciful Savior,
the Seabury Divinity School, Shattuck
School and St. Marv's Hall, which have
made Faribault City one of the greatest
educational centersof the northwest. Bishop
Whipple also became noted as the friend
and defender of the North American In-
dians and planted a number of successful
missions among them.
EZRA CORNELL was oneof the greatest
philanthropists and friends of education
the country has known. He was born at
Westchester Landing, New York, January
I r, 1807. He grew to manhood in his na-
tive state and became a prominent figure in
business circles as a successful and self-made
man. Soon after the invention of the elec-
tric telegraph, he devoted his attention to
that enterprise, and accumulated an im-
mense fortune. In 1865, by a gift of five
hundred thousand dollars, he made possible
the founding of Cornell University, which
was named in his honor. He afterward
made additional bequests amountingto many
hundred thousand dollars. His death oc-
curred at Ithaca, New York, December 9,
1874-
IGNATIUS DONNELLY, widely knowu
1 as an author and politician, was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 3,
1 83 1. He was educated at the public
schools of that city, and graduated from the
162
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
Central High School in 1849. He studied
law in the office of Judge B. H. Brewster,
and was admitted to the bar in 1852. In
the spring of 1856, Mr. Donnelly emigrated
to Minnesota, then a new territory, and, at
Hastings, resumed the practice of law in
partnership with A. M. Hayes. In 1857,
and again in 1858, he was defeated for state
senator, but in 1859 he was elected by the
Republicans as lieutenant-governor, and re-
elected in 1 86 1. In 1862 he was elected to
repa"esent the Second district of Minnesota
in congress. He was re-elected to the same
office in 1864 and in 1866. He was an
abolitionist and warmly supported President
Lincoln's administration, but was strongly
in favor of leniency toward the people of
the south, after the war. In many ways he
was identified with some of the best meas-
ures brought before the house during his
presence there. In the spring of 1868, at
the request of the Republican national com-
mittee, he canvassed New Hampshire and
Connecticut in the interests of that party.
E. B. Washburne about this time made an
attack on Donnelly in one of the papers of
Minnesota, which was replied to on the floor
of the house by a fierce phillipic that will
long be remembered. Through the inter-
vention of the Washburne interests Mr. Don-
nelly failed of a re-election in 1870. In
1873 he was elected to the state senate from
Dakota county, and continuously re-elected
until 1878. In 1886 he was elected mem-
ber of the house for two years. In later
years he identified himself with the Popu-
list party.
In 1882, Mr. Donnelly became known as
an author, publishing his first literary work,
"Atlantis, the Antediluvian World," which
passed through over twenty-two editions in
America, several in England, and was trans-
lated into French. This was followed by
" Ragnarok, the Age of Fire and Gravel,"
which attained nearly as much celebrity as
the first, and these two, in the opinion of
scientific critics, are sufficient to stamp the
author as a most capable and painstaking
student of the facts he has collated in them.
The work by which he gained the greatest
notoriety, however, was ' ' The Great Cryp-
togram, or Francis Bacon's Cipher in the
Shakespeare Plays." "Caesar's Column,"
" Dr. Huguet," and other works were pub-
lished subsequently.
STEVEN V. WHITE, a speculator of
Wall Street of national reputation, was
born in Chatham county, North Carolina,
August I, 1 83 1, and soon afterward re-
moved to Illinois. His home was a log
cabin, and until his eighteenth year he
worked on the farm. Then after several
years of struggle with poverty he graduated
from Knox College, and went to St. Louis,
where he entered a wholesale boot and shoe
house as bookkeeper. He then studied law
and worked as a reporter for the "Missouri
Democrat." After his admission to the bar
he went to New York, in 1865, and became
a member of the banking house of Marvin
& White. Mr. White enjoyed the reputa-
tion of having engineered the only corner
in Wall Street since Commodore Vander-
bilt's time. This was the famous Lacka-
wanna deal in 1883, in which he made a
profit of two million dollars. He was some-
times called " Deacon" White, and, though
a member for many years of the Plymouth
church, he never held that office. Mr.
White was one of the most noted characters
of the street, and has been called an orator,
poet, philanthropist, linguist, abolitionist,
astronomer, schoolmaster, plowboy, and
trapper. He was a lawyer, ex-congress-
man, expert accountant, art critic andtheo-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT
163
logian. He laid the foundation for a
"Home for Colored People." in Chatham
county, North Carolina, where the greater
part of his father's life was spent, and in
whose memory the work was undertaken.
JAMES A. GARFIELD, the twentieth
president of the United States, was born
November 19, 1831, in Cuyahoga county,
Ohio, and was the son of Abram and Eli^a
(Baliou) Garfield. In 1833 the father, an
industrious pioneer farmer, died, and the
care of the family devolved upon Thomas,
to whom James became deeply indebted for
educational and other advantages. As James
grew up he was industrious and worked on
the farm, at carpentering, at chopping wood,
or anything else he found to do, and in the
meantime made the most of his books.
Until he was about sixteen, James' high-
est ambition was to become a sea captain.
On attaining that age he walked to
Cleveland, and, not being able to find work,
he engaged as a driver on the Ohio & Penn-
sylvania canal, but quit this after a short
time. He attended the seminary at Ches-
ter for about three years, after which he
entered Hiram Institute, a school started by
the Disciples of Christ in 1850. In order
to pay his way he assumed the duties of
janitor and at times taught school. After
completing his course at the last named edu-
cational institution he entered Williams Col-
lege, from which he graduated in 1856. He
afterward returned to Hiram College as its
president. He studied law and was admitted
to the bar in 1859. November 11, 1858,
Mr. Garfield and Lucretia Rudolph were
married.
In I 859 Mr. Garfield made his first polit-
ical speeches, at Hiram and in tlie neighbor-
hood. The same year he was elected to the
state senate.
On the breaking out of the war, in 1 86 1 ,
he became lieutenant-colonel of the Forty-
second Ohio Infantry, and, while but a new
soldier, was given command of four regi-
ments of infantry and eight companies of
cavalry, with which he drove the Confeder-
ates under Humphrey Marshall out of Ken-
tucky. January 11, 1862, he was commis-
sioned brigadier-general. He participated
with General Buell in the battle of Shiloh
and the operations around Corinth, and was
then detailed as a member of the Fitz John
Porter court-martial. Reporting to General
Rosecrans, he was assigned to the position
of chief of staff, and resigned his position,
with the rank of major-general, when his
immediate superior was superseded. In
the fall of 1862 Mr. Garfield was elected to
congress and remained in that body, either
in the house or senate, until 1880.
June 8, 1880, at the national Republican
convention, held in Chicago, General Gar-
field was nominated for the presidenc}', and
was elected, He was inaugurated March
4, 1 88 1, but, July 2, following, he was shot
and fatally wounded by Charles Guiteau for
some fancied political slight, and died Sep-
tember 19, 1 88 1.
INCREASE MATHER was one of the
1 most prominent preachers, educators and
authors of early times in the New England
states. He was born at Dorchester, Massa-
chusetts, June 21, 1639, and was given an
excellent education, graduating at Harvard
in 1656, and at Trinity College, Dublin,
two years later. He was ordained a min-
ister, and preached in England and America,
and in 1664 became pastor of the North
church, in Boston. In 1685 he became
president of Harvard University, serving
until 1 70 1. In 1692 he received the first
doctorate in divinity conferred in English
164
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
speaking America. The same year he pro-
cured in England a new charter for Massa-
chusetts, which conferred upon himself the
power of naming the governor, lieutenant-
governor and council. He opposed the
severe punishment of witchcraft, and took
a prominent part in all public affairs of his
day. He was a prolific writer, and became
the author of nearly one hundred publica-
tions, large and small. His death occurred
August 23, 1723, at Boston.
COTTON MATHER, a celebrated minis-
ter in the "Puritan times" of New
England, was born at Boston, Massachu-
setts, February 12, 1663, being a son of
Rev. Increase Mather, and a grandson of
John Cotton. A biography of his father
will be found elsewhere in this volume.
Cotton Mather received his early education
in his native city, was trained by Ezekiel
Cheever, and graduated at Harvard College
in 1678; became a teacher, and in 1684
was ordained as associate pastor of North
church, Boston, with his father, having by
persistent effort overcome an impediment in
his speech. He labored with great zeal as
a pastor, endeavoring also, to establish the
ascendancy of the church and ministry in
civil affairs, and in the putting down of
witchcraft by legal sentences, a work in
which he took an active part and through
which he is best known in history. He re-
ceived the degree of D. D. in 17 10, con-
ferred by the University of Glasgow, and
F. R. S. in 17 1 3. His death occurred at
Boston, February 13, 1728. He was the
author of many publications, among which
were " Memorable Providences Relating to
Witchcraft," "Wonders of the Invisible
World," "Essays to Do Good," " Mag-
nalia Christi Americana," and " Illustra-
tions of the Sacred Scriptures." Some of
these works are quaint and curious, full of
learning, piety and prejudice. A well-
known writer, in summing up the life and
character of Cotton Mather, says: " Mather,
with all the faults of his early years, was a
man of great excellence of character. He
labored zealously for the benefit of the
poor, for mariners, slaves, criminals and
Indians. His cruelty and credulity were
the faults of his age, while his philanthro-
phy was far more rare in that age than in
the present."
WILLIAM A. PEFFER, who won a
national reputation during the time
he was in the United States senate, was
born on a farm in Cumberland county,
Pennsylvania, September 10, 1831. He
drew his education from the public schools
of his native state and at the age of f.fteen
taught school in winter, working on a farm
in the summer. In June, 1853, while yet a
young man, he removed to Indiana, and
opened up a farm in St. Joseph county.
In 1859 he made his way to Missouri and
settled on a farm in Morgan county, but on
account of the war and the unsettled state
of the country, he moved to Illinois in Feb-
ruary, 1862, and enlisted as a private in
Company F, Eighty-third Illinois Infantry,
the following August. He was promoted
to the rank of second lieutenant in
March, 1863, and served successively as
quartermaster, adjutant, post adjutant,
judge advocate of a military commission,
and depot quartermaster in the engineer
department at Nashville. He was mustered
out of the service June 26, 1865. He had,
during his leisure hours while in the army,
studied law, and in August, 1865, he com-
menced the practice of that profession at
Clarksville, Tennessee. He removed to
Kansas in 1870 and practiced there until
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
165
1878, in the meantime establishing and
conducting two newspapers, the " Fredonia
Journal " and " Coffey ville Journal."
Mr. Peffer was elected to the state senate
in 1874 and was a prominent and influential
member of several important committees.
He served as a presidential elector in 1880.
The year following he became editor of the
" Kansas Farmer," which he made a promi-
nent and useful paper. In 1890 Mr. Peffer
was elected to the United States senate as
a member of the People's party and took
his seat March 4, 1891. After six years of
service Senator Peffer was succeeded in
March, 1897, by \Villiam A. Harris.
ROBERT MORRIS.— The name of this
financier, statesman and patriot is
closely connected with the early history of
the United States. He was a native of
England, born January 20, 1734, and came
to America with his father when thirteen
years old. Until 1754 he served in the
counting house of Charles Willing, then
formed a partnership with that gentleman's
son, which continued with great success until
1793. In 1776 Mr. Morris was a delegate
to the Continental congress, and, although
once voting against the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, signed that paper on its adop-
tion, and was several times thereafter re-
elected to congress. During the Revolu-
tionary war the services of Robert Morris
in aiding the government during its finan-
cial difficulties were of incalculable value; he
freely pledged his personal credit for sup-
plies for the army, atone time to the amount
of about one and a half million dollars, with-
out which the campaign of 1781 would have
been almost impossible. Mr. Morris was
appointed superintendent of finance in 1781
and served until 1784, continuing to employ
his personal credit to facilitate the needs of
his department. He also served as mem-
ber of the Pennsylvania legislature, and
from 1786 to 1795 was United States sena-
tor, declining meanwhile the position of sec-
retary of the treasury, and suggesting the
name of Alexander Hamilton, who was ap-
pointed to that post. During the latter
part of his life Mr. Morris was engaged ex-
tensively in the China trade, and later be-
came involved in land speculations, which
ruined him, so that the remaining days of
this noble man and patriot were passed
in confinement for debt. His death occurred
at Philadelphia, May 8, 1806.
WILLIAM SHARON, a senator and
capitalist, and mine owner of na-
tional reputation, was born at Smithfield,
Ohio, January 9, 1821. He was reared
upon a farm and in his boyhood given excel-
lent educational advantages and in 1842
entered Athens College. He remained in
that institution about two years, after which
he studied law with Edwin M. Stanton, and
was admitted to the bar at St. Louis and
commenced practice. His health failing,
however, he abandoned his profession and
engaged in mercantile pursuits at Carrollton,
Greene county, Illinois. During the time
of the gold excitement of 1849, Mr. Sharon
went to California, whither so many went,
and engaged in business at Sacramento.
The next year he removed to San Francisco,
where he operated in real estate. Being
largely interested in its silver mines, he re-
moved to Nevada, locating at Virginia City,
and acquired an immense fortune. He be-
came one of the trustees of the Bank of
California, and during the troubles that
arose on the death of William Ralston, the
president of that institution, was largely in-
strumental in bringing its affairs into a satis-
factory shape.
166
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Mr. Sharon was elected to represent the
state of Nevada in the United States senate
in 1875, and remained a member of that
body until 1881. He was always distin-
guished for close application to business.
Senator Sharon died November 13, 1885.
HENRY W. SHAW, an American hu-
morist who became celebrated under
the non-de-plume of " Josh Billings," gained
his fame from the witticism of his writing,
and peculiar eccentricity of style and spell-
ing. He was born at Lanesborough, Mas-
sachusetts, in 18 18. For twenty-five years
he lived in different parts of the western
states, following various lines of business,
including farming and auctioneering, and in
the latter capacity settled at Poughkeepsie,
New York, in 1858. In 1863 he began
writing humorous sketches for the news-
papers over the signature of "Josh Bill-
ings," and became immediately popular
both as a writer and lecturer. He pub-
lished a number of volumes of comic
sketches and edited an " Annual Allminax "
for a number of years, which had a wide cir-
culation. His death occurred October 14,
1885, at Monterey, California.
JOHN M. THURSTON, well known
throughout this country as a senator
and political leader, was born at Mont-
pelier, Vermont, August 21, 1847, of an
old Puritan family which dated back their
ancestry in this country to 1636, and among
whom were soldiers of the Revolution and
of the war of 1812-15.
Young Thurston was brought west by
the family in 1854, they settling at Madison,
"Wisconsin, and two years later at Beaver
Dam, where John M. received his schooling
in the public schools and at Wayland Uni-
versity. His father enlisted as a private in
the First Wisconsin Cavalry and died while
in the service, in the spring of 1863.
Young Thurston, thrown on his own
resources while attaining an education, sup-
ported himself by farm work, driving team
and at other manual labor. He studied law
and was admitted to the bar May 21, 1869,
and in October of the same year located in
Omaha, Nebraska. He was elected a
member of the city council in 1872, city
attorney in 1874 and a member of the Ne-
braska legislature in 1874. He was a mem-
ber of the Republican national convention
of 1884 and temporary chairman of that of
1888. Taking quite an interest in the
younger members of his party he was instru-
mental in forming the Republican League
of the United States, of which he was presi-
dent for two years. He was then elected a
member of the United States senate, in
1895, to represent the state of Nebraska.
As an attorney John M, Thurston occu-
pied a very prominent place, and for a num-
ber of years held the position of general
solicitor of the Union Pacific railroad sys-
tem.
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON, a celebrated
<J American naturalist, was born in Louis-
iana, May 4, 1780, and was the son of an
opulent French naval officer who owned a
plantation in the then French colony. In
his childhood he became deeply interested
in the study of birds and their habits. About
1794 he was sent to Paris, France, where
he was partially educated, and studied de-
signing under the famous painter, Jacques
Louis David. He returned to the Unit-
ed States about 1798, and settled on a
farm his father gave him, on the Perkiomen
creek in eastern Pennsylvania. He mar-
ried Lucy Bakewell in 1808, and, disposing
of his property, removed to Louisville, Ken-
coMrENn/u.}f OF nioGRAPiir.
107
tucky, where he engaged in mercantile pur-
suits. About two years later he began to
make extensive excursions through the pri-
meval forests of the southern and south-
western states, in the exploration of which
he passed many years. He made colored
drawings of all the species of birds that he
found. For several years he made his home
with his wife and children at Henderson, on
the Ohio river. It is said that about this
time he had failed in business and v/as re-
duced to poverty, but kept the wolf from the
door by giving dancing lessons and in portrait
painting. In 1824, at Philadelphia, he met
Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who encouraged
him to publish a work on ornithology. Two
5'ears later he went to England and com-
menced the publication of his great work,
"The Birds of America." He obtained a
large number of subscribers at one thousand
dollars a copy. This work, embracing five
volumes of letterpress and five volumes of
beautifully colored plates, was pronounced
by Cuvier " the most magnificent monument
that art ever raised to ornithology."
Audubon returned to America in 1829,
and explored the forests, lakes and coast
from Canada to Florida, collecting material
for another work. This was his " Ornitho-
logical Biography; or, An Account of the
Habits of the Birds of the United States,
Etc." He revisited England in 1831, and
returned in 1839, after which he resioed on
the Hudson, near New York City, in which
place he died January 27, 185 1. During
his life he issued a cheaper edition of his
great work, and was, in association with
Dr. Bachman, preparing a work on the
quadrupeds of North America.
the superior British squadron, under Com-
modore Downie, September i i, 1S14. Com-
modore McDonough was born in Newcastle
county, Delaware, December 23, 1783, and
when seventeen years old entered the
United States navy as midshipman, serving
in the expedition to Tripoli, under Decatur,
in 1803-4. In 1807 he was promoted to
lieutenant, and in July, 181 3, was made a
commander. The following year, on Lake
Champlain, he gained the celebrated victory
above referred to, for which he was again
promoted; also received a gold medal from
congress, and from the state of Vermont an
estate on Cumberl-and Head, in view of the
scene of the engagement. His death oc-
curred at sea, November 16, 1825, while he
was returning from the command of the
Mediterranean squadron.
COMMODORE THOMAS McDON-
OUGH gained his principal fame from
he celebrated victory which he gained over
CHARLES FRANCIS HALL, one of
America's most celebrated arctic ex-
plorers, was born in Rochester, New Hamp-
shire, in 1 82 1. He was a blacksmith by
trade, and located in Cincinnati, where later
he became a journalist. For several years
he devoted a great deal of attention to cal-
orics. Becoming interested in the fate of the
explorer, Sir John Franklin, he joined the
expedition fitted out by Henry Grinnell and
sailed in the ship "George Henry," under
Captain Buddington, which left New Lon-
don, Connecticut, in i860. He returned in
1862, and two years later published his
" Arctic Researches." He again joined the
expedition fitted out by Mr. Grinnell, and
sailed in the ship, " Monticello," under
Captain Buddington, this time remaining in
the arctic region over four years. On his
return he brought back many evidences of
having found trace of Franklin.
In 1 87 1 the " Polaris "was fitted out by
the United States government, and Captain
168
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Hall again sailed for the polar regions. He
died in Greenland in October, 1871, and the
"Polaris" was finally abandoned by the
crew, a portion of which, under Captain
Tyson, drifted with the icebergs for one
hundred and ninety-five days, until picked
up by the " Tigress," on the 30th of April,
1873. The other portion of the crew built
boats, and, after a perilous voyage, were
picked up in June, 1873, by a whaling vessel.
OLIVER ELLSWORTH, the third chief
justice of the United States, was born
at Windsor, Connecticut, April 29, 1745.
After graduating from Princeton, he took
up the study of law, and was licensed
to practice in 177 1. In 1777 he was elected
as a delegate to the Continental congress.
He was judge of the superior court of his
state in 1784, and was chosen as a delegate
to the constitutional convention in 1787.
He sided with the Federalists, was elected
to the United States senate in 1789, and
was a firm supporter of Washington's policy.
He won great distinction in that body, and
was appointed chief justice of the supreme
court of the United States by Washington
in 1796. The relations between this coun-
try and France having become violently
strained, he was sent to Paris as envoy ex-
traordinary in 1799, and was instrumental
in negotiating the treaty that averted war.
He resigned the following year, and was suc-
ceeded by Chief Justice Marshall. His
death occurred November 26, 1807.
MELLVILLE WESTON FULLER, an
eminent American jurist and chief
justice of the United States supreme court,
was born in Augusta, Maine, in 1833. His
education was looked after in boyhood, and
at the age of sixteen he entered Bowdoin
College, and on graduation entered the law
department of Harvard University. He then
entered the law office of his uncle at Ban-
gor, Maine, and soon after opened an office
for the practice of law at Augusta. He was
an alderman from his ward, city attorney,
and editor of the "Age," a rival newspaper
of the "Journal," which was conducted by
James G. Blaine. He soon decided to re-
move to Chicago, then springing into notice
as a western metropolis. He at once iden-
tified himself with the interests of the
new city, and by this means acquired an
experience that fitted him for his future
work. He devoted himself assiduously to
his profession, and had the good fortune to
connect himself with the many suits grow-
ing out of the prorogation of the Illinois
legislature in 1863. It was not long before
he became one of the foremost lawyers in
Chicago. He made a three days' speech in
the heresy trial of Dr. Cheney, which added
to his fame. He was appointed chief jus-
tice of the United States by President Cleve-
land in 1888, the youngest man who ever
held that exalted position. His income from
his practice had for many years reached
thirty thousand dollars annually.
CHESTER ALLEN ARTHUR, twenty-
first president of the United States, was
born in Franklin county, Vermont, Octo-
ber 5, 1830. He was educated at Union
College, Schenectady, New York, from
which he graduated with honor, and en-
gaged in teaching school. After two years
he entered the law offtce of Judge E. D.
Culver, of New York, as a student. He was
admitted to the bar, and formed a partner-
ship with an old room-mate, Henry D. Gar-
diner, with the intention of practicing law
in the west, but after a few months' search
for a location, they returned to New York
and opened an office, and at once entered
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
109
upon a profitable practice. He was shortly
afterwards married to a daughter of Lieu-
tenant Herndon, of the United States navy.
Mrs. Arthur died shortly before his nomina-
tion for the vice-presidency. In 1856 a
colored woman in New York was ejected
from a street car and retained Mr. Arthur
in a suit against the company, and obtained
a verdict of five hundred dollars. It result-
ed in a general order by all superintendents
of street railways in the city to admit col-
ored people to the cars.
Mr. Arthur was a delegate to the first
Republican national convention, and was
appointed judge-advocate for the Second
Brigade of New York, and then chief engi-
neer of Governor Morgan's staff. At the
close of his term he resumed the practice of
law in New York. In 1872 he was made
collector of the port of New York, which
position he held four years. At the Chi-
cago convention in 1880 Mr. Arthur was
nominated for the vice-presidency with
Garfield, and after an exciting campaign
was elected. Four months after the inau-
guration President Garfield was assassinated,
and Mr. Arthur was called to take the reins
of government. His administration of
affairs was generally satisfactory. At its
close he resumed the practice of law in New
York. His death occurred November 18,
1886.
ISAAC HULL was one of the most con-
spicuous and prominent naval officers in
the early history of America. He was born
at Derby, Connecticut, March 9, 1775, be-
ing the son of a Revolutionary officer. Isaac
Hull early in life became a mariner, and
when nineteen years of age became master
of a merchant ship in the London trade.
In 1798 he became a lieutenant in the United
States navy, and three years later was made
10
first lieutenant of the frigate "Constitution."
He distinguished himself by skill and valor
against the French on the coast of Hayti, and
served with distinction in the Barbary expe-
ditions. July 12, 1812, he sailed from
Annapolis, in command of the "Constitu-
tion," and for three days was pursued by a
British squadron of five ships, from which
he escaped by bold and ingenious seaman-
ship. In August of the same year he cap-
tured the frigate " Guerriere," one of his
late pursuers and for this, the first naval
advantage of that war, he received a gold
medal from congress. Isaac Hull was later
made naval commissioner and had command
of various navy yards. His death occurred
February 13, 1843, at Philadelphia.
MARCUS ALONZO HANNA, famous
as a prominent business man, political
manager and senator, was born in New Lis-
bon, Columbiana county, Ohio, September
24, 1837. He removed with his father's
family to Cleveland, in the same state, in
1852, and in the latter city, and in the
Western Reserve College, at Hudson, Ohio,
received his education. He became an em-
ploye of the wholesale grocery house of
Hanna, Garrettson & Co., his father being
the senior member of the firm. The latter
died in 1862, and Marcus represented his
interest until 1867, when the business was
closed up.
Our subject then became a member of
the firm of Rhodes & Co., engaged in the
iron and coal business, but at the expira-
tion of ten years this firm was changed to
that of M. A. Hanna & Co. Mr. Hanna
was long identified with the lake carrying
business, being interested in vessels on the
lakes and in the construction of them. As
a director of the Globe Ship Manufacturing
Company, of Cleveland, president of the
170
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
Union National Bank, of Cleveland, president
of the Cleveland City Railway Company,
and president of the Chapin Mining Com-
pany, of Lake Superior, he became promi-
nently identified with the business world.
He was one of the government directors of
the Union Pacific Railroad, being appointed
to that position in 1885 by President Cleve-
land.
Mr. Hanna was a delegate to the na-
tional Republican convention of 1884, which
was his first appearance in the political
world. He was a delegate to the con-
ventions of 1888 and 1896, and was elect-
ed chairman of the Republican national
committee the latter year, and practically
managed the campaign of William McKin-
ley for the presidency. In 1897 Mr. Hanna
was appointed senator by Governor Bush-
nell, of Ohio, to fill the vacancy caused by
the resignation of John Sherman.
GEORGE PEABODY was one of the
best known and esteemed of all philan-
thropists, whose munificent gifts to Ameri-
can institutions have proven of so much
benefit to the cause of humanity. He was
born February 18, 1795, at South Danvers,
Massachusetts, which is now called Pea-
body in honor of him. He received but a
meager education, and during his early life
he was a mercantile clerk at Thetford, Ver-
mont, and Newburyport, Massachusetts. In
1814 he became a partner with Elisha
Riggs, at Georgetown, District of Columbia,
and in 1 8 1 5 they moved to Baltimore, Mary-
land. The business grew to great propor-
tions, and they opened branch houses at
New York and Philadelphia. Mr. Peabody
made several voyages to Europe of com-
mercial importance, and in 1829 became the
head of the firm, which was then called
Peabody, Riggs & Co., and in 1838 he re-
moved to London, England. He retired
from the firm, and established the cele-
brated banking house, in which he accumu-
lated a large fortune. He aided Mr. Grin-
nell in fitting out Dr. Kane's Arctic expedi-
tion, in 1852, and founded in the same year
the Peabody Institute, in his native town,
which he afterwards endowed with two hun-
dred thousand dollars. Mr. Peabody visited
the United States in 1857, and gave three
hundred thousand dollars for the establish-
ment at Baltimore of an institute of science,
literature and fine arts. In 1862 he gave
two million five hundred thousand dollars
for the erecting of lodging houses for the
poor in London, and on another visit to the
United States he gave one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars to establish at Harvard a
museum and professorship of American
archaeology and ethnology, an equal sum for
the endowment of a department of physical
science at Yale, and gave the "Southern
Educational Fund " two million one hundred
thousand dollars, besides devoting two hun-
dred thousand dollars to various objects of
public utility. Mr. Peabody made a final
visit to the United States in 1869, and on
this occasion he raised the endowment of
the Baltimore Institute one million dollars,
created the Peabody Museum, at Salem,
Massachusetts, with a fund of one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars, gave sixty thou-
sand dollars to Washington College, Vir-
ginia; fifty thousand dollars for a "Peabody
Museum, " at North Danvers, thirty thousand
dollars to Phillips Academy, Andover; twen-
ty-five thousand dollars to Kenyon College,
Ohio, and tvv^enty thousand dollars to the
Maryland Historical Society. Mr. Peabody
also endowed an art school at Rome, in
1868. He died in London, November 4,
1869, less then a month after he had re-
turned from the United States, and his
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIir.
171
remains were brought to the United States
and interred in his native town. He made
several other bequests in his will, and left
his family about five million dollars.
MATTHEW S. QUAY, a celebrated
public man and senator, was born at
Dillsburgh, York county, Pennsylvania,
September 30, 1833, of an old Scotch-Irish
family, some of whom had settled in the
Keystone state in 171 5. Matthew received
a good education, graduating from the Jef-
ferson College at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania,
at the age of seventeen. He then traveled,
taught school, lectured, and studied law
under Judge Sterrett. He was admitted to
the bar in 1854, was appointed a prothon-
otary in 1855 and elected to the same
oflice in 1856 and 1859. Later he was
made lieutenant of the Pennsylvania Re
serves, lieutenant-colonel and assistant com-
missary-general of the state, private secre-
tary of the famous war governor of Pennsyl-
vania, Andrew G. Curtin, colonel of the
One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Pennsylva-
nia Infantry (nine months men), military
state agent and held other offices at different
times.
Mr. Quay was a member of the house of
representatives of the state of Pennsylvania
from 1865 to 1868. He filled the office of
secretary of the commonwealth from 1872
to 1878, and the position of delegate-at-
large to the Republican national conventions
of 1872, 1876, 1880 and 1888. He was the
editor of the "Beaver Radical" and the
' ' Philadelphia Record " for a time, and held
many offices in the state conventions and on
their committees. He was elected secre-
tary of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
1869, and served three years, and in 1885
was chosen state treasurer. In 1886 his
great abilities pointed him out as the
natural candidate for United States senator,
and he was accordingly elected to that posi-
tion and re-elected thereto in 1892. He
was always noted for a genius for organiza-
tion, and as a political leader had but few
peers. Cool, serene, far-seeing, resourceful,
holding his impulses and forces in hand, he
never quailed from any policy he adopted,
and carried to success most, if not all, of
the political campaigns in which he took
part.
JAMES K. JONES, a noted senator and
political leader, attained national fame
while chairman of the national executive
committee of the Democratic party in the
presidential campaign of 1896. He was a
native of Marshall county, Mississippi, and
was born September 29, 1839. His father,
a well-to-do planter,settled in Dallas county,
Arkansas, in 1848, and there the subject of
this sketch received a careful education.
During the Civil war he served as a private
soldier in the Confederate army. From
1866 to 1873 he passed a quiet life as a
planter, but in the latter year was admitted
to the bar and began the practice of law.
About the same time he was elected to the
Arkansas senate and re-elected in 1874. In
1877 he was made president of the senate
and the following year was unsuccessful in
obtaining a nomination as member of con-
gress. In 1880 he was elected representa-
tive and his ability at once placed him in a
foremost position. He was re-elected to
congress in 1882 and in 1884, and served as
an influential member on the committee of
ways and means. March 4, 1885, Mr. Jones
took his seat in the United States senate to
succeed James D. Walker, and was after-
ward re-elected to the same office. In this
branch of the national legislature his capa-
bilities had a wider scope, and he was rec-
172
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
ognized as one of the ablest leaders of his
party.
On the nomination of William J. Bryan
as its candidate for the presidency by the
national convention of the Deniocratic
party, held in Chicago in 1896, Mr. Jones
was made chairman of the national com-
mittee.
THEODORE THOMAS, one of the most
celebrated musical directors America
has known, was born in the kingdom of Han-
over in 1835, and received his musical educa-
tion from his father. He was avery apt scholar
and played the violin at public concerts at
the age of six years. He came with his
parents to America in 1845, ^^^d joined the
orchestra of the Italian Opera in New York
City. He played the first violin in the
orchestra which accompanied Jenny Lind
in her first American concert. In 1861 Mr.
Thomas established the orchestra that be-
came famous under his management, and
gave his first symphony concerts in New
York in 1864. He began his first "summer
night concerts" in the same city in 1868,
and in 1869 he started on his first tour of
the principal cities in the United States,
which he made every year for many years.
He was director of the College of Music in
Cincinnati, Ohio, but resigned in 1880, after
having held the position for three years.
Later he organized one of the greatest
and most successful orchestras ever brought
together in the city of Chicago, and was
very prominent in musical affairs during the
World's Columbian Exposition, thereby add-
ing greatly to his fame.
CYRUS HALL McCORMICK, the fa-
mous inventor and manufacturer, was
born at Walnut Grove, Virginia, February
15, 1809. When he was seven years old his
father invented a reaping machine. It was
a rude contrivance and not successful. In
1 83 1 Cyrus made his invention of a reaping
machine, and had it patented three years
later. By successive improvements he was
able to keep his machines at the head of
its class during his life. In 1845 he removed
to Cincinnati, Ohio, and two years later
located in Chicago, where he amassed a
great fortune in manufacturing reapers and
harvesting machinery. In 1859 he estab-
lished the Theological Seminary of the
Northwest at Chicago, an institution for pre-
paring young men for the ministry in the
Presbyterian church, and he afterward en-
dowed a chair in the Washington and Lee
College at Lexington, Virginia, He mani-
fested great interest in educational and re-
ligious matters, and by his great wealth he
was able to extend aid and encouragement
to many charitable causes. His death oc-
curred May 13, 1884.
DAVID ROSS LOCKE.— Under the
pen name of Petroleum V. Nasby, this
well-known humorist and writer made for
himself a household reputation, and estab-
lished a school that has many imitators.
The subject of this article was born at
Vestal, Broome county, New York, Sep-
tember 30, 1833. After receiving his edu-
cation in the county of his birth he en-
tered the office of the ' ' Democrat, " at Cort-
land, New York, where he learned the
printer's trade. He was successively editor
and publisher of the ' 'Plymouth Advertiser, "
the "Mansfield Herald," the " Bucyrus
Journal," and the "Findlay Jeffersonian."
Later he became editor of the " Toledo
Blade." In i860 he commenced his
" Nasby" articles, several series of which
have been given the world in book form.
Under a mask of misspelling, and in a quaiot
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
17a
and humorous style, a keen political satire
is couched — a most effective weapon.
Mr. Locke was the author of a num-
ber of serious political pamphlets, and
later on a more pretentious work, " The
Morals of Abou Ben Adhem." As a news-
paper writer he gained many laurels and his
works are widely read. Abraham Lincoln
is said to have been a warm admirer of P.
V. Nasby, of " Confedrit X Roads" fame,
Mr. Locke died at Toledo, Ohio, February
15, 1SS8.
RUSSELL A. ALGER, noted as a sol-
dier, governor and secretary of war,
was born in Medina county, Ohio, February
27, 1836, and was the son of Russell and
Caroline (Moulton) Alger. At the age of
twelve years he was left an orphan and pen-
niless. For about a year he worked for
his board and clothing, and attended school
part of the time. In 1850 he found a place
which paid small wages, and out of his
scanty earnings helped his brother and sister.
While there working on a farm he found
time to attend the Richfield Academy, and
by hard work between times managed to get
a fair education for that time. The last
two years of his attendance at this institu-
tion of learning he taught school during the
winter "months. In 1857 he commenced the
study of law, and was admitted to the bar
in 1859. For a while he found employ-
ment in Cleveland, Ohio, but impaired
health induced him to remove to Grand
Rapids, where he engaged in the lumber
business. He was thus engaged when the
Civil war broke out, and, his business suf-
fering and his savings swept away, he en-
listed as a private in the Second Michigan
Cavalry. He was promoted to be captain
the following month, and major for gallant
conduct at Boonesville, Mississippi, July i.
1862. October 16, 1862, he was made
lieutenant-colonel of the Sixth Michigan
Cavalry, and in February, 1S63, colonel of
the Fifth Michigan Cavalry. He rendered
excellent service in the Gettysburg cam-
paign. He was wounded at Boonesboro,
Maryland, and on returning to his command
took part with Sherman in the campaign in
the Shenandoah Valley. For services ren-
dered, that famous soldier recommended
him for promotion, and he was brevetted
major-general of volunteers. In 1866 Gen-
eral Alger took up his residence at Detroit,
and prospered exceedingly in his business,
which was that of lumbering, and grew
quite wealthy. In 1884 he was a delegate
to the Republican national convention, and
the same year was elected governor of
Michigan, He declined a nomination for
re-election to the latter office, in 1887, and
was the following year a candidate for the
nomination for president. In 1889 he was
elected commander-in-chief of the Grand
Army of the Republic, and at different
times occupied many offices in other or-
ganizations.
In March, 1897, President McKinley
appointed General Alger secretary of war.
CYRUS WEST FIELD, the father of
submarine telegraphy, was the son of
the Rev, David D, Field, D.D., a Congre-
gational minister, and was born at Stock-
bridge, Massachusetts, November 30, 18 19.
He was educated in his native town, and at
the age of fifteen years became a clerk in a
store in New York City. Being gifted with
excellent business ability Mr. Field pros-
pered and became the head of a large mer-
cantile house. In 1853 he spent about six
months in travel in South America. On his
return he became interested in ocean teleg-
[ raphy. Being solicited to aid in the con-
174
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
struction of a land telegraph across New
Foundland to receive the news from a line
of fast steamers it was proposed to run from
from Ireland to St. Johns, the idea struck
him to carry the line across the broad At-
lantic. In 1850 Mr. Field obtained a con-
cession from the legislature of Newfound-
land, giving him the sole right for fifty years
to land submarine cables on the shores of
that island. In company with Peter Cooper,
Moses Taylor, Marshall O. Roberts and
Chandler White, he organized a company
under the name of the New York, New-
foundland & London Telegraph Company.
In two years the line from New York across
Newfoundland was built. The first cable
connecting Cape Breton Island with New-
foundland having been lost in a storm while
being laid in 1855, another was put down in
1856. In the latter year Mr. Field went to
London and organized the Atlantic Tele-
graph Company, furnishing one-fourth of the
capital himself. Both governments loaned
ships to carry out the enterprise. Mr. Field
accompanied the expeditions of 1857 and
two in 1858. The first and second cables
were failures, and the third worked but a
short time and then ceased. The people of
both continents became incredulous of the
feasibility of laying a successful cable under
so wide an expanse of sea, and the war
breaking out shortly after, nothing was done
until 1865-66. Mr. Field, in the former
year, again made the attempt, and the Great
Eastern laid some one thousand two hun-
dred miles when the cable parted and was
lost. The following year the same vessel
succeeded in laying the entire cable, and
picked up the one lost the year before, and
both were carried to America's shore. After
thirteen years of care and toil Mr. Field had
his reward. He was the recipient of many
medals and honors from both home and
abroad. He gave his attention after this
to establishing telegraphic communication
throughout the world and many other large
enterprises, notably the construction of ele-
vated railroads in New York. Mr. Field
died July 1 1, 1892,
G ROVER CLEVELAND, the twenty-
second president of the United States,
was born in Caldwell, Essex county. New
Jersey, March 18, 1837, ^^^d was the son
of Rev. -Richard and Annie (Neale) Cleve-
land. The father, of distinguished New
England ancestry, was a Presbyterian min-
ister in charge of the church at Caldwell at
the time.
When Grover was about three years of
age the family removed to Fayetteville,
Onondaga county, New York, where he
attended the district school, and was in the
academy for a short time. His father be-
lieving that boys should early learn to labor,
Grover entered a village store and worked
for the sum of fifty dollars for the first year.
While he was thus engaged the family re-
moved to Clinton, New York, and there
young Cleveland took up h's studies at the
academy. The death of his father dashed
all his hopes of a collegiate education, the
family being left in straightened circum-
stances, and Grover started out to battle
for himself. After acting for a year (1853-
54) as assistant teacher and bookkeeper in
the Institution for the Blind at New York
City, he went to Buffalo. A short time
after he entered the law office of Rogers,
Bowen & Rogers, of that city, and after a
hard struggle with adverse circumstances,
was admitted to the bar in 1859. He be-
came confidential and managing clerk for
the firm under whom he had studied, and
remained with them until 1863. In the lat-
ter year he was appointed district attorney
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
175
of Erie county. It was during his incum-
bency of this office that, on being nominated
by the Democrats for supervisor, he came
within thirteen votes of election, although
the district was usually Republican by two
hundred and fifty majority. In i866Grover
Cleveland formed a partnership with Isaac
V. Vanderpoel. The most of the work here
fell upon the shoulders of our subject, and
he soon won a good standing at the bar of
the state. In 1869 Mr. Cleveland associated
himself in business with A. P. Laning and
Oscar Folsom, and under the firm name of
Laning, Cleveland & Folsom soon built up a
fair practice. In the fall of 1870 Mr. Cleve-
land was elected sheriff of Erie county, an
office which he filled for four years, after
which he resumed his profession, with L. K.
Bass and Wilson S. Bissell as partners.
This firm was strong and popular and
shortly was in possession of a lucrative
practice. Mr. Bass retired from the firm
in 1879, and George J. Secard was admit-
ted a member in 1 88 1. In the latter year
Mr. Cleveland was elected mayor of Buffalo,
and in 1882 he was chosen governor by
the enormous majority of one hundred and
ninety-two thousand votes. July 11, 1884,
he was nominated for the presidency by the
Democratic national convention, and in
November following was elected.
Mr. Cleveland, after serving one term as
president of the United States, in 1888 was
nominated by his party to succeed himself,
but he failed of the election, being beaten
by Benjamin Harrison. In 1892, however,
being nominated again in opposition to the
then incumbent of the presidency, Mr. Har-
rison, Grover Cleveland was elected pres-
ident for the second time and served for the
usual term of four years. In 1897 Mr.
Cleveland retired from the chair of the first
magistrate of the nation, and in New York
City resumed the practice of law, in which
city he had established himself in 1889.
June 2, 1886, Grover Cleveland was
united in marriage with Miss Frances Fol-
som, the daughter of his former partner.
ALEXANDER WINCHELL, for many
years one of the greatest of American
scientists, and one of the most noted and
prolific writers on scientific subjects, was
born in Duchess county. New York, Decem-
ber 31, 1824. He received a thorough col-
legiate education, and graduated at the
Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connect-
icut, in 1847. His mind took a scientific
turn, which manifested itself while he was
yet a boy, and in 1848 he became teacher
of natural sciences at the Armenian Semi-
nary, in his native state, a position which
he filled for three years. In 185 1-3 he oc-
cupied the same position in the Mesopo-
tamia Female Seminary, in Alabama, after
which he was president of the Masonic Fe-
male Seminary, in Alabama. In 1853 he
became connected with the University of
Michigan, at Ann Arbor, at which institu-
tion he performed the most important work
of his life, and gained a wide reputation as
a scientist. He held many important posi-
tions, among which were the following:
Professor of physics and civil engineering at
the University of Michigan, also of geology,
zoology and botany, and later professor of
geology and palaeontology at the same insti-
tution. He also, for a time, was president
of the Michigan Teachers' Association, and
state geologist of Michigan. Professor
Winchell was a very prolific writeron scien-
tific subjects, and published many standard
works, his most important and widely known
being those devoted to geology. He also
contributed a large number of articles to
scientific and popular journals.
176
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
ANDREW HULL FOOTE, of the
United States navy, was a native of
New England, born at New Haven, Con-
necticut, May 4, 1808. He entered the
navy, as a midshipman, December 4, 1822.
He slowly rose in his chosen profession, at-
taining the rank of lieutenant in 1830, com-
mander in 1852 and captain in 1861.
Among the distinguished men in the break-
ing out of the Civil war, but few stood higher
in the estimation of his brother officers than
Foote, and when, in the fall of 1861, he
was appointed to the command of the flotilla
then building on the Mississippi, the act
gave great satisfaction to the service.
Although embarrassed by want of navy
yards and supplies, Foote threw himself into
his new work with unusual energy. He
overcame all obstacles and in the new, and,
until that time, untried experiment, of creat-
ing and maintaining a navy on a river,
achieved a success beyond the expectations
of the country. Great incredulity existed as
to the possibility of carrying on hostilities
on a river where batteries from the shore
might bar the passage. But in spite of all,
Foote soon had a navy on the great river,
and by the heroic qualities of the crews en-
trusted to him, demonstrated the utility of
this new departure in naval architecture.
All being prepared, February 6, 1862, Foote
took Fort Henry after a hotly-contested
action. On the 14th of the same month,
for an hour and a half engaged the batteries
of Fort Donelson, with four ironclads and
two wooden gunboats, thereby dishearten-
ing the garrison and assisting in its capture.
April 7th of the same year, after several
hotly-contested actions. Commodore Foote
received the surrender of Island No. 10, one
of the great strongholds of the Confederacy
on the Mississippi river. Foote having been
wounded at Fort Donelson, and by neglect
it having become so serious as to endanger
his life, he was forced to resign his command
and return home. June 16, 1862, he re-
ceived the thanks of congress and was pro-
moted to the rank of rear admiral. He was
appointed chief of the bureau of equipment
and recruiting. June 4, 1863, he was
ordered to the fleet off Charleston, to super-
cede Rear Admiral Dupont, but on his way
to that destination was taken sick at New
York, and died June 26, 1863.
NELSON A. MILES, the well-known sol-
dier, was born at Westminster, Massa-
chusetts, August 8, 1839. His ancestors set-
tled in that state in 1643 among the early
pioneers, and their descendants were, many
of them, to be found amiOng those battling
against Great Britain during Revolutionary
times and during the war of 18 12. Nelson
was reared on a farm, received an academic
education, and in early manhood engaged in
mercantile pursuits in Boston. Early in
1 86 1 he raised a company and offered his
services to the government, and although
commissioned as captain, on account of his
youth went out as first lieutenant in the
Twenty -second Massachusetts Infantry. In
1862 he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel
and colonel of the Sixty-first New York In-
fantry. At the request of Generals Grant
and Meade he was made a brigadier by
President Lincoln. He participated in all
but one of the battles of the Army of the
Potomac until the close of the war. During
the latter part of the time he commanded
the first division of the Second Corps.
General Miles was wounded at the battles
of Fair Oaks, Fredericksburg and Chan-
cellorsville, and received four brevets for
distinguished service. During the recon-
struction period he commanded in North
Carolina, and on the reorganization of the
COMPENDir.\f OF BIOGRAPHT.
177
regular army he was made colonel of in-
fantry. In 1880 he was promoted to the
rank of brigadier-general, and in 1890 to
that of major-general. He successfully con-
ducted several campaigns among the In-
dians, and his name is known among the
tribes as a friend when they are peacefully
inclined. He many times averted war
with the red men by judicious and humane
settlement of difficulties without the military
power. In 1892 General Miles was given
command of the proceedings in dedicating
the World's Fair at Chicago, and m the
summer of 1894, during the great railroad
strike at the same city. General Miles, then
in command of the department, had the
disposal of the troops sent to protect the
United States mails. On the retirement of
General J. M. Schofield, in 1895, General
Miles became the ranking major-general of
the United States army and the head of its
forces.
JUNIUS BRUTUS BOOTH, the great
actor, though born in London (1796}, is
more intimately connected with the Amer-
ican than with the English stage, and his
popularity in America was almost un-
bounded, while in England he was not a
prime favorite. He presented " Richard III. "
in Richmond on his first appearance on the
American stage in 1821. This was his
greatest role, and in it he has never had an
equal. In October of the same year he
appeared in New York. After a long and
successful career he gave his final perform-
ance at New Orleans in 1852. He con-
tracted a severe cold, and for lack of proper
medical attention, it resulted in his death
on November 30th of that year. He was,
without question, one of the greatest tra-
gedians that ever lived. In addition to his
professional art and genius, he was skilled
in languages, drawing, painting and sculp-
ture. In his private life he was reserved,
and even eccentric. Strange stories are
related of his peculiarities, and on his farm
near Baltimore he forbade the use of animal
food, the taking of animal life, and even the
felling of trees, and brought his butter and
eggs to the Baltimore markets in person.
Junius Brutus Booth, known as the elder
Booth, gave to the world three sons of note:
Junius Brutus Booth, Jr., the husband of
Agnes Booth, the actress; John Wilkes
Booth, the author of the greatest tragedy
in the life of our nation; Edwin Booth, in
his day the greatest actor of America, if not
of the world.
TAMES MONTGOMERY BAILEY, fa-
<j nious as the "Danbury News Man,"
v/as one of the best known American humor-
ists, and was born September 25, 1841, at
Albany, N. Y. He adopted journalism as a
profession and started in his chosen work on
the "Danbury Times," which paper he pur-
chased on his return from the war. Mr.
Bailey also purchased the '"Jeffersonian,"
another paper of Danbury, and consolidated
them, forming the "Danbury News," which
paper soon acquired a celebrity throughout
the United States, from an incessant flow of
rich, healthy, and original humor, which the
pen of the editor imparted to its columns,
and he succeeded in raising the circulation
of the paper from a few hundred copies a
week to over forty thousand. The facilities
of a country printing office were not so com-
plete in those days as they are now, but Mr.
Bailey was resourceful, and he put on re-
lays of help and ran his presses night and
day, and always prepared his matter a week
ahead of time. The "Danbury News Man"
was a new figure in literature, as his humor
was so different from that of the newspaper
ITS
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
wits — who had preceded him, and he maybe
called the pioneer of that school now so
familiar. Mr. Bailey published in book
form "Life in Danbury" and "The Danbury
News Man's Almanac. " One of his most
admirable traits was philanthrophy, as he
gave with unstinted generosity to all comers,
and died comparatively poor, notwithstand-
ing his ownership of a very profitable busi-
ness which netted him an income of $40,000
a year. He died March 4, 1894.
MATTHEW HALE CARPENTER, a
famous lawyer, orator and senator,
was born in Moretown, Vermont, December
22, 1824. After receiving a common-school
education he entered the United States
Military Academy at West Point, but only
remained two years. On returning to his
home he commenced the study of law with
Paul Dillingham, afterwards governor of
Vermont, and whose daughter he married.
In 1847 he was admitted to practice at the
bar in Vermont, but he went to Boston and
for a time studied with Ruf us Choate. In 1 848
he moved west, settling at Beloit, Wisconsin,
and commencing the practice of his profes-
sion soon obtained a wide reputation for
ability. In 1856 Mr. Carpenter removed to
Milwaukee, where he found a wider field for
his now increasing powers. During the
Civil war, although a strong Democrat, he
was loyal to the government and aided the
Union cause to his utmost. In 1868 he
was counsel for the government in a test
case to settle the legality of the reconstruc-
tion act before the United States supreme
court, and won his case against Jeremiah S.
Black. This gave him the election for sen-
ator from Wisconsin in 1869, and he served
until 1875, during part of which time he was
president /;v /^w/t'r^ of the senate. Failing
of a re-election Mr. Carpenter resumed the
practice of law, and when William W.
Belknap, late secretary of war, was im-
peached, entered the case for General
Belknap, and secured an acquittal. During
the sitting of the electoral commission of
1877, Mr. Carpenter appeared for Samuel
J. Tilden, although the Republican man-
agers had intended to have him represent
R. B. Hayes. Mr. Carpenter was elected
to the United States senate again in 1879,
and remained a member of that body until
the day of his death, which occurred at
Washington, District of Columbia, Feb-
ruary 24, 1 88 1.
Senator Carpenter's real name was De-
catur Merritt Hammond Carpenter but about
1852 he changed it to the one by which he
was universally known.
THOMAS E. WATSON, lawyer and
congressman, the well-known Geor-
gian, whose name appears at the head of
this sketch, made himself a place in the his-
tory of our country by his ability, energy
and fervid oratory. He was born in Col-
umbia (now McDuffie) county, Georgia,
September 5, 1856. He had a common-
school education, and in 1872 entered Mer-
cer University, at Macon, Georgia, as fresh-
man, but for want of money left the college
at the end of his sophomore year. He
taught school, studying law at the same
time, until 1875, when he was admitted to
the bar. He opened an office and com-
menced practice in Thomson, Georgia, in
November, 1876. He carried on a success-
ful business, and bought land and farmed on
an extensive scale.
Mr. Watson was a delegate to the Demo-
cratic state convention of 1880, and was a
member of the house of representatives of
the legislature of his native state in 1882.
In 1888 he was an elector-at-large on the
COMPENDIUAf OF BIOGRAPIIT.
179
Cleveland ticket, and in 1890 was elected
to represent his district in the fifty-second
conf;res3. This latter election is said to have
been due .entirely to Mr. Watson's "dash-
ing display of ability, eloquence and popular
power." In his later years he championed
the alliance principles and policies until he
became a leader in the movement. In the
heated campaign of 1896, Mr. Watson was
nominated as the candidate for vice-presi-
dent on the Bryan ticket by that part of the
People's party that would not endorse the
nominee for the same position made by the
Democratic party.
FREDERICK A. P. BARNARD, mathe-
matician, physicist and educator, was
born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, May 5, 1 809.
He graduated from Yale College in 1828, and
in 1830 became a tutor in the same. From
1837 to 1848 he was professor of mathe-
matics and natural philosophy in the Uni-
versity of Alabama, and from 1848 to 1850,
professor of chemistry and natural history
in the same educational institution. In
1854 he became connected with the Univer-
sity of Mississippi, of which he became
president in 1856, and chancellor in 1858.
In 1854 he took orders in the Protestant
Episcopal church. In 1861 Professor Barnard
resigned his chancellorship and chair in the
university, and in 1863 and 1864 was con-
nected with the United States coast survey
in charge of chart printing and lithography.
In May, 1864, he was elected president of
Columbia College, New York City, which
he served for a number of years.
Professor Barnard received the honorary
degree of LL. D. from Jefferson College,
Mississippi, in 1855, and from Yale College
in 1859; also the degree of S. T, D. from
the University of Mississippi in 1861, and
that of L. H. D. from the regents of the
University of the State of New York in 1872.
In i860 he was a member of the eclipse
party sent by the United States coast sur-
vey to Labrador, and during his absence
was elected president of the American Asso-
ciation for the Advancement of Science. In.
the act of congress establishing the National
Academy of Sciences in 1863, he was named
as one of the original corporators. In 1867
he was one of the United States commis-
sioners to the Paris Exposition. He was
a member of the American Philosophical
Society, associate member of the Amer-
ican Academy of Arts and Sciences, and
many other philosophical and scientific
societies at home and abroad. Dr. Barnard
was thoroughly identified with the progress
of the age in those branches. His published
works relate wholly to scientific or educa-
tional subjects, chief among which are the
following: Report on Collegiate Education;
Art Culture; History of the American Coast
Survey; University Education; Undulatory
Theory of Light; Machinery and Processes
of the Industrial Arts, and Apparatus of the
Exact Sciences, Metric System of Weights
and Measures, etc.
EDWIN McMASTERS STANTON, the
secretary of war during the great Civil
war, was recognized as one of America's
foremost public men. He was born Decem-
ber 19, 1814, at Steubenville, Ohio, where
he received his education and studied law.
He was admitted to the bar in 1836, and
was reporter of the supreme court of Ohio
from 1842 until 1S45. He removed to
Washington in 1856 to attend to his prac-
tice before the United States supreme
court, and in 1858 he went to California as
counsel for the government in certain land
cases, which he carried to a successful
conclusion. Mr. Stanton was appointed
180
^ZMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPSCl,
attorney-general of the United States in
December, i860, by President Buchanan.
On March 4, 1861, Mr. Stanton went with
the outgoing administration and returned to
the practice of his profession. He was
appointed secretary of war by President
Lincoln January 20, 1862, to succeed Simon
Cameron. After the assassination of Presi-
dent Lincoln and the accession of Johnson
to the presidency, Mr. Stanton was still in
the same office. He held it for three years,
and by his strict adherence to the Repub-
lican party, he antagonized President John-
son, who endeavored to remove him. On
August 5, 1867, the president requested him
to resign, and appointed General Grant to
succeed him, but when congress convened
in December the senate refused to concur in
the suspension. Mr. Stanton returned to
his post until the president again removed
him from office, but was again foiled by
congress. Soon after, however, he retired
voluntarily from office and tooic up the
practice of law, in which he engaged until
his death, on December 24, 1869.
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, the eminent
theologian and founder of the church
known as Disciples of Christ, was born in
the country of Antrim, Ireland, in June,
1788, and was the son of Rev. Thomas
Campbell, a Scoth-Irish "Seceder. " After
studying at the Universit}^ of Glasgow, he,
in company with his father, came to America
in 1808, and both began labor in v^^estern
Pennsylvania to restore Christianity to
apostolic simplicity. They organized a
church at Brush Run, Washington county,
Pennsylvania, in 181 1, which, however, the
year following, adopted Baptist views, and
in 1 81 3, with other congregations joined a
Baptist association. Some of the under-
lying principles and many practices of the
Campbells and their disciples were repug-
nant to the Baptist church and considerable
friction was the result, and 1827 saw the
separation of that church from the Church
of Christ, as it is sometimes called. The
latter then reorganized themselves anew.
They reject all creeds, professing to receive
the Bible as their only guide. In most mat-
ters of faith they are essentially in accord with
the other Evangelical Christian churches,
especially in regard to the person and work
of Christ, the resurrection and judgment.
They celebrate the Lord's Supper weekly,
hold that repentance and faith should precede
baptism, attaching much importance to the
latter ordinance. On all other points they
encourage individual liberty of thought. In
1 841, Alexander Campbell founded Bethany
College, West Virginia, of which he was
president for many years, and died March 4,
1866.
The denomination which they founded
is quite a large and important church body
in the United States. They support quite
a number of institutions of learning, among
which are: Bethany College, West Virginia;
Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio; Northwestern
Christian University, Indianapolis, Indiana;
Eureka College, Illinois; Kentucky Univer-
sity, Lexington, Kentucky; Oskaloosa
College, Iowa; and a number of seminaries
and schools. They also support several
monthly and quarterly religious periodicals
and many papers, both in the United States
and Great Britain and her dependencies.
WILLIAM L.WILSON, the noted West
Virginian, who was postmaster-gener-
al under President Cleveland's second ad-
ministration, won distinction as the father
of the famous " Wilson bill," which became
a law under the same administration. Mr.
Wilson was born May 3, 1843, i" Jeffer-
COMPENDIU.^r OF BIOGRAPIIT.
181
son county, West Virginia, and received
a good education at the Charlestown
Academy, where he prepared himself for
college. He attended the Columbian Col-
lege in the District of Columbia, from
which he graduated in i860, and then
attended the University of Virginia. Mr.
Wilson served in the Confederate army dur-
ing the war, after which he was a professor
in Columbian College. Later he entered
into the practice of law at Charlestown.
He attended the Democratic convention
held at Cincinnati in 1880, as a delegate,
and later was chosen as one of the electors
for the state-at-large on the Hancock
ticket. In the Democratic convention at
Chicago in 1892, Mr. Wilson was its per-
manent president. He was elected pres-
ident of the West Virginia University in
1882, entering upon the duties of his office
on September 6, but having received the
nomination for the forty-seventh congress
on the Democratic ticket, he resigned the
presidency of the university in June, 1883,
to take his seat in congress. Mr. Wil-
son was honored by the Columbian Uni-
versity and the Hampden-Sidney College,
both of which conferred upon him the de-
gree of LL. D. In 1884 he was appointed
regent of the Smithsonian Institution at
Washington for two years, and at the end
of his term was re-appointed. He was
elected to the forty-seventh, forty-ninth,
fiftieth, fifty-first, fifty-second and fifty-
third congresses, but was defeated for re-
election to the fifty-fourth congress. Upon
the resignation of Mr. Bissell from the office
of postmaster-general, Mr. Wilson was ap-
pointed to fill the vacancy by President
Cleveland. His many years of public serv-
ice and the prominent part he took in the
discussion of public questions gave him a
national reputation.
CALVIN S. BRICE, a successful and
noted financier and politician, was
born at Denmark, Ohio, September 17,
1845, of an old Maryland family, who trace
their lineage from the Bryces, or Bruces, of
Airth, Scotland. The father of our subject
was a prominent Presbyterian clergyman,
who removed to Ohio in 1812. Calvin S.
Brice was educated in the common schools
of his native town, and at the age of thir-
teen entered the preparatory department of
Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, and the
following year entered the freshman class.
On the breaking out of the Civil war,
although but fifteen years old, he enlisted in
a company of three-months men. He re-
turned to complete his college course, but
re-enlisted in Company A, Eighty-sixth
Ohio Infantry, and served in the Virginia
campaign. He then returned to college,
from which he graduated in 1863. In 1864
he organized Company E, One Hundred
and Eightieth Ohio Infantry, and served
until the close of hostilities, in the western
armies.
On his return home Mr. Brice entered
the law department of the University of
Michigan, and in 1866 was admitted to the
bar in Cincinnati. In the winter of 1870-
71 he went to Europe in the interests of the
Lake Erie & Louisville Railroad and pro-
cured a foreign loan. This road became
the Lake Erie & Western, of which, in
1887, Mr. Brice became president. This
was the first railroad in which he had a
personal interest. The conception, build-
ing and sale of the New York, Chicago &
St. Louis Railroad, known as the "Nickel
Plate," was largely due to him. He was
connected with many other railroads, among
which may be mentioned the following:
Chicago & Atlantic; Ohio Central; Rich-
mond & Danville; Richmond & West Point
182
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Terminal; East Tennessee, Virginia &
Georgia; Memphis & Charleston; Mobile &
Birmingham; Kentucky Central; Duluth,
South Shore & Atlantic, and the Marquette,
Houghton & Ontonagon. In 1890 he was
elected United States senator from Ohio.
Notwithstanding his extensive business inter-
ests, Senator Brice gave a considerable
time to political matters, becoming one of
the leaders of the Democratic party and one
of the most widely known men in the
country.
BENJAMIN HARRISON, twenty-third
president of the United States, was
born August 20, 1833, at North Bend,
Hamilton county, Ohio, in the house of his
grandfather, General William Henry Har-
rison, afterwards president of the United
States. His great-grandfather, Benjamin
Harrison, was a member of the Continental
congress, signed the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and was three times elected gov-
ernor of Virginia.
The subject of this sketch entered Farm-
ers College at an early age, and two years
later entered Miami University, at Oxford,
Ohio. Upon graduation he entered the
office of Stover & Gwyne, of Cincinnati, as a
law student. He was admitted to the bar
two years later, and having inherited about
eight hundred dollars worth of property, he
married the daughter of Doctor Scott, pres-
ident of a female school at Oxford, Ohio,
and selected Indianapolis, Indiana, to begin
practice. In i860 he was nominated by
the Republicans as candidate for state
supreme court reporter, and did his first
political speaking in that campaign. He
was elected, and after tM'o years in that
position he organized the Seventieth Indi-
ana Infantry, of which he was made colonel,
and with his regiment joined General Sher-
man's army. For bravery displayed at Re-
saca and Peach Tree Creek he was made a
brigadier-general. In the meantime the
office of supreme court reporter had been
declared vacant, and another party elected
to fill it. In the fall of 1864, having been
nominated for that office. General Harrison
obtained a thirty-day leave of absence, went
to Indiana, canvassed the state and was
elected. As he was about to rejoin his
command he was stricken down by an attack
of fever. After his recovery he joined
General Sherman's army and participated in
the closing events of the war.
In 1868 General Harrison declined to
be a candidate for the office of supreme
court reporter, and returned to the practice
of the law. His brilliant campaign for the
office of governor of Indiana in 1876,
brought him into public notice, although he
was defeated. He took a prominent part
in the presidential canvass of 1880, and was
chosen United States senator from Indiana,
serving six years. He then returned to the
practice of his profession. In 1888 he was
selected by the Republican convention at
Chicago as candidate for the presidency, and
after a heated campaign was elected over
Cleveland. He was inaugurated March 4,
1889, and signed the McK^inley bill October
I, 1890, perhaps the most distinctive feature
of his administration. In 1892 he was
again the nominee of the Republican party
for president, but was defeated by Grover
Cleveland, the Democratic candidate, and
again resumed the practice of law in Indian-
apolis.
JOHN CRAIG HAVEMEYER, the
<j celebrated merchant and sugar refiner,
was born in New York City in 1833. His
father, William F. Havemeyer, and grand-
father, William Havemeyer, were both sugar
COMPIiXDIi/M OF niOGRAPIir.
183
refiners. The latter named came from
Buckeburg, Germany, in 1799. and settled
in New York, establishing one of the first
refineries in that city. William F. succeeded
his father, and at an early age retired from
business with a competency. He was three
times mayor of his native city, New York.
John C. Havemeyer was educated in
private schools, and was prepared for college
at Columbia College grammar school.
Owing to failing eyesight he was unable to
finish his college course, and began his
business career in a wholesale grocery store,
where he remained two years. In 1854,
after a year's travel abroad, he assumed the
responsibility of the ofBce work in the sugar
refinery of Havemeyer & Molter, but two
years later etablished a refinery of his own
in Brooklyn. This afterwards developed into
the immense business of Havemeyer & Elder.
The capital was furnished by his father,
and, chafing under the anxiety caused by the
use of borrowed money, he sold out his
interest and returned to Havemeyer &
Molter. This firm dissolving the next year,
John C. declined an offer of partnership
from the successors, not wishing to use
borrowed money. For two years he remain-
ed with the house, receiving a share of the
profits as compensation. For some years
thereafter he was engaged in the commission
business, until failing health caused his
retirement. In 1871, he again engaged in
the sugar refining business at Greenport,
Long Island, with his brother and another
partner, under the firm name of Havemeyer
Brothers & Co. Here he remained until
1880, when his health again declined.
During the greater part of his life Mr.
Havemeyer was identified with many benev-
olent societies, including the New York
Port Society, Missionary Society of the
Methodist Church, American Bible Society,
New York Sabbath School Society and
others. He was active in Young Men's
Christian Association work in New York,
and organized and was the first president of
an affiliated society of the same at Yonkers.
He was director of several railroad corpo-
rations and a trustee of the Continental Trust
Company of New York.
WALTER OUIXTIN GRESHAM, an
eminent American statesman and
jurist, was born March 17, 1833, near Cory-
don, Harrison county, Indiana. He ac-
quired his education m the local schools of
the county an>;l at Bloomington Academy,
akhough he did not graduate. After leav-
ing college he rsad law with Judge Porter
at Cor3don, and just before the war he be-
gan to take an interest in politics. Mr.
Gresham was elected to the legislature from
Harrison county as a Republican; previous
to this the district had been represented by
a Democrat. At the commencement of
hostilities he was made lieutenant-colonel of
the Thirty-eighth Indiana Infantry, but
served in that regiment only a short time,
when he was appointed colonel of the Fifty-
third Indiana, and served under General
Grant at the siege of Vicksburg as brigadier-
general. Later he was under Sherman in
the famous "March to the Sea," and com-
manded a division of Blair's corps at the
siege of Atlanta where he was so badly
wounded in the leg that he was compelled
to return home. On his way home he was
forced to stop at New Albany, where he re-
mained a year before he was able to leave.
He was brevetted major-general at the close
of the war. While at New Albany. Mr.
Gresham was appointed state agent, his
duty being to pay the interest on the state
debt in New York, and he ran twice for
congress against ex-Speaker Kerr, but was
184
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
defeated in both cases, although he greatly
reduced the Democratic majority. He was
held in high esteem by President Grant,
who offered him the portfolio of the interior
but Mr. Gresham declined, but accepted
the appointment of United States judge for
Indiana to succeed David McDonald.
Judge Gresham served on the United States
district court bench until 1883, when he
was appointed postmaster-general by Presi-
dent Arthur, but held that office only a few
months when he was made secretary of the
treasury. Near the end of President
Arthur's term, Judge Gresham was ap-
pointed judge of the United States circuit
court of the district composed of Indiana,
Illinois and contiguous states, which he held
until 1893. Judge Gresham was one of the
presidential possibilities in the National Re-
publican convention in 1888, when General
Harrison was nominated, and was also men-
tioned for president in 1892. Later the
People's party made a strenuous effort to
induce him to become their candidate for
president, he refusing the offer, however,
and a few weeks before the election he an-
nounced that he would support Mr. Cleve-
land, the Democratic nominee for president.
Upon the election of Mr. Cleveland in the
fall of 1892, Judge Gresham was made the
secretary of state, and filled that position
until his death on May 28, 1895, ^t Wash-
ington, District of Columbia.
ELISHA B. ANDREWS, noted as an ed-
ucator and college president, was born
at Hinsdale, New Hampshire, January 10,
1844, his father and mother being Erastus
and Elmira (Bartlett) Andrews. In 1861,
he entered the service of the general gov-
ernment as private and non-commissioned
officer in the First Connecticut Heavy Ar-
tillery, and in 1863 was promoted to the
rank of second lieutenant. Returning home
he was prepared for college at Powers In-
stitute and at the Wesleyan Academy, and
entered Brown University. From here he
was graduated in 1870. For the succeeding
two years he was principal of the Connecti-
cut Literary Institute at Suffield, Connecticut.
Completing a course at the Newton Theo-
logical Institute, he was ordained pastor of
the First Baptist church at Beverly, Massa-
chusetts, July 2, 1874. The following
year he became president of the Denison
University, at Granville, Ohio. In 1879
he accepted the professorship of homiletics,
pastoral duties and church polity at Newton
Theological Institute. In 1882 he was
elected to the chair of history and political
economy at Brown University. The Uni-
versity of Nebraska honored him with an
LL. D. in 1884, and the same year Colby
University conferred the degree of D. D.
In 1888 he became professor of political
economy and public economy at Cornell
University, but the next year returned to
Brown University as its president. From
the time of his inauguration the college work
broadened in many ways. Many timely
and generous donations from friends and
alumni of the college were influenced by
him, and large additions made to the same.
Professor Andrews published, in 1887,
"Institutes of General History," and in
1888, " Institutes of Economics."
JOHN WILLIAM DRAPER, the subject
of the present biography, was, during his
life, one of the most distinguished chemists
and scientific writers in America. He was
an Englishman by birth, born at Liverpool,
May 5, 181 1, and was reared in his native
land, receiving an excellent education,
graduating at the University of London. In
1833 he came to the United States, and
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
187
settled first in Pennsylvania. He graduated
in medicine at the University of Philadel-
phia, in 1836, and for three years following
was professor of chemistry and physiology
at Hampdcn-Sidney College. He then be-
came professor of chemistry in the New York
University, with which institution he was
prominently connected for many years. It
is stated on excellent authority that Pro-
fessor Draper, in 1839, took the first photo-
graphic picture ever taken from life. He
was a great student, and carried on many
important and intricate experiments along
scientific lines. He discovered many of the
fundamental facts of spectrum analysis,
which he published. He published a number
of works of great merit, many of which are
recognized as authority upon the subjects of
which they treat. Among his work were:
"Human Physiology, Statistical and Dyna-
mical of the Conditions and Cause of Life
in Man," "History of Intellectual Develop-
ment of Europe," "History of the Ameri-
can Civil War," besides a number of works
on chemistry, optics and mathematics. Pro-
fessor Draper continued to hold a high place
among the scientific scholars of America
until his death, which occurred in January,
1882.
GEORGE W. PECK, ex-governor of
the state of Wisconsin and a famous
journalist and humorist, was born in Jeffer-
son county. New York, September 28, 1840.
When he was about three years of age his
parents removed to Wisconsin, settling near
Whitewater, where young Peck received his
education at the public schools. At fifteen
he entered the office of the "Whitewater
Register." where he learned the printer's
art. He helped start the "Jefferson County
Republican" later on, but sold out his
interest therein and set type in the office of
11
the "State Journal," at Madison. At the
outbreak of the war he enlisted in the
Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry as a private, and
after serving four years returned a second
lieutenant. He then started the " Ripon
Representative," which he sold not long
after, and removing to New York, was on
the staff of Mark Pomeroy's "Democrat."
Going to La Crosse, later, he conducted the
La Crosse branch paper, a half interest in
which he bought in 1874. He next started
"Peck's Sun," which four years later he
removed to Milwaukee. While in La
Crosse he was chief of police one year, and
also chief clerk of the Democratic assembly
in 1874. It was in 1878 that Mr. Peck
took his paper to Milwaukee, and achieved
his first permanent success, the circulation
increasing to 80,000. For ten years he was
regarded as one of the most original, versa-
tile and entertaining writers in the country,
and he has delineated every phase of
country newspaper life, army life, domestic
experience, travel and city adventure. Up
to 1890 Mr. Peck took but little part in
politics, but in that year was elected mayor
of Milwaukee on the Democratic ticket.
The following August he was elected gov-
ernor of Wisconsin by a large majority,
the "Bennett School Bill" figuring to a
large extent in his favor.
Mr. Peck, besides many newspaper arti-
cles in his peculiar vein and numerous lect-
ures, bubbling over with fun, is known to
fame by the following books: "Peck's Bad
Boy and his Pa," and "The Grocery Man
and Peck's Bad Boy."
CHARLES O'CONOR, who was for
many years the acknowledged leader
of the legal profession of New York City,
was also conceded to be one of the greatest
lawyers America has produced. He was
188
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
born in New York City in 1804, his father
being an educated Irish gentleman. Charles
received a common-school education, and
early took up the study of law, being ad-
mitted to practice in 1824. His close ap-
plication and untiring energy and industry
soon placed him in the front rank of the
profession, and within a few years he was
handling many of the most important cases.
One of the first great cases he had and which
gained him a wide reputation, was that of
"Jack, the Fugitive Slave," in 1835, in which
his masterful argument before the supreme
court attracted wide attention and com-
ment. Charles O'Conor was a Democrat
all his life. He did not aspire to office-
holding, however, and never held any office
except that of district attorney under Presi-
dent Pierce's administration, which he only
retained a short time. He took an active
interest, however, in public questions, and
was a member of the state (New York) con-
stitutional convention in 1864. In 1868 he
was nominated for the presidency by the
" Extreme Democrats." His death occurred
in May, 1884.
SIMON BOLIVAR BUCKNER, a noted
American officer and major-general in
the Confederate army, was born in Ken-
tucky in 1823. He graduated from West
Point Military Academy in 1844, served in
the United States infantry and was later as-
signed to commissary duty with the rank of
captain. He served several years at fron-
tier posts, and was assistant professor in the
military academy in 1846. He was with
General Scott in the Mexican war, and en-
gaged in all the battles from Vera Cruz to
the capture of the Mexican capital. He
was wounded at Cherubusco and brevetted
first lieutenant, and at Molino del Rey was
brevetted captain. After the close of the
Mexican war he returned to West Point as
assistant instructor, and was then assigned
to commissary duty at New York. He re-
signed in 1855 and became superintendent
of construction of the Chicago custom house.
He was made adjutant-general, with the
rank of colonel, of Illinois militia, and was
colonel of Illinois volunteers raised for the
Utah expedition, but was not mustere<i into
service. In i860 he removed to Kentucky,
where he settled on a farm near Louisville
and became inspector-general in command
of the Kentucky Home Guards. At the
opening of the Civil war he joined the Con-
federate army, and was given command at
Bowling Green, Kentucky, which he was
compelled to abandon after the capture of
Fort Henry. He then retired to Fort Don-
elson, and was there captured with sixteen
thousand men, and an immense store of pro-
visions, by General Grant, in February,
1862. He was held as a prisoner of war
at Fort Warren until August of that year.
He commanded a division of Hardee's corps
in Bragg's Army of the Tennessee, and was
afterward assigned to the third division and
participated in the battles of Chickamauga,
and Murfreesboro. He was with Kirby
Smith when that general surrendered his
army to General Canby in May, 1865. He
was an unsuccessful candidate for the vice-
presidency on the Gold Democratic ticket
with Senator John M. Palmer in 1896.
SIMON KENTON, one of the famous pio-
neers and scouts whose names fill the
pages of the early history of our country,
was born in Fauquier county, Virginia,
April 3, 1755. In consequence of an affray,
at the age of eighteen, young Kenton went
to Kentucky, then the "Dark and Bloody
Ground," and became associated with Dan-
iel Boone and other pioneers of that region.
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
18&
For a short time he acted as a scout and
spy for Lord Dunmore, the British governor
of Virginia, but afterward taking the side
of the strugghng colonists, participated in
the war for independence west of the Alle-
ghanies. In 1784 he returned to Virginia,
but did not remain there long, going back
with his family to Kentucky. From
that time until 1793 he participated in all
the combats and battles of that time, and
until "Mad Anthony" Wayne swept the
Valley of the Ohio, and settled the suprem-
acy of the whites in that region. Kenton
laid claim to large tracts of land in the new
country he had helped to open up, but
through ignorance of law, and the growing
value of the land, lost it all and was reduced
to poverty. During the war with England
in 1812-15, Kenton took part in the inva-
sion of Canada with the Kentucky troops
and participated in the battle of the Thames.
He finally had land granted him by the
legislature of Kentucky, and received a pen-
sion from the United States government.
He died in Logan county, Ohio, April 29,
1836.
ELIHU BENJAMIN WASHBURNE, an
American statesman of eminence, was
born in Livermore, Maine, September 23,
1 8 16. He learned the trade of printer, but
abandoned that calling at the age of eight-
een and entered the Kent's Hill Academy at
Reading, Maine, and then took up the study
of law, reading in Hallowell, Boston, and at
the Harvard Law School. He began prac-
tice at Galena, Illinois, in 1840. He was
elected to congress in 1852, and represented
his district in that body continuously until
March, 1869, and at the time of his retire-
ment he had served a greater number of
consecutive terms than any other member
of the house. In 1873 President Grant ap-
pointed him secretary of state, which posi-
tion he resigned to accept that of minister
to France. During the Franco-Prussian
war, including the siege of Paris and the
reign of the Commune, Mr. Washburne re-
mained at his post, protecting the lives and
property of his countrymen, as well as that
of other foreign residents in Paris, while the
ministers of all other powers abandoned
their posts at a time when they were most
needed. As far as possible he extended
protection to unfortunate German residents,
who were the particular objects of hatred of
the populace, and his firmness and the suc-
cess which attended his efforts won the ad-
miration of all Europe. Mr. Washburne
died at Chicago, Illinois, October 22, 1887.
WILLIAM CRAMP, one of the most
extensive shipbuilders of this coun-
try, was born in Kensington, then a suburb,
now a part of Philadelphia, in 1806. He
received a thorough English education, and
when he left school was associated with
Samuel Grice, one of the most eminent
naval architects of his day. In 1830, hav-
ing mastered all the details of shipbuilding,
Mr. Cramp engaged in business on his own
account. By reason of ability and excel-
lent work he prospered from the start, until
now, in the hands of his sons, under the
name of William Cramp & Sons' Ship and
Engine Building Company, it has become the
most complete shipbuilding plant and naval
arsenal in the western hemisphere, and fully
equal to any in the world. As Mr. Cramp's
sons attained manhood they learned their
father's profession, and were admitted to a
partnership. In 1872 the firm was incor-
porated under the title given above. Until
i860 wood was used in building vessels, al-
though pace was kept with all advances in
the art of shipbuilding. At the opening of
190
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
the war came an unexpected demand for
war vessels, which they promptly met. The
sea-going ironclad "New Ironsides" was
built by them in 1862, followed by a num-
ber of formidable ironclads and the cruiser
"Chattanooga." They subsequently built
several war vessels for the Russian and
other governments which added to their
reputation. When the American steamship
line was established in 1870, the Cramps
were commissioned to build for it four first-
class iron steamships, the "Pennsylvania,"
"Ohio," "Indiana" and "Illinois," which
they turned out in rapid order, some of the
finest specimens of the naval architecture of
their day. William Cramp remained at the
head of the great company he had founded
until his death, which occurred January 6,
1879.
Charles H. Cramp, the successor of his
father as head of the William Cramp &
Sons' Ship and Engine Building Company,
was born in Philadelphia May 9, 1829, and
received an excellent education in his native
city, Vv'hich he sedulously sought to sup-
plement by close study until he became
an authority on general subjects and the
best naval architect on the western hemis-
phere. Many of the best vessels of our
new navy were built by this immense con-
cern.
WASHINGTON ALLSTON, probably
the greatest American painter, was
born in South Carolina in 1779. He was
sent to school at the age of seven years at
Newport, Rhode Island, where he met Ed-
ward Malbone, two years his senior, and
who later became a pamter of note. The
friendship that sprang up between them un-
doubtedly influenced young Allston in the
choice of a profession. He graduated from
Harvard in 1800, and went to England the
following year, after pursuing his studies for
a year under his friend Malbone at his home
in South Carolina. He became a student
at the Royal Academy v/here the great
American, Benjamin West, presided, and
who became his intimate friend. Allston
later went to Paris, and then to Italy, where
four years were spent, mostly at Rome. In
1809 he returned to America, but soon after
returned to London, having married in the
meantime a sister of Dr. Channing. In
a short time his first great work appeared,
"The Dead Man Restored to Life by the
Bones of Elisha, " which took the British
Association prize and firmly established his
reputation. Other paintings followed in
quick succession, the greatest among which
were "Uriel in the Center of the Sun,"
"Saint Peter Liberated by the Angel," and
"Jacob's Dream," supplemented by many
smaller pieces. Hard work, and grief at the
death of his wife began to tell upon his health,
and he left London in 18 18 for America.
The same year he was elected an associate
of the Royal Academy. During the next
few years he painted "Jeremiah," "Witch
ofEndor," and "Beatrice." In 1830 Alls-
ton married a daughter of Judge Dana, and
went to Cambridge, which was his home
until his death. Here he produced the
"Vision of the Bloody Hand," "Rosalie,"
and many less noted pieces, and had given
one week of labor to his unfinished master-
piece, "Belshazzar's Feast," when death
ended his career July 9, 1843.
JOHN ROACH, ship builder and manu-
facturer, whose career was a marvel of,
industrial labor, and who impressed his in-
dividuality and genius upon the times in
which he lived more, perhaps, than any
other manufacturer in America. He was
born at Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ire-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
191
land, December 25, 181 5, the son of a
wealthy merchant. He attended school
until he was thirteen, when his father be-
came financially embarrassed and failed
and shortly after died; John determined to
come to America and carve out a fortune
for himself. He landed in New York at the
age of sixteen, and soon obtained employ-
ment at the Howell Iron Works in New Jer-
sey, at twenty-five cents a day. He soon
made himself a place in the world, and at
the end of three years had saved some
twelve hundred dollars, which he lost by
the failure of his employer, in whose hands
it was left. Returning to New York he
began to learn how to make castings for
marine engines and ship work. Having
again accumulated one thousand dollars, in
company with three fellow workmen, he
purchased a small foundry in New York,
but soon became sole proprietor. At the
end of four years he had saved thirty thou-
sand dollars, besides enlarging his works.
In 1856 his works were destroyed by a
boiler explosion, and being unable to collect
tha insurance, was left, after paying his
debts, without a dollar. However, his
credit and reputation for integrity was good,
and he built the Etna Iron Works, giving it
capacity to construct larger marine engines
than any previously built in this country.
Here he turned out immense engines for
the steam ram Dunderberg, for the war ves-
sels Winooski and Neshaning, and other
large vessels. To accommodate his increas-
ing business, Mr. Roach, in 1869, pur-
chased the Morgan Iron Works, one of the
largest in New York, and shortly after sev-
eral others. In 1871 he bought the Ches-
ter ship yards, which he added to largely,
erecting a rolling mill and blast furnace, and
providing every facility for building a ship
out of the ore and timber. This immense
plant covered a large area, was valued at
several millions of dollars, and was known
as the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding
and Engine Works, of which Mr. Roach
was the principal owner. He built a large
percentage of the iron vessels now flying
the American flag, the bulk of his business
being for private parties. In 1875 he built
the sectional dry docks at Pensacola. He,
about this time, drew the attention of the
government to the use of compound marine
engines, and thus was the means of im-
proving the speed and economy of the ves-
sels of our new navy. In 1883 Mr. Roach
commenced work on the three cruisers for
the government, the "Chicago," "Boston"
and "Atlanta," and the dispatch boat
" Dolphin." For some cause the secretary
of the navy refused to receive the latter and
decided that Mr. Roach's contract would
not hold. This embarrassed Mr. Roach,
as a large amount of his capital was in-
volved in these contracts, and for the pro-
tection of bondsmen and creditors, July 18,
1885, he made an assignment, but the
financial trouble broke down his strong con-
stitution, and January 10, 1887, he died.
His son, John B. Roach, succeeded to the
shipbuilding interests, while Stephen W.
Roach inherited the Morgan Iron Works at
New York.
JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY, one of
the two great painters who laid the
foundation of true American art, was born
in Boston in 1737, one year earlier than his
great contemporary, Benjamin West. His
education was limited to the common schools
of that time, and his training in art he ob-
tained by his own observation and experi-
ments solely. When he was about seven-
teen years old he had mapped out his future,
however, by choosing painting as his pro-
192
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
fession. If he ever studied under any
teacher in his early efforts, we have no au-
thentic account of it, and tradition credits
the young artist's wonderful success en-
tirely to his own talent and untiring effort.
It is almost incredible that at the age of
twenty-three years his income from his
works aggregated fifteen hundred dollars
per annum, a very great sum in those days.
In 1774 he went to Europe in search of ma-
terial for study, which was so rare in his
native land. After some time spent in Italy
he finally took up his permanent residence
in England. In 1783 he was made a mem-
ber of the Royal Academy, and later his
son had the high honor of becoming lord
chancellor of England and Lord Lyndhurst.
Many specimens of Copley's work are to
be found in the Memorial Hall at Harvard
and in the Boston Museum, as well as a few
of the works upon which he modeled his
style. Copley was essentially a portrait
painter, though his historical paintings at-
tained great celebrity, his masterpiece
being his " Death of Major Pierson," though
that distinction has by some been given to
his "Death of Chatham." It is said that
he never saw a good picture until he was
thirty-five years old, yet his portraits prior
to that period are regarded as rare speci-
mens. He died in 181 5.
HENRY B. PLANT, one of the greatest
railroad men of the country, became
famous as president of the Plant system of
railway and steamer lines, and also the
Southern & Texas Express Co. He was
born in October, 18 19, at Branford,
Connecticut, and entered the railroad serv-
ice in 1844, serving as express messenger
on the Hartford & New Haven Railroad until
1853, during which time he had entire
charge of the expr^^.s? business of that road.
He went south in 1853 and established ex-
press lines on various southern railways, and
in 1 86 1 organized the Southern Express
Co., and became its president. In 1879 he
purchased, with others, the Atlantic & Gulf
Railroad of Georgia, and later reorganized
the Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad,
of which he became president. He pur-
chased and rebuilt, in 1880, the Savannah
& Charleston Railroad, now Charleston &
Savannah. Not long after this he organ-
ized the Plant Investment Co., to control
these railroads and advance their interests
generally, and later established a steamboat
line on the St. John's river, in Florida.
From 1853 until i860 he was general
superintendent of the southern division of
the Adams Express Co., and in 1867 be-
came president of the Texas Express Co.
The "Plant system" of railway, steamer
and steamship lines is one of the greatest
business corporations of the southern states.
WADE HAMPTON, a noted Confeder-
ate officer, was born at Columbia,
South Carolina, in 18 18. He graduated
from the South Carolina College, took an
active part in politics, and was twice elected
to the legislature of his state. In 1861 he
joined the Confederate army, and command-
ed the " Hampton Legion" at the first bat-
tle of Bull Run, in July, 1861. He did
meritorious service, was wounded, and pro-
moted to brigadier-general. He command-
ed a brigade at Seven Pines, in 1862, and
was again wounded. He was engaged in
the battle of Antietam in September of the
same year, and participated in the raid into
Pennsylvania in October. In 1863 he was
with Lee at Gettysburg, where he was
wounded for the third time. He was pro-
moted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and
commanded a troop of cavalry in Lee's
COMPENDIUM OF JJIOGRAPIir.
193
army during 1S64. and was in niunerous en-
gagements. In 1865 he was in South Car-
ohna, and commanded the cavalry rear
guard of the Confederate army in its stub-
born retreat before General Sherman on his
advance toward Richmond.
After the war Hampton took an active
part in politics, and was a prominent figure
at the Democratic national convention in
1868, which nominated Seymour and Blair
for president and vice-president. He was
governor of South Carolina, and took his
seat in the United States senate in 1879,
where he became a conspicuous figure in
national affairs.
NIKOLA TESLA, one of the most cele-
brated electricians America has known,
was born in 1857, at Smiljau, Lika, Servia.
He descended from an old and representative
family of that country. His father was a
a minister of the Greek church, of high rank,
while his mother was a woman of remarka-
ble skill in the construction of looms, churns
and the machinery required in a rural home.
Nikola received early education in the
public schools of Gospich, when he was
sent to the higher "Real Schule " at Karl-
stadt, where, after a three years' course,
he graduated in 1873. He devoted him-
self to experiments in electricity and
magnetism, to the chagrin of his father,
who had destined him for the ministry,
but giving way to the boy's evident genius
he was allowed to continue his studies in
the polytechnic school at Gratz. He in-
herited a wonderful intuition which enabled
him to see through the intricacies of ma-
chinery, and despite his instructor's demon-
stration that a dynamo could not be oper-
ated without commutators or brushes,
began experiments which finally resulted in
his rotating field motors. After the study
of languages at Prague and Buda-Pesth, he
became associated with M. Puskas, who
had introduced the telephone into Hungary,
He invented several improvements, but
being unable to reap the necessary benefit
from them, he, in search of a wider field,
went to Paris, where he found employment
with one of the electric lighting companies
as electrical engineer. Soon he set his face
westward, and coming to the United States
for a time found congenial employment whh
Thomas A. Edison. Finding it impossible,
overshadowed as he was, to carry out his
own ideas he left the Edison works to join
a company formed to place his own inven-
tions on the market. He perfected his
rotary field principle, adapting it to circuits
then in operation. It is said of him that
some of his proved theories will change the
entire electrical science. It would, in an
article of this length, be impossible to ex-
plain all that Tesla accomplished for the
practical side of electrical engineering.
His discoveries formed the basis of the at-
tempt to utilize the water power of Niagara
Falls. His work ranges far beyond the
vast department of polyphase currents and
high potential lighting and includes many
inventions in arc lighting, transformers,
pyro and thermo-magnetic motors, new
forms of incandescent lamps, unipolar dyna-
mos and many others.
CHARLES B. LEWIS won fame as an
American humorist under the name of
" M. Quad." It is said he owes his
celebrity originally to the fact that he was
once mixed up in a boiler explosion on the
Ohio river, and the impressions he received
from the event he set up from his case when
he was in the composing room of an ob-
scure Michigan paper. His style possesses a
peculiar quaintness, and there runs through
194
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
it a vein of philosophy. Mr. Lewis was
born in 1844, near a town called Livferpool,
Ohio. He was, however, raised in Lansing,
Michigan, where he spent a year in an agri-
cultural college, going from there to the
composing room of the "Lansing Demo-
crat." At the outbreak of the war he en-
listed in the service, remained during the
entire war, and then returned to Lansing.
The explosion of the boiler that "blew him
into fame," took place two years later, while
he was on his way south. When he re-
covered physically, he brought suit for dam-
ages against the steamboat company, v.'hich
he gained, and was awarded a verdict of
twelve thousand dollars for injuries re-
ceived. It was while he was employed by
the "Jacksonian" of Pontiac, Mich., that he
set up his account of how he felt while being
blown up. He says that he signed it "M
Quad," because "a bourgeoise em quad is
useless except in its own line — it won't
justify with any other type." Soon after,
because of the celebrity he attained by this
screed, Mr, Lewis secured a place on the
staff of the " Detroit Free Press," and made
for that paper a wide reputation. His
sketches of the "Lime Kiln Club" and
" Brudder Gardner " are perhaps the best
known of his humorous writings.
HIRAM S. MAXIM, the famous inventor,
was born in Sangersville, Maine,
February 5, 1840, the son of Isaac W.
and Harriet B. Maxim. The town of his
birth was but a small place, in the
woods, on the confines of civilization,
and the family endured many hardships.
They were without means and entirely
dependent on themselves to make out of
raw materials all they needed. The mother
was an expert spinner, weaver, dyer and
seamstress and the father a trapper, tanner,
miller, blacksmith, carpenter, mason and
farmer. Amid such surroundings young
Maxim gave early promise of remarkable
aptitude. With the universal Yankee jack-
knife the products of his skill excited the
wonder and interest of the locality. His
parents did not encourage his latent genius
but apprenticed him to a coach builder.
Four years he labored at this uncongenial
trade but at the end of that time he forsook
it and entered a machine shop at Fitchburg,
Massachusetts. Soon mastering the details
of that business and that of mechanical
drawing, he went to Boston as the foreman
of the philosophical instrument manufactory.
From thence he went to New York and with
the Novelty Iron Works Shipbuilding Co.
he gained experience in those trades. His
inventions up to this time consisted of
improvements in steam engines, and an
automatic gas machine, which came into
general use. In 1 877 he turned his attention
to electricity, and in 1878 produced an
incandescent lamp, that would burn 1,000
hours. He was the first to design a process
for flashing electric carbons, and the first
to "standardize" carbons for electric light-
ing. In 1880 he visited Europe and exhibit-
ing, at the Paris Exposition of 1881, a self-
regulating machine, was decorated with the
Legion of Honor. In 1883 he returned to
London as the European representative of the
United States Electric Light Co. An incident
of his boyhood, in which the recoil of a rifle
was noticed by him, and the apparent loss
of power shown, in i_88i-2 prompted the
invention of a gun which utilizes the recoil to
automatically load and fire seven hundred
and seventy shots per minute. The Maxim-
Nordenfelt Gun Co., with a capital of nine
million dollars, grew from this. In 1883 he
patented his electric training gear for large
guns. And later turned his attention to fly-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
195
ing machines, which he claimed were not an
impossibility. He took out over one hundred
patents for smokeless gunpowder, and for pe-
troleum and other motors and autocycles.
JOHN DAVISON ROCKEFELLER,
one of America's very greatest financiers
and philanthropists, was born in Richford,
Tioga county. New York, July 8, 1839. He
received a common-school education in his
native place, and in 1853, when his parents
removed to Cleveland, Ohio, he entered the
high school of that city. After a two-years'
course of diligent work, he entered the com-
mission and forwarding house of Hewitt &
Tuttle, of Cleveland, remaining with the
firm some years, and then began business
for himself, forming a partnership with
Morris B. Clark. Mr. Rockefeller was then
but nineteen years of age, and during the
year i860, in connection with others, they
started the oil refining business, under the
firm name of Andrews, Clark & Co. Mr,
Rockefeller and Mr. Andrews purchased the
interest of their associates, and, after taking
William Rockefeller into the firm, established
offices in Cleveland under the name of
William Rockefeller & Co. Shortly after
this the house of Rockefeller & Co. was es-
tablished in New York for the purpose of
finding a market for their products, -and two
years later all the refining companies were
consolidated under the firm name of Rocke-
feller, Andrews & Flagler. This firm was
succeeded in 1870 by the Standard Oil
Company of Ohio, said to be the most
gigantic business corporation of modern
times. John D. Rockefeller's fortune has
been variously estimated at from one hun-
dred million to two hundred million dollars.
Mr. Rockefeller's philanthropy mani-
fested itself principally through the American
Baptist Educational Society. He donated
the building for the Spelman Institute at
Atlanta, Georgia, a school for the instruction
of negroes. His other gifts were to the
University of Rochester, Cook Academy,
Peddie Institute, and Vassar College, be-
sides smaller gifts to many institutions
throughout the country. His princely do-
nations, however, were to the University of
Chicago. His first gift to this institution
was a conditional offer of six hundred thou-
sand dollars in 1889, and when this amount
was paid he added one million more. Dur-
ing 1892 he made it two gifts of one million
each, and all told, his donations to this one
institution aggregated between seven and
eight millions of dollars.
JOHN M. PALMER.— For over a third
of a century this gentleman occupied a
prominent place in the political world, both
in the state of Illinois and on the broader
platform of national issues.
Mr. Palmer was born at Eagle Creek,
Scott county, Kentucky, September 13,
18 17. The family subsequently removed
to Christian county, in the same state, where
he acquired a common-school education, and
made his home until 1831. His father was
opposed to slavery, and in the latter year
removed to Illinois and settled near Alton.
In 1834 John entered Alton College, or-
ganized on the manual-labor plan, but his
funds failing, abandoned it and entered a
cooper shop. He subsequently was en-
gaged in peddling, and teaching a district
school near Canton. In 1838 he began the
study of law, and the following year re-
moved to Carlinville, where, in December of
that year, he was admitted to the bar. He
was shortly after defeated for county clerk.
In 1843 he was elected probate judge. In
the constitutional convention of 1847, Mr.
Palmer was a delegate, and from 1849 to
196
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
1 85 1 he was county judge. In 1852 he be-
came a member of the state senate, but not
being with his party on the slavery question
he resigned that office in 1854. In 1856
Mr. Palmer was chairman of the first Re-
publican state convention held in Illinois,
and the same year was a delegate to the
national convention. In i860 he was an
■elector on the Lincoln ticket, and on the
breaking out of the war entered the service
as colonel of the Fourteenth Illinois Infan-
try, but was shortly after brevetted brigadier-
general. In August, 1862, he organized
the One Hundred and Twenty-second Illi-
nois Infantry, but in September he was
placed in command of the first division of
the Army of the Mississippi, afterward was
promoted to the rank of major-general. In
1865 he was assigned to the military ad-
ministration in Kentucky. In 1867 General
Pplmer was elected governor of Illinois and
s?rved four years. In 1872 he went with
the Liberal Republicans, who supported
Horace Greeley, after which time he was
identified with the Democratic party. In
1890 he was elected United States senator
from Illinois, and served as such for six
years. In 1896, on the adoption of the sil-
ver plank in the platform of the Democratic
party, General Palmer consented to lead,
as presidential candidate, the National Dem-
oc vats, or Gold Democracy.
WILLIAM H. BEARD, the humorist
among American painters, was born
at Painesville, Ohio, in 1821. His father,
James H. Beard, was also a painter of na-
tional reputation. William H. Beard be-
gan his career as a traveling portrait
painter. He pursued his studies in New
York, and later removed to Buffalo, where
he achieved reputation. He then went to
Italy and after a short stay returned to New
York and opened a studio. One of his
earliest paintings was a small picture called
"Cat and Kittens," which was placed in
the National Academy on exhibition. Among
his best productions are "Raining Cats and
Dogs," "The Dance of Silenus," "Bears
on a Bender," "Bulls and Bears," " Whoo!"
" Grimalkin's Dream," '♦ Little Red Riding
Hood," "The Guardian of the Flag." His
animal pictures convey the most ludicrous
and satirical ideas, and the intelligent,
human expression in their faces is most
comical. Some artists and critics have re-
fused to give Mr. Beard a place among the
first circles in art, solely on account of the
class of subjects he has chosen.
WW. CORCORAN, the noted philan-
throphist, was born at Georgetown,
District of Columbia; December 27, 1798.
At the age of twenty-five he entered the
banking business in Washington, and in
time became very wealthy. He was
noted for his magnificent donations to char-
ity. Oak Hill cemetery was donated to
Georgetown in 1847, and ten years later the
Corcoran Art Gallery, Temple of Art, was
presented to the city of Washington. The
uncompleted building was utilized by the
government as quartermaster's headquar-
ters during the war. The building was
completed after the war at a cost of a mil-
lion and a half dollars, all the gift of Mr.
Corcoran. The Louise Home for Women
is another noble charity to his credit. Its
object is the care of women of gentle breed-
ing who in declining years are without
means of support. In addition to this he
gave liberally to many worthy institutions
of learning and charity. He died at Wash-
ington February 24, 1888.
COMPENDlL.^r ()/• BIOGRAPIir.
197
ALI'.KKT BIERSTADT, the noted paint-
er of American landscape, was born in
Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1829, and was
brought to America by his parents at the
age of two years. He received his early
education here, but returned to Dusseldorf
to study painting, and also went to Rome.
On his return to America he accompanied
Lander's expedition across the continent, in
1858, and soon after produced his most
popular work, "The Rocky Mountains —
Lander's Peak. " Its boldness and grandeur
were so unusual that it made him famous.
The picture sold for twenty-five thousand
dollars. In 1867 Mr. Bierstadt went to
Europe, "vvith a government commission,
and gathered materials for his great historic-
al work, "Discovery of the North River
by Hendrik Hudson." Others of his great
works were "Storm in the Rocky Mount-
ains," "Valley of the Yosemite," "North
Fork of the Platte," "Diamond Pool,"
"Mount Hood," "Mount Rosalie," and
"The Sierra Nevada Mountains." His
"Estes Park" sold for fifteen thousand
dollars, and "Mount Rosalie" brought
thirty-five thousand dollars. His smaller
Rocky mountain scenes, however, are vast-
ly superior to his larger works in execution
and coloring.
ADDISON CAMMACK. a famous mill-
ionaire Wall street speculator, was
born in Kentucky. When sixteen years old
he ran away from home and went to New
Orleans, where he went to work in a ship-
ping house. He outlived and outworked
all the partners, and became the head of the
firm before the opening of the war. At
that time he fitted out small vessels and en-
gaged ni running the blockade of southern
ports and carrymg ammunition, merchan-
dise, etc., to the southern people. This
made him a fortune. At the close of the
war he quit business and went to New
York. For two years he did not enter any
active business, but seemed to be simply an
on-looker in the great speculative center of
America. He was observing keenly the
methods and financial machinery, however,
and when, in 1867, he formed a partnership
with the popular Charles J. Osborne, the
firm began to prosper. He never had an
ofhce on the street, but wandered into the
various brokers' offices and placed his orders
as he saw fit. In 1873 he dissolved his
partnership with Osborne and operated
alone. He joined a band of speculative
conspirators known as the "Twenty-third
party," and was the ruling spirit in that or-
ganization for the control of the stock mar-
ket. He v/as always on the ' ' bear " side and
the only serious obstacle he ever encoun-
tered was the persistent boom in industrial
stocks, particularly sugar, engineered by
James R. Keane. Mr. Cammack fought
Keane for two years, and during the time is
said to have lost no less than two million
dollars before he abandoned the fight.
WALT. WHITMAN.— Foremost among
the lesser poets of the latter part of the
nineteenth century, the gentleman whose
name adorns the head of this article takes
a conspicuous place.
Whitman was born at West Hills, Long
Island, New York, May 13, 1809. In the
schools of Brooklyn he laid the foundation
of his education, and early in life learned the
printer's trade. For a time he taught coun-
try schools in his native state. In 1846-7
he was editor of the "Brooklyn Eagle,"
but in 1848-9 was on the editorial staff of
the "Crescent," of New Orleans. He
made an extended tour throughout the
United States and Canada, and returned to
198
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
Brooklyn, where, in 1850, he pubhshed the
"Freeman. " For some years succeeding
this he was engaged as carpenter and builder.
During the Civil war. Whitman acted as
a volunteer nurse in the hospitals at
Washington and vicinity and from the close
of hostilities until 1873 he was employed
in various clerkships in the government
offices in the nation's capital. In the latter
year he was stricken with paralysis as a
result of his labors in the hospital, it is
said, and being partially disabled lived for
many years at Camden, New Jersey.
The first edition of the work which was
to bring him fame, "Leaves of Grass," was
published in 1855 and was but a small
volume of about ninety-four pages. Seven
or eight editions of "Leaves of Grass" have
been issued, each enlarged and enriched with
new poems. "Drum Taps," at first a
separate publication, has been incorporated
with the others. This volume and one
prose writing entitled " Specimen Days and
Collect," constituted his whole work.
Walt. Whitman died at Camden, New
Jersey, March 26, 1892.
HENRY DUPONT, who became cele-
brated as America's greatest manufact-
urer of gunpowder, was a native of Dela-
ware, born August 8, 18 12. He received
his education in its higher branches at the
United States Military Academy at West
Point, from which he graduated and entered
the army as second lieutenant of artillery in
1833. In 1834 he resigned and became
proprietor of the extensive gunpowder
manufacturing plant that bears his name,
near Wilmington, Delaware. His large
business interests interfered with his tak-
ing any active participation in political
life, although for many years he served
as adjutant-general of his native state, and
during the war as major-general command-
ing the Home Guards. He died August 8,
1889. His son, Henry A. Dupont, also was
a native of Delaware, and was born July 30,
1838. After graduating from West Point
in 1 86 1, he entered the army as second
lieutenant of engineers. Shortly after he
was transferred to the Fifth Artillery as first
lieutenant. He was promoted to the rank
of captain in 1864, serving in camp and
garrison most of the time. He was in com-
mand of a battery in the campaign of
1863-4. As chief of artillery of the army of
West Virginia, he figured until the close of
the war, being in the battles of Opequan,
Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, besides
many minor engagements. He afterward
acted as instructor in the artillery school at
Fortress Monroe, and on special duty at
West Point. He resigned from the army
March i, 1875.
WILLIAM DEERING, one of the fa-
mous manufacturers of America, and
also a philanthropist and patron of educa-
tion, was born in Maine in 1826. His an-
cestors were English, having settled in New
England in 1634. Early in life it was Will-
iam's intention to become a physician, and
after completing his common-school educa-
tion, when about eighteen years of age, he
began an apprenticeship with a physician.
A short time later, however, at the request
of his father, he took charge of his father's
business interests, which included a woolen
mill, retail store and grist mill, after which
he became agent for a dry goods commission
house in Portland, where he was married.
Later he became partner in the firm, and
removed to New York. The business pros-
pered, and after a number of years, on ac-
count of failing health, Mr. Deering sold his
interest to his partner, a Mr. Milner. The
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
199
business has since made Mr. Milner a mill-
ionaire many times over. A few years
later Mr. Deering located in Chicago. His
beginning in the manufacture of reapers,
which has since made his name famous,
was somewhat of an accident. He had
loaned money to a man in that business,
and in 1878 was compelled to buy out the
business to protect his interests. The busi-
ness developed rapidly and grew to immense
proportions. The factories now cover sixty-
two acres of ground and employ many thou-
sands of men.
JOHN McAllister schofield, an
American general, was born in Chautau-
qua county, New York, September 29, 1831.
He graduated at West Point in 1853, and
was for five years assistant professor of nat-
ural philosophy in that institution. In 1861
he entered the volunteer service as major of
the First Missouri Volunteers, and was ap-
pointed chief of staff by General Lyon, under
whom he fought at the battle of Wilson's
Creek. In November, 1861, he was ap-
pointed brigadier-general of volunteers, and
was placed in command of the Missouri
militia until November, 1862, and of the
army of the frontier from that time until
1863. In 1862 he was made major-general
of volunteers, and was placed in command of
the Department of the Missouri, and in 1864
of the Department of the Ohio. During the
campaign through Georgia General Scho-
field was in command of the Twenty-third
Army Corps, and was engaged in most of the
fighting of that famous campaign. Novem-
ber 30, 1864, he defeated Hood's army at
Franklin, Tennessee, and then joined Gen-
eral Thomas at Nashville. He took part in
the battle of Nashville, where Hood's army
was destroyed. In January, 1865, he led
his corps into North Carolina, captured
Wilmington, fought the battle of Kingston,
and joined General Sherman at Goldsboro
March 22, 1865. He executed the details
of the capitulation of General Johnston to
Sherman, which practically closed the war.
In June, 1868, General Schofield suc-
ceeded Edwin M. Stanton as secretary of
war, but was the next year appointed major-
general of the United States army, and order-
ed to the Department of the Missouri. From
1870 to 1876 he was in command of the De-
partment of the Pacific; from 1876 to 1881
superintendent of the West Point Military
Academy; in 1883 he was in charge of the
Department of the Missouri, and in 1886 of
the division of the Atlantic. In 1888 he
became general-in-chief of the United States
army, and in February, 1895, was appoint-
ed lieutenant-general by President Cleve-
land, that rank having been revived by con-
gress. In September, 1895, he was retired
from active service.
LEWIS WALLACE, an American gen-
eral and famous author, was born in
Brookville, Indiana, April 10, 1827. He
served in the Mexican war as first lieutenant
of a company of Indiana Volunteers. After
his return from Mexico he was admitted to
the bar, and practiced law in Covington and
Crawfordsville, Indiana, until 1861. At the
opening of the war he was appointed ad-
jutant-general of Indiana, and soon after be-
came colonel of the Eleventh Indiana Vol-
unteers. He defeated a force of Confeder-
ates at Romney, West Virginia, and was
made brigadier-general in September, 1861.
At the capture of Fort Donelson in 1862 he
commanded a division, and was engaged in
the second day's fight at Shiloh. In 1863
his defenses about Cincinnati saved that city
from capture by Kirby Smith. At Monoc-
acy in July, 1864, he was defeated, but
200
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
his resistance delayed the advance of Gen-
eral Early and thus saved Washington from
capture.
General Wallace was a member of the
court that tried the assassins of President
Lincoln, and also of that before whom Cap-
tain Henry Wirtz, who had charge of the
Andersonville prison, was tried. In 1881
General Wallace was sent as minister to
Turkey. When not in official service he
devoted much of his time to literature.
Among his better known works are his
"Fair God," "Ben Hur," "Prince of
India," and a " Life of Benjamin Harrison."
THOMAS FRANCIS BAYARD, an Ameri-
can statesman and diplomat, was born
at Wilmington, Delaware, October 29, 1828.
He obtained his education at an Episcopal
academy at Flushing, Long Island, and
after a short service in a mercantile house in
New York, he returned to Wilmington and
entered his father's law office to prepare
himself for the practice of that profession.
He was admitted to the bar in 185 1. He
was appointed to the office of United States
district attorney for the state of Delaware,
serving one year. In 1 869 he was elected to
the United States senate, and continuously
represented his state in that body until 1885,
and in 1881, when Chester A. Arthur entered
the presidential chair, Mr. Bayard was
chosen president pro tempore of the senate.
He had also served on the famous electoral
commission that decided the Hayes-Tilden
contest in 1876-7. In 1885 President Cleve-
land appointed Mr, Bayard secretary of
state. At the beginning of Cleveland's sec-
ond term, in 1893, Mr. Bayard was selected
for the post of ambassador at the court of
St. James, London, and was the first to hold
that rank in American diplomacy, serving
until the beginning of the McKinley admin-
istration. The questions for adjustment at
that time between the two governments
were the Behring Sea controversy and the
Venezuelan boundary question. He was
very popular in England because of his
tariff views, and because of his criticism of
the protective policy of the United States
in his public speeches delivered in London,
Edinburgh and other places, he received, in
March, 1896, a vote of censure in the lower
house of congress.
TOHN WORK GARRETT, for so many
<J years at the head of the great Baltimore
& Ohio railroad system, was born in Balti-
more, Maryland, July 31, 1820. His father^
Robert Garrett, an enterprising merchant,
had amassed a large fortune from a small
beginning. The son entered Lafayette Col-
lege in 1834, but left the following year and
entered his father's counting room, and in
1839 became a partner. John W. Gar-
rett took a great interest in the develop-
ment of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He
was elected one of the directors in 1857,
and was its president from 1858 until his
death. When he took charge of the road
it was in an embarrassed condition, but
within a year, for the first time in its exist-
ence, it paid a dividend, the increase in its
net gains being $725,385. After the war,
during which the road suffered much damage
from the Confederates, numerous branches
and connecting roads were built or acquired,
until it reached colossal proportions. Mr.
Garrett was also active in securing a regular
line of steamers between Baltimore and
Bremen, and between the same port and
Liverpool. He was one of the most active
trustees of Johns Hopkins University, and a
liberal contributor to the Young Men's
Christian Association of Baltimore. He
died September 26, 1884.
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIIT.
201
Robert Garrett, the son of John W.
Garrett, was born in Baltimore April 9,
1847. and j:2[raduated from Princeton in 1867.
He received a business education in the
banking house of his father, and in 1871
became president of the Willey Railroad of
Virginia. He was made third vice-presi-
dent of the Baltimore &; Ohio Railroad in
1879, and first vice-president in 18S1. He
succeeded his father as president in 1884.
Robert Garrett died July 29, 189C.
CARL SCHURZ. a noted German-Ameri-
can statesman, was born in Liblar, Prus-
sia, March 2, 1829. He studied at the Uni-
versity of Bonn, and in 1849 was engaged in
an attempt to excite an insurrection at that
place. After the surrender of Rastadt by
the revolutionists, in the defense of which
Schurz took part, he decided to emigrate to
America. He resided, in Philadelphia three
}ears, and then settled in Watertown, Wis-
consin, and in 1859 removed to Milwaukee,
where ke practiced law. On the organiza-
tion of the Republican party he became a
leader of the German element and entered
the campaign for Lincoln in i860. He was
appointed minister to Sp;nn in 1861, but re-
signed in December of that year to enter
the army. He was appointed brigadier-
general in 1862, and participated in the
second battle of Bull Run, and also at
Chancellorsville. At Gettysburg he had
temporary command of the Eleventh Army
Corps, and also took part in the battle of
Chattanooga.
After the war he located at St. Louis,
and in 18C9 was elected United States sena-
tor from Missouri. He supported Horace
Greeley for the presidency in 1872, and in
the campaign of 1876, having removed to
New York, he supported Hayes and the Re-
publican ticket, and was appointed secre-
tary of the interior in 1S77. In 1881 he
became editor of the "New York Evening
Post," and in 1884 was prominent in his
opposition to James G. Blaine, and became
a leader of the "Mugwumps." thus assist-
ing in the election of Cleveland. In the
presidential campaign of 1896 his forcible
speeches in the interest of sound money
wielded an immense influence. Mr. Schurz
wrote a " Life of Henry Clay." said to be
the best biography ever published of that
eminent statesman.
GEORGE F. EDMUNDS, an American
statesman of national reputation, was
born in Richmond. Vermont, February i,
1828. His education was obtained in the
public schools and from the instructions of
a private tutor. He was admitted to the
bar, practiced law. and served in the state
legislature from 1854 to 1859. during three
years of that time being speaker of the lower
house. He was elected to the state senate
and acted as president pro tempore of that
body in 1861 and 1862. He became promi-
nent for his activity in the impeachment
proceedings against President Johnson, and
was appointed to the United States senate
to fill out the unexpired term of Solomon
Foot, entering that body in 1866. He was
re-elected to the senate four times, and
served on the electoral commission in 1877.
He became president pro tempore of the
senate after the death of President Garfield,
and was the author of the bill which put an
end to the practice of polygamy in the ter-
ritory of Utah. In November, 1891. owing
to impaired health, he retired from the sen-
ate and again resumed the practice of law.
LUCIUS Q. C. LAMAR, a prominent
political leader, statesman and jurist,
was born in Putnam county, Georgia, Sep-
202
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY
temberi7, 1825. He graduated from Emory
College in 1845, studied law at Macon under
Hon. A. H. Chappell, and was admitted to
the bar in 1847. He moved to Oxford,
Mississippi, in 1849, and was elected to a
professorship in the State University. He
resigned the next year and returned to Cov-
ington, Georgia, and resumed the practice
of law. In 1853 he was elected to the
Georgia Legislature, and in 1854 he removed
to his plantation in Lafayette county, Mis-
sissippi, and was elected to represent his
district in the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth
congresses. He resigned in i860, and was
sent as a delegate to the secession conven-
tion of the state. He entered the Confed-
erate service in 1861 as lieutenant-colonel
of the Nineteenth Regiment, and was soon
after made colonel. In 1863 President
Davis appointed him to an important diplo-
matic mission to Russia. In 1866 he was
elected professor of political economy and
social science in the State University, and
was soon afterward transferred to the pro-
fessorship of the law department. He rep-
resented his district in the forty-third and
forty-fourth congresses, and was elected
United States senator from Mississippi in
1877, and re-elected in 1882. In 1885, be-
fore the expiration of his term, he was
appointed by President Cleveland as secre-
tary of the interior, which position he held
until his appointment as associate justice of
the United States supreme court, in 1888,
in which capacity he served until his death,
January 23, 1894.
BENJAMIN PENHALLOW SHILLA-
BER won fame in the world of
humorists under the name of "Mrs. Parting-
ton. " He was born in 1841 at Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, and started out in life as a
printer. Mr. Shillaber went to Dover,
where he secured employment in a printing
office, and from there he went to Demerara,
Guiana, where he was employed as a com-
positor in 1835-37. In 1840 he became
connected with the "Boston Post," and
acquired quite a reputation as a humorist
by his "Sayings of Mrs. Partington." He
remained as editor of the paper until 1850,
when he printed and edited a paper of his
own called the "Pathfinder," which he con-
tinued until 1852. Mr. Shillaber be-
came editor and proprietor of the "Carpet
Bag," which he conducted during 1850-52,
and then returned to the "Boston Post,"
with which he was connected until 1856.
During the same time he was one of the
editors of the "Saturday Evening Gazette,"
and continued in this line after he severed
his connection with the "Post," for ten
years. After 1866 Mr. Shillaber wrote for
various newspapers and periodicals, and
during his life published the following
books: ' 'Rhymes with Reason and Without, "
"Poems," "Life and Sayings of Mrs. Part-
ington," "Knitting Work," and others.
His death occurred at Chelsea, Massachu-
setts, November 25, 1890.
EASTMAN JOHNSON stands first among
painters of American country life. He
was born in Lovell, Maine, in 1824, and be-
gan his work in drawing at the age of eight-
een years. His first works were portraits,
and, as he took up his residence in Wash-
ington, the most famous men of the nation
were his subjects. In 1846 he went to Bos-
ton, and there made crayon portraits of
Longfellow, Emerson, Sumner, Hawthorne
and other noted men. In 1849 he went to
Europe. He studied at Dusseldorf, Ger-
many; spent a year at the Royal Academy,
and thence to The Hague, where he spent
four years, producing there his first pictures
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
203
of consequence, "The Card-Players " and
"The Savoyard." He then went to Paris,
but was called home, after an absence from
America of six years. He lived some time
in Washington, and then spent two years
among the Indians of Lake Superior. In
1858 he produced his famous picture, "The
Old Kentucky Home." He took up his
permanent residence at New York at that
time. His " Sunday Morning in Virginia "
is a work of equal merit. He was espe-
cially successful in coloring, a master of
drawing, and the expression conveys with
precision the thought of the artist. His
portrayal of family life and child life is un-
equalled. Among his other great works are
"The Confab," "Crossing a Stream,'
"Chimney Sweep," "Old Stage Coach,"
" The New Bonnet, " " The Drummer Boy,"
"Childhood of Lincoln," and a great vari-
ety of equally familiar subjects.
PIERCE GUSTAVE TOUTANT BEAU-
REGARD, one of the most distin-
guished generals in the Confederate army,
was born near New Orleans, Louisiana,
May 28, 1 81 8. He graduated from West
Point Military Academy in 1838, and v/as
made second lieutenant of engineers. He
was with General Scott in Mexico, and dis-
tinguished himself at Vera Cruz, Cerro
<jordo, and the battles near the City of
Mexico, for which he was twice breve tted.
After the Mexican war closed he was placed
in charge of defenses about New Orieans,
and in i860 was appointed superintendent
of the United States Military Academy at
West Point. He held this position but a
few months, when he resigned February 20,
1861, and accepted a commission of briga-
dier-general in the Confederate army. He
directed the attack on I-'ort Sumter, the
first engagement of the Civil war. He was
12
in command of the Confederates at the first
battle of Bull Run, and for this victory was
made general. In 1862 he was placed in
command of the Army of the Mississippi,
and planned the attack upon General Grant
at Shiloh, and upon the death of General
Johnston he took command of the army
and was only defeated by the timely arrival
of General Buell with reinforcements. He
commanded at Charleston and successfully
defended that city against the combined at-
tack by land and sea in 1863. In 1864 he
was in command in Virginia, defeating Gen-
eral Butler, and resisting Grant's attack
upon Petersburg until reinforced from Rich-
mond. During the long siege which fol-
lowed he was sent to check General Sher-
man's march to the sea, and was with Gen-
eral Joseph E. Johnston when that general
surrendered in 1865. After the close of the
war he was largely interested in railroad
management. In 1866 he was offered chief
command of the Army of Roumania, and in
1869, that of the Army of Egypt. He de-
clined these offers. His death occurred
February 20, 1893.
HENRY GEORGE, one of America's
most celebrated political economists,
was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
September2, 1839. He received a common-
school education and entered the high
school in 1853, and then went into a mer-
cantile office. He made several voyages on
the sea, and settled in California in 1858.
He then worked at the printer's trade for a
number of years, which he left to follow the
editorial profession. He edited in succession
several daily newspapers, and attracted at-
tention by a number of strong essays and
speeches on political and social questions.
In 187 1 he edited a pamphlet, entitled " Our
Land and Policy, " in which he outlined a
204
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
theory, which has since made him so widely
known. This was developed in ' ' Progress
and Poverty," a book which soon attained a
large circulation on both sides of the Atlan-
tic, which has been extensively translated.
In 1880 Mr. George located in New York,
where he made his home, though he fre-
quently addressed audiences in Great Britain,
Ireland, Australia, and throughout the
United States, In 1886 he was nominated
by the labor organizations for mayor of New
York, and made a campaign notable for its
development of unexpectedpower. In 1887 he
was candidate of the Union Labor party for
secretary of state of New York. These cam-
paigns served to formulate the idea of a single
tax and popularize the Australian ballot sys-
tem. Mr. George became a free trader in
1888. and in 1892 supported the election of
Grover Cleveland. His political and eco-
nomic ideas, known as the "single tax,"
have a large and growing support, but are
not confined to this country alone. He
wrote numerous miscellaneous articles in
support of his principles, and also published:
"The Land Question," " Social Problems,"
"Protection or Free Trade," "The Condi-
tion of Labor, an Open Letter to Pope Leo
XIII.," and " Perplexed Philosopher."
THOMAS ALEXANDER SCOTT. —This
name is indissolubly connected with
the history and development of the railway
systems of the United States. Mr. Scott
was born December 28, 1823, at London,
Franklin county, Pennsylvania. He was first
regularly employed by Major James Patton,
the collector of tolls on the state road be-
tween Philadelphia and Columbia, Penn-
sylvania. He entered into the employ of
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1 8 50,
and went through all the different branches
of work until he had mastered all the details
of the ofBce work, and in 1858 he was ap-
pointed general superintendent. Mr. Scott
was the next year chosen vice-president of
the road. This position at once brought
him before the public, and the enterprise
and ability displayed by him in its manage-
ment marked him as a leader among the
railroad men of the country. At the out-
break of the rebellion in 1861, Mr. Scott
was selected by Governor Curtin as a mem-
ber of his staff, and placed in charge of the
equipment and forwarding of the state troops
to the seat of war. On April 27, 1861, the
secretary of war desired to establish a new
line of road between the national capital
and Philadelphia, for the more expeditious
transportation of troops. He called upon
Mr. Scott to direct this work, and the road
by the way of Annapolis and Perryville was
completed in a marvelously short space of
time. On May 3, 1861, he was commis-
sioned colonel of volunteers, and on the 23d
of the same month the government railroads
and telegraph lines were placed in his charge.
Mr. Scott was the first assistant secretary
of war ever appointed, and he took charge
of this new post August i, 1861. In Janu-
ary, 1862, he was directed to organize
transportation in the northwest, and in
March he performed the same service on
the western rivers. He resigned June i,
1862, and resumed his direction of affairs on
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Colonel Scott
directed the policy that secured to his road
the control of the western roads, and be-
came the president of the new company to
operate these lines in 1871. For one year,
from March, 1871, he was president of the
Union Pacific Railroad, arid in 1874 he suc-
ceeded to the presidency of the Pennsyl-
vania Company. He projected the Texas
Pacific Railroad and was for many years its
president. Colonel Scott's health failed
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
205
him and he resigned the presidency of the
road June i, 1880, and died at his home in
Darby, Pennsylvania, May 2 i, 1881.
ROBERT TOOMBS, an American states-
man of note, was born in Wilkes coun-
ty, Georgia, July 2, 18 10. He attended
the University of Georgia, and graduated
from Union College, Schenectady, New
York, and then took a law course at the
University of Virginia. In 1830, before he
had attained his majority, he was admitted
to the bar by special act of the legislature,
and rose rapidly in his profession, attracting
the attention of the leading statesmen and
judges of that time. He raised a volunteer
company for the Creek war, and served as
captain to the close. He was elected to the
state legislature in 1837, re-elected in 1842,
and in 1S44 was elected to congress. He
had been brought up as a Jeffersonian
Democrat, but voted for Harrison in 1840
and for Clay in 1844. He made his first
speech in congress on the Oregon question,
and immediately took rank with the greatest
debaters of that body. In 1853 he was
elected to the United States senate, and
again in 1859, but when his native state
seceded he resigned his seat in the senate
and was elected to the Confederate con-
gress. It is stated on the best authority
that had it not been for a misunderstanding
which could not be explained till too late he
would have been elected president of the
Confederacy. He was appointed secretary
of state by President Davis, but resigned
after a few months and was commissioned
brigadier-general in the Confederate army.
He won distinction at the second battle of
Bull Run and at Sharpsburg, but resigned
his commission soon after and returned to
Georgia. He organized the militia of
Georgia to resist Sherman, and was made
brigadier-general of the state troops. He
left the country at the close of the war and
did not return until 1867. He died Decem-
ber I 5, 1885.
AUSTIN CORBIN, one of the greatest
railway magnates of the United States,
was born July 11, 1827, at Newport, New
Hampshire. He studied law with Chief
Justice Gushing and Governor Ralph Met-
calf, and later took a course in the Harvard
Law School, where he graduated in 1849.
He was admitted to the bar, and practiced
law, with Governor Metcalf as his partner,
until October 12, 185 1. Mr. Corbin then
removed to Davenport, Iowa, where he re-
mained until 1865. In 1854 he was a part-
ner in the banking firm of Macklot & Cor-
bin, and later he organized the First Na-
tional bank of Davenport, Iowa, which
commenced business June 29, 1863, and
which was the first national bank open for
business in the United States. Mr. Corbin
sold out his business in the Davenport bank,
and removed to New York in 1S65 and com-
menced business with partners under the
style of Corbin Banking Company. Soon
after his removal to New York he became
interested in railroads, and became one of
the leading railroad men of the country.
The development of the west half of Coney
Island as a summer resort first brought him
into general prominence. He built a rail-
road from New York to the island, and
built great hotels on its ocean front. He
next turned his attention to Long Island,
and secured all the railroads and consoli-
dated them under one management, became
president of the system, and under his con-
trol Long Island became the great ocean
suburb of New York. His latest public
achievement was the rehabilitation of the
Reading Railroad, of Pennsylvania, and
206
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
during the same time he and his friends
purchased the controlHng interest of the
New Jersey Central Railroad. He took it
out of the hands of the receiver, and in
three years had it on a dividend-paying
basis. Mr. Corbin's death occurred June
4, 1896.
JAMES GORDON BENNETT, Sr.,
^vas one of the greatest journalists of
America in his day. He was born Septem-
ber I, 1795, at New Mill, near Keith, Scot-
land. At the age of fourteen he was sent
to Aberdeen to study for the priesthood,
but, convinced that he was mistaken in his
vocation, he determined to emigrate. He
landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1819,
where he attempted to earn a living by
teaching bookkeeping. Failing in this he
went to Boston and found employment as a
proof reader. Mr. Bennett went to New
York about 1822 and wrote for the news-
papers. Later on he became assistant
editor in the office of the "Charleston
Courier, "but returned to New York in 1824
and endeavored to start a commercial
school, but was unsuccessful in this, and
again returned to newspaper work. He
continued in newspaper work with varying
success until, at his suggestion, the "En-
quirer" was consolidated with another
paper, and became the "Courier and En-
quirer," with Tames Watson Webb as
editor and Mr. Bennett for assistant. At
this time this was the leading American
newspaper. He, however, severed his con-
nection with this newspaper and tried,
without success, other ventures in the line
of journalism until May 6, 1835, when he
issued the first number of the "New York
Herald." Mr. Bennett wrote the entire
paper, and made up for lack of news by his
own imagination. The paper became popu-
lar, and in 1838 he engaged European jour-
nalists as regular correspondents. In 1841
the income derived from his paper was at
least one hundred thousand dollars. Dur-
ing the Civil war the " Herald " had on its
staff sixty-three war correspondents and the
circulation was doubled. Mr. Bennett was
interested with John W. Mackay in that great
enterprise which is now known as the Mac-
kay-Bennett Cable. He had collected for use
in his paper over fifty thousand biographies,
sketches and all manner of information re-
garding every well-known man, which are
still kept in the archives of the "Herald"
office. He died in the city of New York in
1872, and left to his son, James Gordon,
Jr., one of the greatest and most profitable
journals in the United States, or even in the
world.
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, a
noted American, won distinction in the
field of literature, in which he attained a
world-wide reputation. He was born at
Cambridge, Massachusetts, August 29, 1809.
He received a collegiate education and grad-
uated from Harvard in 1829, at the age of
twenty, and took up the study of law and
later studied medicine. Dr. Holmes at-
tended several years in the hospitals of
Europe and received his degree in 1836.
He became professor of anatomy and phys-
iology in Dartmouth in 1838, and re-
mained there until 1847, when he was
called to the Massachusetts Medical School
at Boston to occupy the same chair, which
position he resigned in 1882. The first
collected edition of his poems appeared in
1836, and his "Phi Beta Kappa Poems,"
"Poetry," in 1836; "Terpsichore," in 1843;
"Urania," in 1846, and "Astraea," won for
him many fresh laurels. His series of
papers in the "Atlantic Monthly," were:
COMPEIVD/C/M OF BIOGRAPHT.
207
"Autocrat of the Breakfast Table," "Pro-
fessor at the Breakfast Table," "Poet at
the Breakfast Table," and are a series of
masterly wit, humor and pathos. Among
his medical papers and addresses, are: "Cur-
rents and Counter-currents in the Medical
Science," and "Borderland in Some Prov-
inces of Medical Science." Mr. Holmes
edited quite a number of works, of which
we quote the following: "Else Venner, "
"Songs in Many Keys," "Soundings from
the Atlantic," "Humorous Poems," "The
Guardian Angel," "Mechanism in Thoughts
and Morals," "Songs of Many Seasons,"
"John L. Motley" — a memoir, "The Iron
Gate and Other Poems," ''Ralph Waldo
Emerson," "A Moral Antipathy." Dr.
Holmes visited England for the second time,
and while there the degree of LL.D.
was conferred upon him by the University
of Edinburgh. His death occurred October
7. 1894.
RUFUS CHOATE, one of the most em-
inent of America's great lawyers, was
born October i, 1799, at Essex, Massachu-
setts. He entered Dartmouth in 181 5,
and after taking his degree he remained as
a teacher in the college for one year. He
took up the study of law in Cambridge, and
subsequently studied under the distinguished
lawyer, Mr. Wirt, who was then United
States attorney-general at Washington. Mr.
Choatcbegan the practice of law in Danvers,
Massachusetts, and from there he went to
Salem, and afterwards to Boston, Massa-
chusetts. While living at Salem he was
elected to congress in 1832, and later, in
1 84 1, he was chosen United States senator
to succeed Daniel Webster, Mr. Webster
having been appointed secretary of state
under William Henry Harrison.
After the death of Webster, Mr. Choate
was the acknowledged leader of the Massa-
chusetts bar, and was looked upon by the
younger members of the profession with an
affection that almost amounted to a rever-
ence. Mr. Choate's powers as an orator
were of the rarest order, and his genius
made it possible for him to enchant and in-
terest his listeners, even while discussing the
most ordinary theme. He was not merely
eloquent on the subjects that were calculated
to touch the feelings and stir the passions
of his audience in themselves, but could at
all times command their attention. He re-
tired from active life in 1858, and was on
his way to Europe, his physician having
ordered a sea voyage for his health, but had
only reached Halifax, Nova Scotia, when
he died, July 13, 1858.
D WIGHT L. MOODY, one of the most
noted and effective pulpit orators and
evangelists America has produced, was born
in Northfield, Franklin county, Massachu-
setts, February 5, 1837. He received but
a meager education and worked on a farm
until seventeen years of age, when he be-
came clerk in a boot and shoe store in
Boston. Soon after this he joined the Con-
gregational church and went to Chicago,
where he zealously engaged in missionary
work among the poor classes. He met
with great success, and in less than a year
he built up a Sunday-school which numbered
over one thousand children. When the
war broke out he became connected with
what was known as the "Christian Com-
mission," and later became city missionary
of the Young Men's Christian Association at
Chicago. A church was built there for his
converts and he became its unordained pas-
tor. In the Chicago fire of 1871 the church
and Mr. Moody's house and furniture, which
had been given him, were destroyed. The
208
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
church edifice was afterward replaced by a
new church erected on the site of the old
one. In 1873, accompanied by Ira D.
Sankey, Mr. Moody went to Europe and
excited great religious awakenings through-
out England, Ireland and Scotland. In
1875 they returned to America and held
large meetings in various cities. They
afterward made another visit to Great
Britain for the same purpose, meeting with
great success, returning to the United States
in 1884. Mr. Moody afterward continued
his evangelistic work, meeting everywhere
with a warm reception and success. Mr.
Moody produced a number of works, some
of which had a wide circulation.
JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN, a financier
of world-wide reputation, and famous
as the head of one of the largest banking
houses in the world, was born April 17,
1837, at Hartford, Connecticut. He re-
ceived his early education in the English
high school, in Boston, and later supple-
mented this with a course in the University
of Gottingen, Germany. He returned to
the United States, in 1857, and entered the
banking firm of Duncan, Sherman & Co.,
of New York, and, in i860, he became
agent and attorney, in the United States, for
George Peabody & Co., of London. He
became the junior partner in the banking
firm of Dabney, Morgan & Co., in 1864,
and that of Drexel, Morgan & Co., in 1871.
This house was among the chief negotiators
of railroad bonds, and was active in the re-
organization of the West Shore Railroad,
and its absorption by the New York Central
Railroad. It was conspicuous in the re-
organization of the Philadelphia & Read-
ing Railroad, in 1887, which a syndicate of
capitalists, formed by Mr. Morgan, placed
on a sound financial basis. After that time
many other lines of railroad and gigantic
financial enterprises were brought under Mr.
Morgan's control, and in some respects it
may be said he became the foremost financier
of the century.
THOMAS BRACKETT REED, one of
the most eminent of American states-
men, was born October 18, 1839, at Port-
land, Maine, where he received his early
education in the common schools of the
city, and prepared himself for college. Mr.
Reed graduated from Bovvdoin College in
i860, and won one of the highest honors of
the college, the prize for excellence in Eng-
lish composition. The following four years
were spent by him in teaching and in the
study of law. Before his admission to the
bar, however, he was acting assistant pay-
master in the United States navy, and
served on the "tin-clad" Sybil, which pa-
trolled the Tennessee, Cumberland and
Mississippi rivers. After his discharge in
1865, he returned to Portland, was admit-
ted to the bar, and began the practice of his
profession. He entered into political life,
and in 1868 was elected to the legislature
of Maine as a Republican, and in 1869 he
was re-elected to the house, and in 1870
was made state senator, from which he
passed to attorney-general of the state.
He retired from this office in 1873, and
until 1877 he was solicitor for the city
of Portland. In 1876 he was elected to
the forty-fifth congress, which assembled
in 1877. Mr. Reed sprung into prominence
in that body by one of the first speeches
which he delivered, and his long service in
congress, coupled with his ability, gave him
a national reputation. His influence each
year became more strongly marked, and the
leadership of his party was finally conceded
to him, and in the forty-ninth and fiftieth
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
209
congresses the complimentary nomination
for the speakership was tendered him by the
Kepubhcans. That party having obtained
the ascendency in the fifty-first congress he
was elected speaker on the first ballot, and
he was again chosen speaker of the fifty-
fourth and fifth-fifth congresses. As a
writer, Mr. Reed contributed largely to the
magazines and periodicals, and his book
upon parliamentary rules is generally rec-
ognized as authority on that subject.
CLARA BARTON is a celebrated char-
acter among what might be termed as
the highest grade of philanthropists Amer-
ica has produced. She was born on a farm
at Oxford, Massachusetts, a daughter of
Captain Stephen Barton, and was educated
at Clinton, New York. She engaged in
teaching early in life, and founded a free
school at Bordentown, the first in New Jer-
sey. She opened with six pupils, but the
attendance had grown to six hundred up to
1854, when she went to Washington. She
was appointed clerk in the patent depart-
ment, and remained there until the out-
break of the Civil war, when she resigned
her position and devoted herself to the al-
leviation of the sufferings of the soldiers,
serving, not in the hospitals, but on the bat-
tle field. She was present at a number of
battles, and after the war closed she origi-
nated, and for some time carried on at her
own expense, the search for missing soldiers.
She then for several years devoted her time
to lecturing on "Incidents of the War."
About 1868 she went to Europe for her
health, and settled in Switzerland, but on the
outbreak of the Franco-German war she ac-
cepted the invitation of the grand duchess
of Baden to aid in the establishment of her
hospitals, and Miss Barton afterward fol-
lowed the German army She was deco-
rated with the golden cross by the grand
duke of Baden, and with the iron cross by
the emperor of Germany. She also served
for many years as president of the famous
Red Cross Society and attamed a world-
wide reputation.
CARDINAL JAMES GIBBONS, one of
the most eminent Catholic clergymen
in America, was born in Baltmiore, Mary-
land, July 23, 1834. He was given a
thorough education, graduated at St. Charles
College, Maryland, in 1857, and studied
theology in St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore,
Maryland. In 1861 he became pastor of
St. Bridget's church in Baltimore, and in
1868 was consecrated vicar apostolic of
North Carolina. In 1872 our subject be-
came bishop of Richmond, V'irginii, and
five years later was made archbishop of Bal-
timore. On the 30th of June, 18S6, he
was admitted to the full degree of cardmal
and primate of the American Catholic
church. He was a fluent writer, and his
book, " Faith of Our Fathers,' had a wide
circulation.
CHAUNCEY MITCHELL DEPEW.—
This name is, without doubt, one of
the most widely known in the United States.
Mr. Depew was born April 23, 1834, at
Peekskill, New York, the home of the Depew
family for two hundred years. He attended
the common schools of his native place,
where he prepared himself to enter college.
He began his collegiate course at Yale at
the age of eighteen and graduated in 1856.
He early took an active interest in politics
and joined the Republican party at its for-
mation. He then took up the study of law
and went into the office of the Hon. Will-
iam Nelson, of Peekskill, for that purpose,
and in 1858 he was admitted to the bar.
210
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
He was sent as a delegate by the new party
to the RepubHcan state convention of that
year. He began the practice of his profes-
sion in 1859, but though he was a good
worker, his attention was detracted by the
campaign of i860, in which he took an act-
ive part. During this campaign he gained
his first laurels as a public speaker. Mr.
Depew was elected assemblyman in 1862
from a Democratic district. In 1863 he se-
cured the nomination for secretary of state,
and gained that post by a majority of thirty
thousand. In 1866 he left the field of pol-
itics and entered into the active practice
of his law business as attorney for the
New York & Harlem Railroad Company,
and in 1869 when this road was consoli-
dated with the New York Central, and
called the New York Central & Hudson
River Railroad, he was appointed the attor-
ney for the new road. His rise in the rail-
road business was rapid, and ten years after
his entrance into the Vanderbilt system as
attorney for a single line, he was the gen-
eral counsel for one of the largest railroad
systems in the world. He was also a
director in the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern, Michigan Central, Chicago &
Northwestern, St. Paul & Omaha, West
Shore, and Nickel Plate railroad companies.
In 1874 Mr. Depew was made regent of
the State University, and a member of the
commission appointed to superintend the
erection of the capitol at Albany. In 1882,
on the resignation of W. H. Vanderbilt
from the presidency of the New York Cen-
tral and the accession to that office by
James H. Rutter, Mr. Depew was made
second vice-president, and held that posi-
tion until the death of Mr. Rutter in 1885.
In this year Mr. Depew became the execu-
tive head of this great corporation. Mr.
Depew's greatest fame grew from his ability
and eloquence as an orator and " after-din-
ner speaker," and it has been said by emi-
nent critics that this country has never pro-
duced his equal in wit, fluency and eloquence.
PHILIP KEARNEY.— Among the most
dashing and brilliant commanders in
the United States service, few have outshone
the talented officer whose name heads this
sketch. He was born in New York City,
June 2, 181 5, and was of Irish ancestry and
imbued with all the dash and bravery of the.
Celtic race. He graduated from Columbia
College and studied law, but in 1837 ac-
cepted a commission as lieutenant in the
First United States Dragoons, of which his
uncle, Stephen W. Kearney, was then colo-
nel. He was sent by the government,
soon after, to Europe to examine and report
upon the tactics of the French cavalry.
There he attended the Polytechnic School,
at Samur, and subsequently served as a vol-
unteer in Algiers, winning the cross of the
Legion of Honor. He returned to the
United States in 1840, and on the staff of
General Scott, in the Mexican war, served
with great gallantry. He was made a cap-
tain of dragoons in 1846 and made major
for services at Contreras and Cherubusco.
In the final assault on the City of Mexico,
at the San Antonio Gate, Kearney lost an
arm. He subsequently served in California
and the Pacific coast. In 1851 he resigned
his commission and went to Europe, where
he resumed his military studies. In the
Italian war, in 1859, he served as a volun-
teer on the staff of General Maurier, of the
French army, and took part in the battles
of Solferino and Magenta, and for bravery
was, for the second time, decorated with
the cross of the Legion of Honor. On the
opening of the Civil war he hastened home,
and, offering his services to the general gov-
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHr.
211
ernment, was made brigadier-general of
volunteers and placed in command of a bri-
gade of New Jersey troops. In the cam-
paign under McClellan he commanded a di-
vision, and at Williamsburg and Fair Oaks
his services were valuable and brilliant, as
well as in subsequent engagements. At
Harrison's Landing he was made major-gen-
eral of volunteers. In the second battle of
Bull Run he was conspicuous, and at the
battle of Chantilly, September i, 1862,
while leading in advance of his troops. Gen-
eral Kearney was shot and killed.
RUSSELL SAGE, one of the financial
giants of the present century and for
more than an average generation one of the
most conspicuous and celebrated of Ameri-
cans, was born in a frontier hamlet in cen-
tral New York in August, 18 16. While Rus-
sell was still a boy an elder brother, Henry
Risley Sage, established a small grocery
store at Troy, New York, and here Russell
found his first employment, as errand boy.
He served a five-years apprenticeship, and
then joined another brother, Elisha M. Sage,
in a new venture in the same line, which
proved profitable, at least for Russell, who
soon became its sole owner. Next he
formed the partnership of Sage & Bates,
and greatly extended his field of operations.
At twenty-five he had, by his own exertions,
amassed what was, in those days, a consid-
erable fortune, being worth about seventy-
five thousand dollars. He had acquired an
influence in local politics, and four years
later his party, the Whigs, elected him to
the aldermanic board of Troy and to the
treasuryship of Rensselaer county. In 1848
he was a prominent member of the New
York delegation to the Whig convention at
Philadelphia, casting his first votes for Henry
Clay, but joining the "stampede" which
nominated Zachary Taylor. In 1850 the
Whigs of Troy nominated him for congress,
but he was not elected — a failure which he
retrieved two years later, and in 1854 he
was re-elected by a sweeping majority. At
Washington he ranked high in influence and
ability. Fame as a speaker and as a polit-
ical leader was within his grasp, when he
gave up public life, declined a renomination
to congress, and went back to Troy to de-
vote himself to his private business. Six
years later, in 1863, he removed to New
York and plunged into the arena of Wall
street. A man of boundless energy and
tireless pertinacity, with wonderful judg-
ment of men and things, he soon took his
place as a king in finance, and, it is said,
during the latter part of his life he con-
trolled more ready money than any other
single individual on this continent.
ROGER QUARLES MILLS, a noted
United States senator and famous as the
father of the "Mills tariff bill, "was born
in Todd county, Kentucky, March 30, 1832.
He received a liberal education in the com-
mon schools, and removed to Palestine,
Texas, in 1849. He took up the study of
law, and supported himself by serving as an
assistant in the post-ofiice, and in theofftces
of the court clerks. In 1850 he was elected
engrossing clerk of the Texas house of rep-
resentatives, and in 1852 was admitted to
the bar, while still a minor, by special act
of the legislature. He then settled at Cor-
sicana, Texas, and began the active prac-
tice of his profession. He was elected to
the state legislature in 1859, and in 1872 he
was elected to congress from the state at
large, as a Democrat. After his first elec-
tion he was continuously returned to con-
gress until he resigned to accept the posi-
tion of United States senator, to which he
212
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
was elected March 23, 1892, to succeed
Hon. Horace Chilton, He took his seat in
the senate March 30, 1892; was afterward
re-elected and ranked among the most use-
ful and prominent members of that body.
In 1876 he opposed the creation of the elec-
toral commission, and in 1887 canvassed
the state of Texas against the adoption of
a prohibition amendment to its constitution,
which was defeated. He introduced into
the house of representatives the bill that was
known as the "Mills Bill," reducing duties
on imports, and extending the free list.
The bill passed the house on July 21, 1888,
and made the name of "Mills" famous
throughout the entire country.
HAZEN S. PINGREE, the celebrated
Michigan political leader, was born in
Maine in 1842. Up to fourteen years of
age he worked hard on the stony ground of
his father's small farm. Attending school
in the winter, he gained a fair education,
and when not laboring on the farm, he
found employment in the cotton mills in the
vicinity. He resolved to find more steady
work, and accordingly went to Hopkinton,
Massachusetts, where he entered a shoe fac-
tory, but on the outbreak of the war he en-
listed at once and was enrolled in the First
Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. He partici-
pated in the battle of Bull Run, which was
his initial fight, and served creditably his
early term of service, at the expiration of
which he re-enlisted. He fought in the
battles of Fredricksburg, Harris Farm,
Spottsylvania Court House and Cold Har-
bor. In 1864 he was captured by Mosby,
and spent five months at Andersonville,
Georgia, as a prisoner, but escaped at the
end of that time. He re-entered the service
and participated in the battles of Fort
Fisher, Boyden, and Sailor's Creek. He
was honorably mustered out of service, and
in 1866 went to Detroit, Michigan, where
he made use of his former experience in a
shoe factory, and found work. Later he
formed a partnership with another workman
and started a small factory, which has since
become a large establishment. Mr. Pin-
gree made his entrance into politics in 1889,
in which year he was elected by a surpris-
ingly large majority as a Republican to the
mayoralty of Detroit, in which office he was
the incumbent during four consecutive terms.
In November, 1896, he was elected gov-
ernor of the state of Michigan. While
mayor of Detroit, Mr. Pingree originated
and put into execution the idea of allowing
the poor people of the city the use of va-
cant city lands and lots for the purpose of
raising potatoes. The idea was enthusiast-
ically adopted by thousands of poor families,
attracted wide attention, and gave its author
a national reputation as "Potato-patch Pin-
gree."
THOMAS ANDREW HENDRICKS, an
eminent American statesman and a
Democratic politician of national fame, was
born in Muskingum county, Ohio, Septem-
ber 7, 1 8 19. In 1822 he removed, with his
father, to Shelby county, Indiana. He
graduated from the South Hanover College
in 1 841, and two years later was admitted
to the bar. In 1851 he was chosen a mem-
ber of the state constitutional convention,
and took a leading part in the deliberations
of that body. He was elected to congress
in 185 1, and after serving two terms was
appointed commissioner of the United States
general land-office. In 1863 he was elected
to the United States senate, where his dis-
tinguished services commanded the respect
of all parties. He was elected governor of
Indiana in 1872, serving four years, and in
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAriir.
1\%
1876 was nominated by the Democrats as
candidate for the vice-presidency with Til-
den. The returns in a number of states
were contested, and resulted in the appoint-
ment of tiie famous electoral commission,
which decided in favor of the Republican
candidates. In 1884 Mr. Hendricks was
again nominated as candidate for the vice-
presidency, by the Democratic party, on the
ticket with Grover Cleveland, was elected,
and served about six months. He died at
Indianapolis, November 25, 1885. He was
regarded as one of the brainiest men in the
party, and his integrity was never ques-
tioned, even by his political opponents.
G.\RRETT A. HOBART, one of the
many able men who have held the
h.igh office of vice-president of the United
States, was born June 3, 1844, in Mon-
mouth county. New Jersey, and in i860 en-
tered the sophomore class at Rutgers Col-
lege, from which he graduated in 1863 at
the age of nineteen. He then taught
school until he entered the law office of
Socrates Tuttle, of Paterson, New Jersey,
with whom he studied law. and in 1869
was admitted to the bar. He immediately
began the active practice of his profession
ii the office of the above named gentleman.
He became interested in political life, and
espoused t!ie cause of the Republican party,
and in 1865 held his first office, serving as
clerk for the grand jury. He was also city
counsel of Paterson in 1871, and in May,
1872, was elected counsel for the board of
chosen freeholders. He entered the state
legislature in 1873, and was re-elected to
the assembly in 1874. Mr. Hobart was
made speaker of the assembly in 1876, and
and in 1879 was elected to the state senate.
After serving three years in the same, he
was elected president of that body in 1881,
and the following year was re-elected to
that office. He was a delegate-at large to
the Republican national convention mi 1876
and 1880, and was elected a member of the
national committee in 1884, which pos'tion
he occupied continuously until 1896. He
was then nominated for vice-president by
the Republican national convention, and
was elected to that office in the fall of 1896
on the ticket with William McKinlev.
WILLIAM MORRIS STEWART, noted
as a political leader and senator, was
born in Lyons, Wayne county. New York,
August 9, 1827, and removed with his par-
ents while still a small child to Mesopota-
mia township, Trumbull county, Ohio. He
attended the Lyons Union school and Farm-
ington Academy, where he obtained his ed-
ucation. Later he taught mathematics in
the former school, while yet a pupil, and
with the little money thus earned and the
assistance of James C. Smith, one of the
judges of the supreme court of New York,
he entered Yale College. He remained
there until the winter of 1849-50, when, at-
tracted by the gold discoveries in California
he wended his way thither. He arrived at
San Francisco in May, 1850, and later en-
gaged in mining with pick and shovel in Ne-
vada county. In this way he accumulated
some money, and in the spring of 1852 he
took up the study of law under John R.
McConnell. The following December he
was appointed district attorney, to which
office he was chosen at the general election
of the next year. In 1854 he was ap-
pointed attorney-general of California, and
in 1S60 he removed to Virginia City, Ne-
vada, where he largely engaged in early
mining litigation. Mr. Stewart was also in-
terested in the development of the "Corn-
stock lode," and in 1861 was chosen a
214
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
member of the territorial council. He was
elected a member of the constitutional con-
vention in 1863, and was elected United
States senator in 1864, and re-elected in
1869. At the expiration of his term in
1875, he resumed the practice of law in
Nevada, California, and the Pacific coast
generally. He was thus engaged when he
was elected again to the United States sen-
ate as a Republican in 1887 to succeed the
late James G. Fair, a Democrat, and took
his seat March 4, 1887. On the expiration
of his term he was again re-elected and be-
came one of the leaders of his party in con-
gress. His ability as an orator, and the
prominent part he took in the discussion of
public questions, gained him a national rep-
utation.
GEORGE GRAHAM VEST, for many
years a prominent member of the
United States senate, was born in Frank-
fort, Kentucky, December 6, 1848. He
graduated from Center College in 1868, and
from the law department of the Transyl-
vania University of Lexington, Kentucky,
in 1853. In the same year he removed to
Missouri and began the practice of his pro-
fession, In i860 he was an elector on the
Democratic ticket, and vv^as a member of
the lower house of the Missouri legislature
in 1860-61, He was elected to the Con-
federate congress, serving two years in the
lower house and one in the senate. He
then resumed the practice of law, and in
1879 was elected to the senate of the United
States to succeed James Shields. He was
re-elected in 1885, and again in 1891 and
1897. His many years of service in the
National congress, coupled with his ability
as a speaker and the active part he took in
the discussion of public questions, gave him
a wide reputation.
HANNIBAL HAMLIN, a noted American
statesman, whose name is indissolubly
connected with the history of this country,
was born in Paris, Maine, August 27, 1809.
He learned the printer's trade and followed
that calling for several years. He then
studied law, and was admitted to practice
in 1833. He was elected to the legislature
of the state of Maine, where he was several
times chosen speaker of the lower house.
He was elected to congress by the Demo-
crats in 1843, and re-elected in 1845. I^
1848 he was chosen to the United States
senate and served in that body until 1861.
He was elected governor of Maine in 1857
on the Republican ticket, but resigned when
re-elected to the United States senate
the same year. He was elected vice-presi-
dent of the United States on the ticket with
Lincoln in i860, and inaugurated in March,
1 861. In 1865 he was appointed collector
of the port of Boston. Beginning with
1869 he served two six-year terms in the
United States senate, and was then ap-
pointed by President Garfield as minister to
Spain in 1881. His death occurred July 4,
1891.
TSHAM G. HARRIS, famous as Confed-
1 erate war governor of Tennessee, and
distinguished by his twenty years of service
in the senate of the United States, was
born in Franklin county, Tennessee, and
educated at the Academy of Winchester.
He then took up the study of law, was ad-
mitted to the bar, and commenced practice
at Paris, Tennessee, in 1841. He was
elected to the state legislature in 1847, was
a candidate for presidential elector on the
Democratic ticket in 1848, and the next
year was elected to congress from his dis-
trict, and re-elected in 185 1. In 1853 he
was renominated by the Democrats of his
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
215
district, but declined, and removed to Mem-
phis, where he took up the practice of law.
He was a presidential elector-at-large from
Tennessee in 1856, and was elected gov-
ernor of the state the next year, and again
in 1859, and in 186 1. He was driven from
Nashville by the advance of the Union
armies, and for the last three years of the
war acted as aid upon the staff of the com-
manding general of the Confederate army
of Tennessee. After the war he went to
Liverpool, England, where he became a
merchant, but returned to Memphis in 1867,
and resumed the practice of law. In 1877
he was elected to the United States senate,
to which position he was successively re-
elected until his death in 1897.
NELSON DINGLEY, Jr., for nearly a
quarter of a century one of the leaders
in congress and framer of the famous
" Dingley tariff bill," was born in Durham,
Maine, in 1832. His father as well as all
his ancestors, were farmers, merchants and
mechanics and of English descent. Young
Dingley was given the advantages first of
the common schools and in vacations helped
his father in the store and on the farm.
When iwelve years of age he attended high
school and at seventeen was teaching in a
country school district and preparing him-
■self for college. The following year he en-
tered Waterville Academy and in 1851 en-
tered Colby University. After a year and a
half in this institution he entered Dart-
mouth College and was graduated in 1855
with high rank as a scholar, debater and
writer. He next studied law and was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1856. But instead of
practicing his profession he purchased the
" Lewistown (Me.) Journal," which be-
came famous throughout the New England
states as a leader in the advocacy of Repub-
lican principles. About the same time Mr.
Dingley began his political career, although
ever after continuing at the head of the
newspaper. He was soon elected to the
state legislature and afterward to the lower
house of congress, where he became a
prominent national character. He also
served two terms as governor of Maine.
OLIVER PERRY MORTON, a distin-
guished American statesman, was born
in Wayne county, Indiana, August 4, 1823.
His early education was by private teaching
and a course at the Wayne County Seminary.
At the age of twenty years he entered the
Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, and at
the end of two years quit the college, began
the study of law in the office of John New-
man, of Centerville, Indiana, and was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1847.
Mr. Morton was elected judge on the
Democratic ticket, in 1852, but on tht.
passage of the " Kansas-Nebraska Bill " he
severed his connection with that party, and
soon became a prominent leader of the Re-
publicans. He was elected governor of In-
diana in 1 86 1, and as war governor became
well known throughout the country. He
received a paralytic stroke in 1865, which
partially deprived him of the use of his
limbs. He was chosen to the United States
senate from Indiana, in 1867, and wielded
great influence in that body until the time
of his death, November i, 1877.
JOHN B. GORDON, a brilliant Confeder-
ateofficer and noted senatoroftheUnited
States, was born in Upson county, Georgia,
February 6, 1832. He graduated from the
State University, studied law, and took up
the practice of his profession. At the be-
ginning of the war he entered the Confederate
service as captain of infantry, and rapidly
216
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT.
rose to the rank of lieutenant-general,
commanding one wing of the Confederate
army at the close of the war. In 1868 he
was Democratic candidate for governor of
Georgia, and it is said was elected by a large
majority, but his opponent was given the
office. He was a delegate to the national
Democratic conventions in 1868 and 1872,
and a presidential elector both years. In
1873 he was elected to the United States
senate. In 1886 he was elected governor
of Georgia, and re-elected in 1888. He
was again elected to the United States
senate in 1890, serving until 1897, when he
was succeeded by A. S. Clay. He was
regarded as a leader of the southern Democ-
racy, and noted for his fiery eloquence.
STEPHEN JOHNSON FIELD, an illus-
trious associate justice of the supreme
court of the United States, was born at
Haddam, Connecticut, November 4, 18 16,
being one of the noted sons of Rev. D.
D. Field. He graduated from Williams
College in 1837, took up the study of law
with his brother, David Dudley Field, be-
coming his partner upon admission to the
bar. He went to California in 1849, and at
once began to take an active interest in the
political affairs of that state. He was
elected alcalde of Marysville, in 1850, and
in the autumn of the same year was elected
to the state legislature. In 1857 he was
elected judge of the supreme court of the
state, and two years afterwards became its
chief justice. In 1863 he was appointed by
President Lincoln as associate justice of the
supreme court of the United States. During
his incumbency, in 1873, he was appointed
by the governor of California one of a com-
mission to examine the codes of the state
and for the preparation of amendments to
the same for submission to the legislature.
In 1877 he was one of the famous electoral
commission of fifteen members, and voted
as one of the seven favoring the election of
Tilden to the presidency. In 1880 a large
portion of the Democratic party favored his
nomination as candidate for the presidency.
He retired in the fall of 1897, having
served a greater number of years on the
supreme bench than any of his associates or
predecessors, Chief Justice Marshall coming
next in length of service.
JOHN T. MORGAN, whose services in
the United States senate brought him
into national prominence, was born in
Athens, Tennessee, June 20, 1824. At the
age of nine years he emigrated to Alabama,
where he made his permanent home, and
where he received an academic education.
He then took up the study of law, and was
admitted to the bar in 1845. He took a
leading part in local politics, was a presi-
dential elector in i860, casting his ballot
for Breckenridge and Lane, and in 1861
was a delegate to the state convention which
passed the ordinance of secession. In May,
of the same year, he joined the Confederate
army as a private in Company I, Cahawba
Rifles, and was soon after made major and
then lieutenant-colonel of the Fifth Regiment.
In 1862 he was commissioned colonel, and
soon after made brigadier-general and as-
signed to the command of a brigade in Vir-
ginia. He resigned to join his old regiment
whose colonel had been killed. He was
soon afterward again made brigadier-gen-
eral and given command of the brigade that
included his regiment.
After the war he returned to the prac-
tice of law, and continued it up to the time
of his election to the United States senate, in
1877. He was a presidential elector in 1876,
and cast his vote for Tilden and Hendricks.
COMPENDIUM OF B 10 G RAP ITT.
217
He was re-elected to the senate in 1883,
and again in 1889, and 1895. His speeches
and the measures he introduced, marked
as they were by an intense Americanism,
brouejht him into national prominence.
WILLIAM McKINLEY.the twenty-fifth
president of the United States, was
born at Niles, Trumbull county, Ohio, Jan-
uary 29, 1844. He was of Scotch-Irish
ancestry, and received his early education
in a Methodist academy in the small village
of Poland, Ohio. At the outbreak of the
war Mr. McKinley was teaching school,
earning twenty-five dollars per month. As
soon as Fort Sumter was fired upon he en-
listed in a company that was formed in
Poland, which was inspected and mustered
in by General John C. Fremont, who at
first objected to Mr. McKinley, as being too
young, but upon examination he was finally
accepted. Mr. McKinley was seventeen
when the war broke out but did not look his
age. He served in the Twenty-third Ohio
Infantry throughout the war, was promoted
from sergeant to captain, for good conduct
on the field, and at the close of the war,
for meritorious services, he was brevetted
major. After leaving the army Major Mc-
Kinley took up the study of law, and was
admitted to the bar, and in 1869 he took
his initiation into politics, being elected pros-
ecuting attorney of his county as a Republi-
can, although the district was usually Demo-
cratic. In 1 876 he was elected to congress,
and in a call upon the President-elect, Mr.
Hayes, to whom he went for advice upon the
way he should shape his career, he was
told that to achieve fame and success he
must take one special line and stick to it.
Mr. McKinley chose tariff legislation and
he became an authority in regard to import
duties. He was a member of congress for
many years, became chairman of the ways
and means committee, and later he advo-
cated the famous tariff bill that bore his
name, which was passed in 1890. In the
next election the Republican party was
overwhelmingly defeated through the coun-
try, and the Democrats secured more than
a two thirds majority in the lower house,
and also had control of the senate, Mr.
McKinley being defeated in his own district
by a small majority. He was elected gov-
ernor of Ohio in 1891 by a plurality of
twenty-one thousand, five hundred and
eleven, and two years later he was re-elected
by the still greater plurality of eighty thou-
sand, nine hundred and ninety-five. He was
a delegate-at-large to the Minneapolis Re>
publican convention in 1892, and was in-
structed to support the nomination of Mr.
Harrison. He was chairman of the con-
vention, and was the only man from Ohio
to vote for Mr. Harrison upon the roll call.
In November, 1892, a number of prominent
politicians gathered in New York to discuss
the political situation, and decided that the
result of the election had put an end to Mc-
Kinley and McKinleyism. But in less than
four years from that date Mr. McKinley was
nominated for the presidency against the
combined opposition of half a dozen rival
candidates. Much of the credit for his suc-
cess was due to Mark A. Hanna, of Cleve-
land, afterward chairman of the Republican
national committee. At the election which
occurred in November, 1896, Mr. McKinley
was elected president of the United States
by an enormous majority, on a gold stand-
ard and protective tariff platform. He was
inaugurated on the 4th of March, 1897,
and called a special session of congress, to
which was submitted a bill for tariff reform,
which was passed in the latter part of July
of that year.
218
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
CINCINNATUS HEINE MILLER,
known in the literary world as Joaquin
Miller, " the poet of the Sierras," was born
at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1841. When only
about thirteen years of age he ran away
from home and went to the mining regions
in California and along the Pacific coast.
Some time afterward he was taken prisoner
by the Modoc Indians and lived with them
for five years. He learned their language
and gained great influence with them, fight-
ing in their wars, and in all modes of living
became as one of them. In 1858 he left
the Indians and went to San Francisco,
where he studied law, and in i860 was ad-
mitted to the bar in Oregon. In 1866 he
was elected a county judge in Oregon and
served four years. Early in the seventies
he began devoting a good deal of time to
literary pursuits, and about 1874 he settled
in Washington, D. C. He wrote many
poems and dramas that attracted consider-
able attention and won him an extended
reputation. Among his productions may be
mentioned " Pacific Poems," " Songs of the
Sierras," "Songs of the Sun Lands,"
' ' Ships in the Desert, " ' * Adrianne, a Dream
of Italy," "Danites," "Unwritten History,"
" First Families of the Sierras " (a novel),
" One Fair Woman " (a novel), " Songs of
Italy," "Shadows of Shasta," "The Gold-
Seekers of the Sierras," and a number of
others.
GEORGE FREDERICK ROOT, a
noted music publisher and composer,
was born in Sheffield, Berkshire county,
Massachusetts, on August 30, 1820. While
working on his father's farm he found time
to learn, unaided, several musical instru-
ments, and in his eighteenth year he went
to Boston, where he soon found employ-
ment as a teacher of music. From 1839
until 1844 he gave instructions in music in
the public schools of that city, and was also
director of music in two churches. Mr.
Root then went to New York and taught
music in the various educational institutions
of the city. He went to Paris in 1850 and
spent one year there in study, and on his re-
turn he published his first song, "Hazel
Dell." It appeared as the work of " Wur-
zel," which was the German equivalent of
his name. He was the originator of the
normal musical institutions, and when the
first one was started in New York he
was one of the faculty. He removed to
Chicago, Illinois, in i860, and established
the firm of Root & Cady, and engaged in
the publication of music. He received, in
1872, the degree of "Doctor of Music"
from the University of Chicago. After the
war the firm became George F. Root & Co.,
of Cincinnati and Chicago. Mr. Root did
much to elevate the standard of music in this
country by his compositions and work as a
teacher. Besides his numerous songs he
wrote a great deal of sacred music and pub-
lished many collections of vocal and instru-
mental music. For many years he was the
most popular song writer in America, and
was one of the greatest song writers of the
war. He is also well-known as an author,
and his work in that line comprises: " Meth-
ods for the Piano and Organ," "Hand-
book on Harmony Teaching, " and innumer-
able articles for the musical press. Among
his many and most popular songs of the
war time are : ' ' Rosalie, the Prairie-flower, "
" Battle Cry of Freedom," " Just Before the
Battle," "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys
are Marching," " The Old Folks are Gone,"
"A Hundred Years Ago," "Old Potomac
Shore, "and " There's Music in the Air." Mr.
Root's cantatas include ' ' The Flower Queen"
and "The Haymakers." He died in 1896.
PART II.
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
OF
FREMONT AND MILLS COUNTIES,
lOVv^^^.
POBl IC LIHHARY
A8:05 -tHQX XHB
m MILLS COOITIES
lO^A^^A..
HON. JOHN Y. STONE.
An enumeration of those men of the pres-
ent generation who have won honor and
pubhc recognition for themselves, and at
the same time have honored the state to
which they l^elong, would be incomplete
were there failure to make prominent refer-
ence to the one whose name initiates this
paragraph. He holds prominence as an em-
inent lawyer and statesman, a man of high
scientific and literary attainments, a valiant
and patriotic soldier, and as one who occu-
pied a most trying position during the most
exciting epoch in the political and military
history of this country in which he bore
himself with such credit as to gain him the
respect of all. He has been and is distinct-
ively a man of affairs, and one who has
wielded a wide influence. A strong mental-
ity, an invincible courage, a most determined
individuality have so entered into his makeup
as to render him a natural leader of men and
a director of opinion. A resident of Glen-
wood, Mills county, his reputation is not
bounded by the confines of the state, for he
is known throughout the country in connec-
tion with his political and professional la-
bors. He is a western man and the enter-
prise and determined spirit that enabled so
many native sons of Illinois to win national
distinction have been manifest in his career.
^Ir. Stone was born in Sangamon coun-
ty, Illinois, April 2t^, 1843. O" l^oth the
paternal and maternal sid-es he is descended
from old southern families, his ancestors
being among the early settlers of Virginia
and North Carolina. Ex-Governor William
M. Stone, of Iowa, is authority for the state-
ment that two brothers of the name of Stone
came to America in 1620 on the Mayflower,
one of whom took up his abode in New Eng-
land, while the other settled in Virginia, and
from the latter Mr. Stone is descended.
Tradition tends to prove this statement, as
do all the records of the family that are
available. The paternal grandparents of
Mr. Stone were Spencer and Elizabeth (Har-
gis) Stone. The former was a native of
Virginia and in early life removed to Ken-
tucky, whence he emigrated to Illinois dur-
ing the pioneer epoch in the history of that
state, when William Langford Stone, father
of John v., was but six years of age. In
1853 the grandfather came to Mills county,
Iowa, and entered one or more sections of
land on Silver Creek from the government
or bought it from settlers. In the fall of 1856
he returned in a covered wagon to Illinois
to get William Stone's three children, their
222
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
mother having died in Febrnary. His son
WilHam could not then leave Illinois, but
the grandfather brought the boy and his
two sisters, younger than he, the old gentle-
man and our subject sleeping under the
wagon at night, while tlie bed was made
within the wagon for the girls. Jefferson
Stone, an uncle of our subject, and his fam-
ily also accompanied the party. They left
their Illinois home on the ist of September,
arriving at their destination on Silver creek,
on the 13th of that month. In December
or January following the father of these
children also came to them. The trip was
a very interesting one to the children.
They journeyed westward over the prairies,
crossed the rivers, camped out by night
and prepared their food by the aid of fires
built along the roadside. Spencer Stone
developed his wild land into a well culti-
vated farm and thereon made his home
until some time after the close of the
Civil war, when he returned to Illinois,
spending the evening of his life near Clin-
ton, where he died at the age of eighty years.
His father was in the war of 18 12 and in
the old Indian wars, and the story has come
down the line of time that upon one of his
hunting expeditions in the woods of Ken-
tucky among hostile Indians, he was con-
scious of the fact that he was being watched
by an Indian and at length discovered the
red man in a hollow tree, and shot him before
the Indian, who was taking aim at him,
could fire.
William Langford Stone, Mr. Stone's
father, was a native of Kentuck}^, born in
1822, and followed agricultural pursuits
throughout his entire life, with the exception
of a few months passed in Athens, Illinois,
during which time he engaged in the coop-
ering business. He married ^Nlary Ellen jNIc-
Lemore, a daughter of the Rev. Young and
Nancy (Plumley) McLemore. Her father
was an old-time Methodist preacher and
school-teacher, and from him John Young
received his second name. Both he and his
wife were natives of North Carolina. Mrs.
Stone died in Athens, Illinois, in February,
1856. She was born in or near Knoxville,
Tennessee, and in earl}^ womanhood gave
her hand in marriage to \\'llliam L. Stone,
who was at that time twenty years of age.
They became the parents of three children,
a son and two daughters. As before stated,
the children accompanied their grandfather
to Iowa and a few months later the father
also took up his abode in Mills county. For
two years he rented land from his father, and
his son, then usually called by his second
name — Young — assisted him in its opera-
tion. He then purchased eighty acres of
land, making small payments thereon, and
from that property the father and son devel-
oped a farm and built thereon a log house.
About the close of the Civil war \Mlliam L.
Stone moved across to the west side of Sil-
ver creek, and bought land there until he
finally had a farm of five hundred or more
acres, on which he died in August, 1899,
at the advanced age of seventy-seven years.
He was again married in 1857, his second
union being with Sophia Patrick, a noble
woman, a daughter of one of the later set-
tlers of the community. She was born near
Cumberland, Maryland, and she became the
mother of three children who are yet living.
She was also to her step-children a devoted
and loving mother, being possessed of noble
qualities, of kindly manner and of genial
disposition. She still lives upon the old
homestead on Silver creek, near Silver City,
BIOGRArillCAL IIJSTURy
ill Mills county, and her stepson feels for
her the deepest afTectioii, as <»ne from whom
he had received a mother's tender care and
attention in his youth, and he finds "reat
pleasure in visiting- the old homestead and in
maintaining the atlectionate relations of his
boyhood days.
Jt is with pleasure that we enter upon the
task of comi)iling a hrief life-history of Mr,
Stone, although it is iini)ossil)le in tlie space
at our command to do full justice to one
whose life actixilies have been so varied, and
whose tields of usefulness have been along
so many lines, lie has truly won the proud
American title of a self-made man. In his
boyhood he had the i)ri\ileges of the c<jmmon
school, but he was early trained to labor.
He first entered school when seven years of
age. and later was for four years a student
at Athens, Illinois. He then accompanied
his grandfather to Iowa, where his advan-
tages were limited to the district school. He
learned rapidly and soon distanced his class-
mates, manifesting special aptitude in his
studies. After reaching the Hawekye state
he attended school through the winter season,
while in the summer months he worked on
the home farm in the manner usual to farm-
er lads of that day. Steadily he worked his
way upward step by step, ever making the
most of his opportunities for advancement.
He eagerly embraced every opportunity for
acquiring an education. At the age of sev-
enteen he entered the high school in Glen-
wood, Iowa, there pursuing his studies
through the scholastic years of 1 860-1. In
the meantime he had devoted all his leisure
hours to reading and study and thus became
familiar with many books with which many
young people of the time were totally unac-
quainted. In the country school he had
studied algebra, geometry and Latin. These
were not in the regular curriculum, but the
teacher, a Mr. Perry Crosswait, was a well
educated man and assisted him in his studies
along these lines — unusual in the commtjn
schools of the day. It is still told of him on
Silver creek that he distanced all competitors
in all studies and that he "spelled down" all
the schools within a radius of many miles;
and even about twenty years ago, when the
spelling-school mania took possessic^n of the
country, and when there was a grand "spell-
ing" tournament at Glenwood, he met and
unhorsed all comers except his partner. Mr.
S. V. Proudfit.
Mr. Stone early formed the desire to en-
ter the legal profession. Before he was
eighteen years of age he had secured a copy
of Walker's American Law, and he devoted
every leisure moment to studying the prin-
ciples of jurisprudence. However, there was
a pause in his legal study and a sudden
change in his young life. War clouds gath-
ered, there was a call to arms and his pa-
triotic s[)irii was ru'oused. lie put aside all
personal ambitions and projects for the time
being, and on the 9th of October, 1861,
offered his services to the government, join-
ing Company F, Fifteenth Iowa Jnfantry,
under Captain E. C. Blackmar, of Glenwood.
Befcn-e they left for the held he was aj)-
pointed a corporal. In hi^s boyhood's
happy days he entered most heartily in-
to everything which elicited liis sympa-
thies, and so with war. After the or-
ganization of the company it remained in
Glenwood until the loth of November, when
the tr(jops were driven in wagons — for there
were no railroads — to Eddyville. wliere they
took the cars for Keokuk, Iowa. He rap-
idlv mastered military tactics, and ntitwith-
224
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
standing his inferior rank was often deputed
to act as drillmaster for his company. He
quickly acquired a knowledge of all the rou-
time and minutise of military life and of the
army regulations. On the 19th of March,
1862, the Fifteenth, on a drizzly day, in the
presence of assembled thousands of the peo-
ple of Keokuk, embarked on a steamer for
Benton Barracks, St. Louis. Concerning
the embarkation a historian of Iowa troops
has said : "Never shall I forget that mem-
orable and sacred moment, when the boat,
bearing the precious load of that noble reg-
iment of patriots called the Fifteenth Iowa
Volunteers, pushed off amid the huzzas, God-
bless-vou's and floating handkerchiefs from
houses and steeples, as far as the eye could
reach. It was, indeed, a moment worth a
life-time. The regiment moved down the
majestic river, Mississippi, and the rain con-
tinued to patter on the windows of the Gate
City as though nothing had happened; the
handkerchiefs continued to wa\e till long
after the boat passed beyond the vision, and
it was some time before the hospitable city-
realized that the Fifteenth had gone — manv
to return with new honors and pleasing
fame, others to find 'glory and the grave' on
the battle-fields of the south."
At Benton Barracks the reoiment re-
ceived their new Springfield rifles and took
supplies ; and a few days later they were
ordered to the front, going down the Miss-
issippi and up the Ohio and Tennessee rivers
in the steamer Minnehaha, to take part in the
great battle of Shiloh. Their boat reached
the wharf at four o'clock a. m.^ and two
hours later they heard the roar of battle.
At eight o'clock that morning, the 6th of
April^ they were off the boat, receiving their
ammunition, after which they marched
about three miles, and at ten q'clock were in
the thickest of the battle with McClellan's di-
vision on the right. In this battle the Fif-
teenth and Sixteenth Iowa regiments fought
tosiether. Bv some error the Fifteenth was
taken into the conflict across an open field,
marching by the right flank instead of mov-
ing in line of battle. Being under a heavy
musketry and artillery fire the regiment lost
severely in going in. The line of battle was
formed in the woods after crossing the field,
under a terrific rain of lead and iron. Col-
onel Reid was dangerously and Major Bel-
knap severely wounded. Captain Blackmar
and First Lieutenant Goode, of Corporal
Stone's company, were severely wounded,
and the command of the company devolved
upon Lieutenant Throckmorton, of Sidney,
Iowa. In two hours the company and regi-
ment lost more than one-third of their num-
bers. In marching through the underbrush
Corporal Stone lost his bayonet, which in
some way was pulled out of his scabbard.
That part of the field had been the scene of
a hard conflict just before, and many dead
Union soldiers of some other command were
lying around. From the scabbard of one of
them having the same kind of gun. Corporal
Stone took the bayonet and put it in his own
scabbard. Captain James G. Day, then of
Company I, and afterward judge for many
years of the district and supreme courts of
Iowa, was dangerously wounded near Cor-
poral Stone, who with others placed the
wounded oflicer on a horse, whose rider had
been killed or wounded, and started him to
a place of safet}'. Captain Day had been
first lieutenant of Mr. Stone's company and
had helped organize it, and lived at Sidney,
in Fremont county. Iowa. Afterward Cor-
poral Stone himself was wounded by a spent
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
22 C
grapesliut, but not dangerously. It was a
bitter and disastrous day to the regiment
and never afterward did it have so terrible
a conflict, except before Atlanta, on July 22,
1864.
After the battle of Shiloh the command
engaged in sluw approaches to Corinth and
the siege of that important point. One day
while close up to the enemy Corporal Stone
\vas on duty on the advance picket line. He
had three men under him at a post a few
hundred yards in advance of the main guard,
and in front of this post one of these three
was placed as a vidette at a rail fence al)out
a hundred yards in adxancc. W'lien the
German lieutenant, who could not speak
English plainly, gave Corporal Stone his in-
structions he was understood to say that if
the \idette was fired upon the Corporal
should immediately go forward with the
other two men to support him. Once dur-
ing tlie day several shots were fired at this
vidette by some of the enemy across a small
field. The corporal promptly took his two
men to the front to support his vidette. The
firing attracted the attention of Lieutenant
Colonel Dewey of- the Fifteenth Iowa, who
was the grand ofticer of the guard for that
day, and he came dashing up rapidly on
horseback with his escort to see what was
the matter. Xot finding the corporal and
the two men at the post, the colonel with his
usual impetuosity began to storm al)out their
deserting their post. But i)resently he as-
certained they were out in front and he sent
out after them and demanded of the corporal
wliy he had left the post. On being informed
of the instructions the corporal had received,
the colonel said : ''Well, you either misun-
derstood him or he got things mixed. My
orders were that if tlic vidette was fired
upon he should fall back to the post. But
since you 'retreated' to the front instead of
to the rear, i will not look into the matter
any further."
A few days after the battle of Shiloh
the Eleventh, Thirteenth, Fifteenth and Six-
teenth Iowa regiments were organized into
a brigade which was placed under the com-
mand of General M, M. Crocker, of Iowa,
who continued in that capacity till he was
placed in command of a division later on.
It was known ever after as the "Iowa Bri-
gade," or "Crocker's Brigade," and as thus
organized it continued till it was mustered
out after the war. The siege of Corinth
lasted nearly a month and every hour, day
and night, was one of danger and death.
Soon after the capture of Corinth Cor-
poral Stone was promoted to the posi-
tion of orderly sergeant, and a little later to
that of second lieutenant. He was thence-
forth in all the marches, skirmishes, sieges
and battles of his regiment and brigade.
Among these operations were embraced the
campaigns and movements of General Grant
to clear the enemy from that country ; the
march to Bolivar; the engagements near
there; the return to Corinth, the march to
luka and return ; the battle of Corinth ; tha
march to Grand Junction from Corinth ; tha
maneuvers and skirmishes on the Hatchee;
the march to jMemphis, Tennessee; the
minor actions and marches in southwestern
Tennessee and northern jNIississippi; the
march down through ^^lississippi toward
Vicksburg, until the capture of Holly
Springs in tlie rear, thus compelling Grant
to return and change his whole campaign
against Vicksburg; the trip by steam-boat
from ^Memphis to points opposite Vicksburg,
in preparation for that great campaign ; the
226
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
occupancy of Young's Point, opposite Vicks-
burg; the return up the river to Lake Prov-
idence; going back to Milhken's bend; the
march to Grand Gulf, below the city; the
investment and siege of Vicksburg, where
danger and death were ever present ; the de-i
fense on Black river, under General Sher-
man, of the rear of Grant's army, which was
then threatened by a Confederate army un-
der General Joseph E. Johnston, afterward
the great Confederate leader against Sher-
man in the Atlanta campaign ; and the march
from V^icksburg to Monroe, on the Washita
river toward Texas, the most exhausting
and terrible march the brigade ever made
and on a fruitless and useless errand. For
two months, including this march. Lieuten-
ant Stone was acting adjutant of the regi-
ment. He also took part in the march under
Sherman from Vicksburg eastward to Me-
ridian to break the communications of Gen-
eral Bragg, who was commanding a large
Confederate army near Chattanooga ; the
march from Clifton, Tennessee, where Lieu-
tenant Stone was appointed aid-de-camp on
the brigade staff, in April and May, 1864,
by way of Huntsville, Alabama, to join Sher-
man at Acworth in the Atlanta campaign ;
the battle of Kenesaw Mountain; the innu-
merable minor conflicts of this great cam-
paign and the desperate engagements near
Nickajack creek, on the 4th and 5th of July,
1864.
On the morning of the fourth of July,
Colonel W. W. Belknap, of the Fifteenth
Iowa, received orders to take his own regi-
ment, the Sixteenth Iowa, and two guns of
the First Minnesota Battery, move out to the
right and front and find a certain road, pre-
paratory to a move by the Army of the Ten-
nessee against the enemy. Lieutenant Stone
of the brigade staff was assigned to him to
act as staff officer in this movement. Colo-
nel Belknap had a high opinion of Lieuten-
ant Stone's character and military ability,
and on learning of his candidacy for attor-
ney general twenty-four years later, wrote
him the following letter:
Washington, D. C, Aug. 4, 1888.
Hon. John Y. Stone, Council Bluffs, Iowa.
My Dear Stone : The days of August, as
well as those of July, 1864, twenty-four years
ago, near and around Atlanta, were about as
hot in temperature as these and hotter, too,
in another way. These summer days, July
4th and 5th, remind me of Nickajack creek,
of July 20th, 2ist, 22d, and 28th; of those
fields and woods around Atlanta ; and of the
August days of that fearful siege when the
whole line was a skirmish line and every
sound seemed to speak of death.
I have lately seen mention made many
times of your candidacy for the attorney
generalship of Iowa, and this has taken me
back to those days of 1864, when, on the
staff of Colonel Hall, who commanded the
Third Brigade of the Fourth Division, and
of myself when I became a brigadier gen-
eral in the Seventeenth Corps, you did your
work well. So many years have passed
since the war that we can hardly realize
now, ourselves, how constant, how danger-
ous and how exacting the work of an aid-
de-camp was. You certainly fulfilled your
duties to the letter. Your career as a pri-
vate and non-commissioned officer in Com-
pany F, of the Fifteenth, had won you^
credit and promotion to a second lieutenancy,
ar;cl, had I needed any proof of your courage,
ability, and real daring, I would have found
it fully on that 4th day of July, 1864, when
we advanced from Camp 173 with the Fif-
teenth Iowa, a section of the First Minne-
sota Battery under Lieutenant Hedrick, and
the Sixteenth Iowa, "to find." as my order
said, "the road to the bridge over Nickajack
BIOGR.irJlIC.lL IIISTORV.
227
creek, 011 the way ti) Turner's l-'errv. "ii the
Cliattahoochee." On we went, with no
guide and only a rous^h map made < mi my
knee, with pencil, which is now hefore me,
and all I knew was that I was to find
'•Widow Mitchell's Farm" and "file left to-
wards the creek." We did hnd the farm,
and we did turn to the left, and had in a
few moments all the necessary salutes for the
glorious 4th, which we could desire. We
had there as sharp a fight for the numhers
enoae:ed as I ever care to he in. Cok^nel
Hedrick. with the advance, did gallant serv-
ice. You were with him. and were with
myself, when needed. In fact )uu were
everywhere in that sharp action, and yon
showed good judgment, original and true
ideas as to the then unknown position of the
enemy, and hravery under a hidden, and
hence most dangerous and harassing, fire,
A\hich impressed me most thoroughly. In
a minute or two we had many casualties.
But our brave fellows drove them (jver a
mile, and within a day or two we found
that our detachment had engaged a large
portion of the Rel)el army. The heavy ar-
tillery pounding which we received from the
Fort near Turner's Ferry soon afterward
showed that our fight in which yon took so
gallant and prominent part, had developed a
lareer force there than our division and
corps commander had thought of. Of this
fight I wrote a report, giving you due credit.
In the hurry of campaign movements I
kept no copy. The original was never found
and no report has been published. I regret
this extremely, for it deserved full record.
However, I do not hesitate to say that ofti-
cers and men all behaved with great gallantry
and did some of their best work in a few
moments.
I have enlarged on this fight, my dear
Stone, because you were nearer me there
than usual, and I saw you "go in" with mo^t
manly C(^urage and do your work well.
In the subsequent movements of the brig-
ade, from Atlanta to Savannah, and to the
time (jf your muster out. you were a'*'" -
at the front, and always faithful.
1 am sure that in civil life as well as
nnlitary you will stay at the "front," and
that vou will alwavs, wherever vou are. do
credit to the Fifteenth Iowa. an<l to the [
place where you began your law studies, '
"in the lield." with the liead(|uarters of the
Iowa Brigade of the Seventeenth Corps.
Verv trulv vours.
W. 'W. Belkx.m>.
At one time in this engagement Lieuien- j
ant Stone, sitting on his horse at an cxjjosed
point, was, with a field glass, trying to de-
tect the position of a concealed portion of
the enemy, when two shells from Confeder-
ate guns iexpkjded almost simultane )usl\'>
within a few feet of him. He was enveloped
in a cloud of smoke and his comrades who
witnessed the scene supposed he was torn
to pieces; I)Ul when the smoke was blown
away he was continuing his investigations
as before and both he and his horse were
unhurt.
Later in the day of that Fourth of July,
the other two regiments of the brigade came
to the assistance of the Fifteenth and Six-
teenth, when Colonel Hall became the .senior
officer and took commantl. But these were
not enough, and the lialance of the division
came up as reinforcements. The Iowa bri-
gade, however, maintained the front, and
during the following day pressed forward to
the Xickajack. capturing two lines of en-
trenchments on the route; and late in the
afternoon of the 5th .seized the line of the
creek under a heavy artillery fire from forts
a half nnlc in front. When this imi)ortant j
line was taken the brigade commander sent
Lieutenant Stone, as an aid-de-camp on his
staff, to make a verl)al report of the facts to
228
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
General Walter O. Gresham, the division
commander, who was some distance in the
rear. General Gresham, whose staff officers
were all absent on various duties on the field,
sent Lieutenant Stone to repeat the report
to General Blair, the corps commander.
General Blair was a mile or more in the
rear, on the top of a small mountain where
he could observe many of the operations on
the field. Here Lieutenant Stone made the
report briefly to General Blair, but there
were present Major General James B. Mc-
Pherson, the commander of the army of the
Tennessee, and Major General John A.
Logan, whose corps, the fifteenth, was then
coming up. General McPherson asked
Lieutenant Stone many questions about the
topography of the ground, the depth and
tortuousness of the creek and the like. After
taking the line above mentioned that portion
of the army went into camp. The head-
quarters of the brigade consisted of a tent
fly and a mess chest, and were located a hun-
dred vards behind a low ridge. Three-
C[uarters of a mile in front and beyond the
creek was a long high ridge on which the
enemy were entrenched and along which they
had posted twenty or thirty pieces of artil-
lery in forts. On the low ridge in front of
the brigade headquarters was posted the
Tenth Ohio Battery, commanded by Lieu-
tenant Budlong. One evening about sun-
down, soon after the events above narrated,
this whole line of Confederate artillery
opened a terrific fire of solid shot and shell
on this devoted Ohio battery, and, of course,
the headquarters, being in line just in the
rear of the battery, caught the full force of
the fire. The fury of the bombardment for
a Cjuarter of an hour was never surpassed by
an equal number of guns. The six guns
under the intrepid Budlong contributed their
share. This was the "heavy artillery pound-
ing'' referred to in General Belknap's letter
above c[uoted.
Shortly afterward, being outflanked on
their left by General Schofield's Army of the
Ohio, the Confederate army retreated across
the Chattahoochee river, soon followed by
Sherman's army. Li this movement the
Seventeenth Corps marched rapidly to the
left and crossed the river at Roswell's
While Hooker was fighting the battle of
Peach Tree Creek on the 20th, on the south
side of the river, the Iowa brigade was mak-
ing a strong diversion on his left and front
to hold the enemy from re-enforcing the
command fighting him. In taking position
to aid this purpose, part of the brigade was
at the crest of a ridge, and across a narrow
valley to the left the balance of the brigade
was placed, after separating from the main
body in the woods at the head of the valley.
This valley was at least two hundred yards
wide and was so exposed to the enemy en-
trenched on an eminence that it was not
thought advisable to fill the gap at that time.
After Lieutenant Stone had shown the part
of the brigade on the left its proper position,
it became necessary for him to go as quickly
as possible to the ridge on the right to make
a report. He could not go across the valley
without great danger, and he could not
make the long circuit in the rear without
losing too much time. He decided to chance
the run across the valley, four or five hun-
dred yards from the enemy's entrenchment.
Putting his horse at full speed he dashed
into the valley in the open field. Hundreds
of shots were fired at him as he made the
run. but at the close he waved his cap at the
enemv and entered unharmed behind the
BIOGR.IPIIIC.IL HISTORY.
129
ridge. The Confederates, no d()nl)t glad
of his escai)e, raised a tremendous shout of
admiration. A minute or two after this, as
Lieutenant Stone was going to General
Gresham to report to him the condition of
matters on the left, he found tliat officer
near* the top of the ridge dangerously
wounded. Colonel Hall then took command
of the division and Colonel Shane of the
Thirteenth Iowa assumed command of the
brigade. That niglit the ridge and the val-
ley were entrenched and the gap occupied,
and General Giles A. Smith assumed com-
mand of the (h\ision. On the 21st General
eral Force's brigade was ordered to press
forward on the left and take a strong posi-
tion. The Iowa brigade was ordered to
charge the works in their front, to hold the
enemy there and keep them from re-enforc-
ing against General Force.
The brigade
moved forward in splendid style, but, as
was expected, were re[)ulsed. with a heavy
loss. The charge and return occupied twen-
ty-seven minutes. It was one of those sacri-
fices that sometimes have to be made in war
to help other points of the line, and in tliis
instance the Iowa boys held the enemy to
their entrenchments till General Force ac-
complished the work assigned to him. In
the charge Lieutenant Stone's horse was
shot and had to be abandoned. The bri-
gade then resumed its position behind the
v.'orks on the ridge and in the valley. Dur
ing the night of the 21st the brigade mo\-ed
further to the left antl entrenched.
On July 22, one of the most savage bat-
tles of the war was fought in front of At-
lanta. The Iowa brigade formed the ex-
treme left of the Sevententh Corps. There
was a gap of a half a mile between it and
Dodge's Corps coming up on its left.
Through this gap the Confederate division
under Ilardie entered and charged the rear
of the division to which the Iowa brigade
belonged. Here the heroic and talented Mc-
I'herson was mortallv wounded and died,
llis last act in life was to receive a drink
of water from the hand of pri\ate George
I). Reynolds, of the Fifteenth Iowa, who
himself was severely wounded. I'or this
brax'e and kindly act, done in the face
of a charging. Veiling colunm of the en-
emy, prixate Reynolds afterward received
a gold medal of honor in the presence of
the army corps. The brigade had only
gone into the position late the night be-
fore. Attacked in the rear the Iowa regi-
ments jumped over their own works and
desperately resisted. Xo sooner would they
repel assailants from one side than they
would be charged l)y a large force on the
otiier. Se\'en times tliese heroic Iowa boys
jumped over the entrenchments to repel
charges from the other side. Many Con-
federates charged squarely up against the
works and were seized by the Iowa men and
dragged over. The enemy made heroic as-
saults. The Confederate Colonel Lampley,
of the Forty-fifth Alabama, rode up against
the line of earthworks, sword in hand and
wounded, animating his men. He was
seized by the collar by Colonel W. W. llel-
knap of the Fifteenth Iowa, i)ulled off his
horse and dragged o\er the works. As
tliis Confederate officer came up he was wav-
ino- a white handkerchief in his left hand.
Colonel Belknap, supposing it to be a flag of
truce and a confession of surrender, ordered
his men to cease firing. By the side of the
Alabamian's horse was a boy about six-
teen years old. Colonel Lampley pointed his
sword at Colonel Belknap, who was a large
230
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
man with a full, long red l)eard — a man who
would attract attention anywhere — and or-
aered the boy to "shoot that officer." The
boy instantly fired at the Union colonel, but
missed him. After pulling the Alabama
officer over the works Belknap seized the boy
by his hair and with his salver in his hand
said to him : "If you were not such a brave
little rascal I would chop your head off."
Then turning to the Confederate colonel said,
"\Miat do vou mean bv ordering vour men
to shoot me when I have ordered my men
to stop firing out of respect to your flag of
truce?" The Confederate then noticed for
the first time the significance of his white
handkerchief, and immediately explained
that he was waving his handkerchief in lead-
ing up his men, and in his excitement had
not thought of its being a sign of asking a
truce. He apologized handsomely for his
mistake, expressing the most profound re-
gret, and seemed to be more sorrowful over
it than over his dreadful wound, which Bel-
knap had not observed till then. The battle
was desperate and often hand to hand.
Lieutenant Stone was in the midst of it, per-
forming the difficult and dangerous duties
of his position, and was a witness of the
above incident of the battle.
At the beginning of the battle Lieutenant
Stone had borrowed the horse of Lieutenant
Safely of the Eleventh Iowa, who com-
manded the relief and ambulance corps.
Some time after the battle began and when
the ammunition was running low, Colonel
Hall sent Lieutenant Stone some dista'nce
away to order an ammunition wagon. On his
return the spreading columns of the enemy
in the rear very nearly captured liim and the
precious wagon, but l)y a quick dash to the
right he brought the wagon through to the
needy soldiers; but the borrowed horse was
killed before the act was accomplished.
Thenceforth during the battle Lieutenant
Stone performed his duties on another bor-
rowed horse, and, as General Belknap truly
says in his letter, no duties are more con-
stant, more exacting or more perilous in bat-
tle than those of an aid-de-camp on the bri-
gade or division staff.
All that long after-
and services in the awful struggle.
Iowa brigade
strong
noon the battle raged. After it was over
Colonel Hall, in his report to his supe-
rior officer, expressed the highest apprecia-
tion of Lieutenant Stone's help, conduct
The
went in fourteen hundred
and came out eight hundred.
Though the command won a splendid vic-
tory, it lost — for a little while — some ground
in the progress of the battle by moving to the
right for a better position for defense. In
doing this the headcjuarters of the brigade
commander fell, for a time, within the Con-
federate lines. Colonel Hall had bought a
bottle of champagne at St. Louis, which he
kept in the chest, with the frequently avowed
intention of drinking when Atlanta fell. The
day following the battle a flag of truce came
in from the Confederate general in front of
that part of the line for permission to get the
Confederate dead within our lines to bury
them. The request was acceded to and
Lieutenant Stone, as member of the staff,
was one of -the officers sent to supervise the
affair. A strip of ground between the two
lines, one hundred feet wide, was established
with a Confederate guard along their side
and a federal guard along the Linion side.
The dead of each side were brought in by
the other and deposited here to be received.
In this strip Lieutenant Stone met General
Govan of the Confederate armv, who had
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
2^1
cummanded '>nc of the brigades that had
chart;"ed the h'wa brigade so HerceK' the day
befiire. In the ci>n\'ersatii)n i>t" an hnur they
had there (hiring the peiideney of the truce
tliey talked about the l)attle. (leneral ( lovau
told Lieutenant Stone that he had captured
some officer's headiiuarters the day before
anil had found a bottle of champagne in the
mess chest. Lieutenant Stone then told him
Colonel Hall had been keeping that wine to
drink w hen the city of Atlanta was captured.
The Confederate general smiled and politely
said he regretted that the colonel must be
disappointed, for he and his stafif had drank
the champagne the night before. The cham-
pagne was not all the Confederates got in
the brief space of time they were in posses-
sion of the headqttarters. An officer's sixty-
dollar overcoat, which Lieutenant Stone had
bought in St. Louis, was taken, though it was
in July and the weather was very warm.
The mess chest remained, but its contents
were gone. But we cannot follow these
events in detail. Six days later another se-
vere battle was fought l)y the survivors on
the right of the line. knt)wn as the l)attle of
the 28th of July, or Ezra Church, under the
eye of Major General O. O. Howard, who
had taken command of the Army of the
Tennessee some days after the death of
General AlcPherson.
Thenceforth the siege of Atlanta pro-
gresed. the Iowa brigade doing it:> full share.
In the latter part of August. Sherman swung
the left of his army, which included the bri-
gade, far around to his right toward Jones-
boro and thus forced Hood with liis army out
of Atlanta. The brigade had short rest. lAi
a very few weeks the indomitable Hood was
marching around and in the rear of Sherman,
The Cnion army followed, but could not
overtake him.. The pursuit (»f Hood was
attended by many annoyances. ^Vmong them
was a seri(5us one in Snake Creek Gap. in
the mountains near Resaca. The gap is a
gorge or \ery small \alley, with but little
more than enough room for the wagon road.
On each side was heavy timber. Through
the whole length of the twelve or thirteen
miles, the Confederates, after passing
through had felled large trees across the '
narrow roadwaN-. It took a lou"- time for a
large force to clear them out. Before start-
ing on that pursuit General Sherman had is-
sued a stringent order limiting wagon trans-
portation, and prohibiting from the trains
all carriages, buggies, carts and wagons
picked up along the line. On the day the
gap was being cleared of trees, General
Sherman was sitting on a log beside the road
near the head of the Iowa brigade, which
had stopped, waiting on the work in front.
There was a train of army wagons also wait-
ing ahead of the brigade. General Sherman^
on looking ahead, saw a small country
wagon drawn b}- a pair of broken down
horses, with a cow tied behind it, and a
soldier servant in charge of it. General
Sherman had the man brought to him and
demanded to know whose wagon that was.
He was told that it belonged to a colonel of
the Sixteenth Arni}- Corps, all of whose per-
sonal luggage and camj) equipment were in
the wagon. General Sherman then said to
the man. "ril ha\e you shot." Then turning
to Belknap the general said loudly, "General
Belknap, 1 want }'ou to put this man in
charge of your prox'ost guard and ha\e him
shot to-morrrow morning at sun-up." Gen-
eral Belknap scrutinized Sherman's face long
and well with a \ery earnest and serious
countenance before he caugiit the correct ex-
232
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
pression. The man suffered great mental
agony all that night, but was turned loose
very happy at sun-up. After giving this
order to General Belknap, General Sherman
told the soldiers near by to "go through"
the wagon and take everything they wanted
and to destroy the rest. In less than a
minute there was a Sixteenth Corps colonel
without baggage and without camp equi-
page. General Sherman was an iron dis-
ciplinarian, and he could make people very
unhappy at times, but he possessed a kind
and generous heart. Though he loved his
officers and men he sometimes chastened
them.
Leaving Hood to be attended to by Gen-
eral Thomas at Nashville, Sherman slowly
returned to Atlanta, tearing up the railroads
as he went. He then destroyed the city, so
it could not be used as a base of supplies for
a pursuing army, and started on his ever
memorable march to the sea. His army ate
all the food that was in a belt of fifty mile.s
to Savannah, Georgia, and destroyed all the
railroads in that area. The march was
comparatively easy and in the main agree-
able. There was little fighting on the route,
but as the command approached the city of
Savannah many men were killed or horribly
mangled, or both, by torpedoes buried near
the surface in the roads, railroads and paths,
and at all places where men were likely to
march. The Iowa men had never met this
kind of warfare before. General Sherman,
who was Avith them at the time of the events
about to be stated, was in a towering rage.
He told General Blair, who -commanded
the Seventeenth Corps, that he might put a
number of prisoners equal to the number
of Union soldiers thus killed or mangled
into the station building on the railroad east
of Savannah and burn them. Blair, of
course, would not have executed the order,
and General Sherman's rage gradually re-
laxed. But the next morning it rose again.
The Iowa brigade was in front, marching-
toward the city preceded by the First Ala-
bama Union Cavalry, or a portion of it. The
road was wide and smooth. All of a sudden
there was an explosion beneath the adjutant
of this cavalry regiment whose horse was
killed and the officer's leg torn off by the
fragments of a torpedo shell. Sherman was
just ahead of this Iowa brigade He moved
up to the scene of the catastrophe, followed
by the Iowa command. He was white with
rage and horror. Just then a woman, vicious
and ferocious, came out of a good farm
house near Ijy and tauntingly exclaimed to
Sherman, "I could have told vou that tor-
pedo was there; my husband helped put it
in there last night, and there are more of
them." General Sherman then ordered up
a lot of prisoners from the rear of the brig-
ade and, ordering the soldiers to get a proper
distance away, directed the prisoners with
picks and spades to find the other torpedoes.
Thc}^ protested and then refused. The
general ordered that a platoon of soldiers
be brought out to fire upon them. They
then yielded and began scratching with their
fingers in a most delicate and careful
manner, to find the torpedoes barely
below the surface of the road. They
found four, each being about eighteen inches
long and eight inches in diameter with a
percussion or friction fuse barely beneath the
dust in the road. \\'hen a horse with an
iron shoe, or a man with a solid tack-heel
shoe stepped upon it there was almost sure
tc be an explosion carrying death to those
near by. The wicked and exulting woman
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
233
was given 1)ut a few minutes to get lier
household goods out t)t the house when it:
was ordered l)urncd. 1)ccause it had harhored
tlie torpedo assassins of the night Ijefore.
Lieutenant Stone witnessed these events, ex-
cept the explosion of the torpedo that mor-
tal]}- wounded the Alahama adjutant. This
caxalr)- regiment had heen recruited and or-
ganized from the Union men of Alahama hy
Colonel Spencer, a former Iowa man, who
was afterwards a United States senator
from Alal)ama in the reconstruction days.
General Sherman in his memoirs, in gi\ing
an account of this incident, seems to have
forgotten tlie finding of the other torpedoes
in the road, Init the fact is well attested. It
was not a hig event to General Sherman,
and in his husy life might easily he for-
gotten.
One day as the hrigade was closing up
before the works in front of the city, it
halted about noon, two regiments being on
each side of the main road, one in front of
the other. General Belknap and Lieutenant
Stone were at the roadside between. The
men were snatching the opportunity to take
a (|uick lunch, and all near the road were
under a heavy artillery fire from the en-
emy's forts. Charles Hoag, who was either
the sergeant major or principal musician of
the Sixteenth Iowa, was sitting on the
ground facing the rear and eating his short
ration. He was struck squarely in the back
of the head with a solid common shot and
his brains scattered upon the persons of
General Belknap and Lieutenant Stone and
others who were within a few feet of him!
The headless body was a w-eird and ghastly
spectacle even to hardened soldiers familiar
with scenes of blood and death.
After arriving in front of Savannah, the
soldiers had nothing ta eat for a week but
rice, which they had to thresh from straw
the best they could. Ihit after Fort Mc-
Allister was taken, at the mouth of the
Ogechee ri\er, by General Hazen's division
of the Fifteenth Corps, ship-loads of pro-
visions came ui) Ossabaw Sound and sup-
plied the hungry veterans. Lieutenant
Stone's period of enlistment had expired
some time before the march to the sea. but
he voluntarily remained in the army until
the end of that great event. In the latter
part of December, near Savannah, he was
discharged, after serving nearly three
months over time. He, with other dis-
charged soldiers, embarked in an old coast
vessel for Hilton Head, South Carolina,
which they reached next day, but were nearly
shipwrecked on the way by reason of a terri-
ble storm at sea and the Weakness of the ship.
At Hilton Head they embarked for Xew
York on the steamship Arrago, a stanch ves-
sel commanded by Captain Gadsden, and in
eight days they were in New York. On
the voyage the crew of the ship picked up
sixty-five survivors, who had escaped in
boats from the steamer North American,
which had left New Orleans three or four
weeks before, loaded with nearly five hun-
dred souls, mainly discharged Union sol-
diers. The ship was fatallv injured in a
storm and sank with all on board save the
sixty-five who were in the boats. One of
them was a lady school-teacher from the
state of New^ York. Her brother, a Union
soldier, was ill in New Orleans. She re-
solved to go after him. For some reason
she had to get permission from (ieneral
John A. Dix, who commanded at New
York. The conceited martinets about his
hicadquarters would not let her see him.
234
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
She tried for three clays, and then, desperate,
forcibly pushed herself forward into Gen-
eral Dix's presence. He received her kindly
and gave her permission and transportation,
for she had little money. She went to New
Orleans, got her sick brother, and with him
embarked on the doomed North American.
\^^len it was known the ship wonld sink the
captain ordered her into a boat. She re-
fused to go without her brother. The cap-
tain said her brother could not go, but with
hundreds of others must perish. She clung
to her brother and declared she would perish
with him, The captain at last ordered the
crew to place both brother and sister in the
boat, which was done. In this way they
■escaped the death that overtook those who
v^•ent down with the ship. There were hun-
dreds of discharged Union officers on the
Arrago and they made up a purse of over
a thousand dollars for the penniless but
lieroic girl.
Immediately on coming out of the army
Mr. Stone resumed the study of law. Dur-
ing the lulls in campaigns he had, in camp
and garrison, kept up a systematic course of
study in language, mathematics, history and
general literature, and to some extent of the
law. He mastered many of the text-books
of the schools as effectually as if he had
studied at college. On his return he went
into the law office of Hon. William Hale,
an able lawyer of Glenwood. who died in
1885, while he was governor of the territorv
cf Wyoming. Mr. Stone was admitted to
the bar in the latter part of 1865 at Glen-
wood. by Judge Day of the district court,
the same man whom, dangerouslv wounded,
Corporal Stone had assisted at Shiloh. In
1867 he was taken into a law partnership
with Mr. Hale, which continued till Hak
was appointed to the governorship of \\Vo-
ming in 1882, by President Arthur. They
had a large business and before many years
were regarded as one of the strongest firms
of the state. In 1874 S. V. Proudfit was
associated with the firm, thereafter known
as Hale, Stone & Proudfit. ^Mr. Proudfit
remained in the firm until 1881, when he
was appointed to a position in one of the
departments at Washington. He has long
been in the law office of the interior depart-
ment, and at this v.riting is assistant attor-
ney-general in that department, a position
earned by his intrinsic merits and ability.
In 1884 Mr. Shirley Gillilland, a brilliant
young lawyer, was associated with Mr. Stone
under the firm name of Stone & Gillilland.
This firm was dissolved soon after Mr.
Stone was elected attornev-general, some
years later. Without removing from his
home and practice in Glenwood. Mr. Stone
formed a law partnership with Jacob Sims,
ar Council Bluffs, in 1886, under the firm
name of Stone & Sims. Mr. Sims was and
still is one of the ablest lawyers at the Iowa
bar. This relation continued till soon after
Mr. Stone became attorney-general. About
1890 he and T. C. Dawson formed a law
partnership at Council Bluffs, under the
name of Stone & Dawson. In 1897 Mr.
Dawson was appointed by the president as
secretary of the United States legation at
Rio Janeiro, a position he still holds. About
the 1st of January, 1898, Mr. Stone formed
a law partnership vvith Emmet Tinley, at
Council Bluffs, which is still existing. Mr.
Tinley is a young man of much ability and
high character, and the firm has a large and
increasing practice.
During the past twenty-five years Mr.
Stone has been engaged in many large and
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
235
iir.portant cases and has liad conspicuous
success in achieving- many notahle victories.
He maintains his practice at Cllcnwood.
where he Hves, Init spends much time at his
office in Council Ijhifts, which can Ije reached
in forty minutes after he starts from his
liome. His investigation of a case is search-
ing anil thorough, and in his preparations
for trial he is industrious and exhaustive,
though he possesses tremendous instanta-
neous power of thought and action, and can
reacljust or wholly change his line of battle
on the trial as readily as a great military
tactician can on the field of battle.
A distinguished judge of the state, be-
fore whom he has long practiced, writes of
him as follows :
"To hear Mr. Stone in court upon some
important leg^al question one would conclude
that his understanding is pre-eminentl\' a
legal one. His arguments have the vivid
freshness and \irility which frequently char-
acterize new investigation, and at the same
time are supported by such careful analysis
and profound knowledge of legal i)rinciples
as to show that his researches have not been
confined to the narrow scope of that pav-
ticular case, but have covered the w'ide field
of legal learning.
"In the last twenty-five years legal litera-
ture has increased tenfold, which makes it
possible for the ordinary lawyer, in most
instances, to support his contention with the
decisions of some court, when he would be
powerless if called upon to sustain his posi-
tion by original thought and research ; but
it can be truthfully said of Air. Stone that
if all of the books were burned, the decisions
of the courts blotted out, he would still be
an eminent lawyer, — one of the few whose
task would be to relniild the fabric of the
law and write its history.
14
"Many years ago an eminent judge told
the writer that in his opinion Mr. Stone had
the strongest grasp of legal cpiestions of any
lawyer in his district.
"From his boyhood Mr. Stone has been
recognized as an eloquent and very etYective
public speaker. He has great power in an-
alyzing complicated and .apparently contra-
dictory states of facts.
"An eminent judge said to the writer that
Mr. Stone was the only lawyer who had ever
led him to change his conclusion after he
had fully made up his mind upon the facts in
a case, and that he did this by his keen anal-
ysis of the facts. To this power of analysis
is added the beauty and fervor of a poetic
imagination and of strong emotion. His
speeches are arguments, based (jn fact and
reason, frequently interspersed with out-
bursts of the finest oratory. He is a reasoner
and logician first; closely following this he
is an orator of high rank.
"Mr. Stone has been very successful be-
fore juries and as a trial lawyer, and lias won
a wide reputation as an elocjuent and very
convincing pu1)lic speaker. In great cases
he has always succeeded in the end.
"For more than one-third of a century
upon the stump and in the councils of his
party he has been an earnest and [jowerful
advocate of the equal rights of all men l)e-
fore the law : of the protection of Ameri-
can labor, and of honest money; one of the
sowers of the good seed from which not
only Americans but all men are now reap-
ing a bountiful harvest. Long service has
not weakened his excellent natural powers
as a lawyer and speaker, but has added to
them strength and wisdom, — the gifts of
long years of experience and thought."
Lieutenant Stone has always been a Re-
publican in politics. Even before the Civil
2T,6
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
war wlien a mere boy he made speeches in
the neighborhood on Silver creek. He cast
his first vote for Abraham Lincohi, in 1864,
at Marietta, Georgia, when his regiment was
in camp preparatory to the march to the sea.
In 1867, when but twenty- four years of age,
he was elected a member of the house of
representatives from IMills county to the
Iowa general assembly. He was the young-
est member of that body and was re-elected
in 1869. In 1 87 1 he was elected to the Iowa
senate from Pottawattamie, Mills and Mont-
gomery counties as its youngest member.
He served four years in the senate, which
included the period of the making of the
code of 1873, in which he took an active
part. In 1875 he was returned to the house
from Mills county, was a candidate for
speaker, but was defeated by Hon. John H.
Gear,. of Burlington. He then became chair-
man of the judiciary committee, and the
unquestioned leader of the house. He was
re-elected to the house in 1877, and in Janu-
ary, 1878, was made speaker without op-
position from either party. In this capacity
he 2-ave s^reat satisfaction and ruled over
the house with firmness and justice. He
was then and is yet regarded as one of the
ablest parliamentarians in the country. Be-
fore he became speaker he had been chair-
man of many important committees and had
served upon others. He secured the passage
of many important measures, among them
the first law in Iowa to regulate insurance
companies. He introduced and over great
opposition secured the passage of a bill for
establishing the Institution for Feeble Mind-
ed Children at Glenwood, his home city.
This was in 1876. He carried it easily
through the house of which he was a mem-
ber, but when it went to the senate it was de-
feated, lacking three votes. With his usual
energy he went about the work of resurrect-
ing and passing it. With the assistance of his
friends in the house and senate, of whom he
always had many, the vote was reconsid-
ered two days later and the bill passed. This
institution has now grown to be one of the
greatest in the country, and is conceded on
all sides to be one of the most meritorious.
When Mr. Stone was pressing the bill in the
general assembly few people had any confi-
«
dence in its merits and it was supported more
through personal friendship for him than
from any other motive. But they have long
since seen his judgment vindicated. He was
the first man that ever carried through an
Iowa legislative body a bill providing for
the appointment and then the election of
commissioners to regulate the railways of the
state and vesting them with power to fix
railway freight charges. This measure he
prepared, introduced and carried through
the Iowa senate in 1874. Though the meas-
ure was defeated in the house, part of the
principles of it were carried through four
years later when he was speaker of the house.
In 1888 all the principles of Mr. Stone's
measure became engrafted into Iowa law.
They have given complete satisfaction to the
people of the state and even railway com-
panies now recognize their justness and
merit, and are content with them.
We cannot follow the record of this
active man through his legislative career.
During the course of twelve years, from
1868 to 1880, he was a leading factor in
Iowa legislation. Xo important measure
v;as enacted that had not received his care-
ful consideration and his views of public law
'and policy have been impressed upon the
statutes of the state.
In 1876 Mr. Stone was elected as a dele-
gate at large to the Republican national con-
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
237
ventinii at Cincinnati, wliich nominated
kntlierfoni \\. Hayes. Mr. Stone .snjjported
the noniiuaiion f)f Hon. [anie.s (i. Blaine for
president. The names of oreat men Hke
Jjtmes G. Blaine, Roscoe Conklini;- and Oliver
F. JMorton were before the conventi(jn.
Hon. Robert (1. Ing-ersoll. one of the great
orators of the world of any time, made the
presentation achh'css in l)chalf of Mr. Blaine.
]n immediate effect and startling- power the
speech was never excelled since the world
began. Jt is doubtful if in these resi)ects it
Avas ever ai)proached. If the vote could liave
been taken at its close there would have been
no doubt of the nomination of Blaine, but
by the rules of the con\cnlion that could not
be done, and intervening time and things
turned the attention of the delegates.
Mr. Stone was here elected as the i(;v.-:.
member of the Republican national commit-
tee, and, by Zachariah Chandler, its chair-
man, was appointed on the executive com-
mittee. He was thus an active factor in tlie
management of the campaign. The struggle
•ended in such doubt that congress appointed
an electoral commission to decide who had
v.on the presidency.
At the Republican national convention in
Chicago, in 1880, Mr. Stone, as a member of
the national committee, took an exceedingly
active part. There had long been a conflict
among leading Republicans over what was
known as the "unit rule," by which was
meant that if a majority of a state convention
or of a state delegation should be favorable
to a candidate the majority could cast the
vote of the whole delegation; and thus dele-
gates elected from districts who might be for
some other candidates could have no voice
for their preference. The question had long
been one of contention. It was determined
by the faction to which Mr. Stone belonged
j to bring the matter to an issue and settle it
forever, if po.ssible. Xew ^'ork, Pennsyl-
: vania and Illinois had large delegations, the
i majority of each being against Blaine, but
there being also a very large minority of
each for him. The members of the national
committee who were most active against the
uidt rule were Senator Chaffee, of Colorado;
\\ illiam E. Chandler — since senator — from
Xew Hampshire; Representative, now Sen-
ator. Aldrich, of Rhode Island; Stephen B.
Jilkins, of Arizona, now senator of West
Virginia; and John Y. Stone, of Iowa. The
most active against them were Senator Hon
Cameron, of Peimsyl vania — then chairman
of the committee after the death of Zacha-
riah Chandler; Chauncey I. Filley, of Mis-
souri; George C. Gorham, of California; and
Powell Clayton, of Arkansas. The fight
was long and bitter. Thirteen or fourteen
of the committee were in favor of the unit
rule and a larger number against it, but the
minority almost made up in boldness, cour-
age and audacity what they lacked in num-
bers. The point was over the selection by
the committee of a man for temporary chair-
man who would hold to unit rule or against
it. The chairman of the committee finally
refused to put questions proposed by mem-
bers of the majority. He refused to allow
an appeal from his decision. After several
ineffectual efforts a recess was taken autl the
members of each faction assembled by them-
selves. In the majority faction a resolution
was introduced l)y Mr. Elkins and unani-
mously adopted to remove Mr. Cameron as
chairman of the committee and elect Will-
iam E. Chandler. Air. Aldrich was selected
as leader to carry this- daring though neces-
sary scheme into effect. Alotions were pre-
pared and the precise lines of action agreed
238
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
vipon. It was expected there would be resist-
ance, more or less forcible, to the removal of
Chairman Cameron, and preparations were
made to meet that. But the expected con-
flict did not come about. Chicago was full
of the spirit of the controversy and the ex-
citement was great, for upon the result de-
pended the nomination for the presidency.
If the unit rule prevailed Grant would be
nominated. If it failed probably Blaine
would be, though it was not certain. After
the secret proceedings above mentioned the
committee began to reassemble. In the
meantime it had leaked out that the major-
ity had resolved to remove the chairman of
the committee. This broke down the unit-
rule entrenchment. The minority gave up
the fight they had so audaciously kept up be-
fore. But here entered upon the scene a
new feature. Thomas C. Piatt was the New
York member of the committee, but he now
for the time being gave place to Chester A.
Arthur, who at that moment had no concep-
tion of the fact that he would in a few days
be nominated for vice president. He was
a diplomatist and gentleman, and he was
ever magnificent. He came to the majority
with an olive branch. He carried the scroll
of submission. Mr. Arthur captivated the
victors. He stated that his faction would
give up the unit rule, but in the interest of
harmony he urged that some man be selected
v,ho was satisfactory to all, and who would
still hold against the unit rule. This was
agreed to and Senator George F. Hoar, of
Massachusetts, a grand old man even then,
was unanimously agreed to as temporary
chairman. And thus one of the most
troublesome and dangerous questions that
ever came up in the Republican party was
finally settled. A few days later James A.
Garfield was nominated for president, and
Chester A. Arthur for vice-president. In
but little over a year the captivating peace-
maker in the committee was president of the
United States. This was probably the most
interesting convention ever held in America.
Roscoe Conkling, John A. Logan, Benjamin
Harrison, James A. Garfield, William Mc-
Kinley and many other great men w^ere del-
egates.
In 1884 Mr. Stone was again a delegate
at large from Iowa to the national Republi-
can convention held that year in Chicago.
He was the chairman of the Iowa delegation
and was an active participator in the debates
and proceedings of the convention. He was,
with the others of the delegation and most of
his party in the state, for the nomination of
Mr. Blaine. He was efficient and active in
the secret meetings and work of the friends
of that illustrious man, who had the great
satisfaction of seeing him there triumphantly
nominated.
In 1888 Mr. Stone was nominated and
elected on the Republican ticket as attorney-
general of the state. He was re-elected in
1890 and again in 1892. He was the first
attorney-general in the state to receive three
terms, though he did not solicit or desire
the last. During his incumbency of that
otiice many questions wholly new to the
jurisprudence of the country arose. The
railway statutes of 1888 came up for judi-
cial interpretation. Scores of suits in both
federal and state courts were instituted under
tljese laws. ]\Iany of them involved the con •
stitutional power of the state to enact such
statutes. The powers of the state railway
commission hafl to be considered and deter-
mined, and during the six years Mr.
Stone was obliged to constantly meet the
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
■19 I
greatest railway lawyers of the cnuntrv in
these courts on these important (juestions.
The \\"rk of the ofhce increased four-fold
The hest test of his ahilitv to i)crfonu these
complicated and lal)ori(iu> duties is found
in the fact that none hut words of praise
were ever elicited for his consjjicuous
serxices.
Before the close of his last term as at
torney-general he was elected hy the house
of representatives as one of the code com-
missioners to revise the Iowa code. This
extensive and lal)orious undertaking- wa>
completed hy the commission in the latter
l^art of J 895, and the work thus wrought,
together with the revisions of it made by
the general assemhlv at its special session in
1897, constitutes the present code of Iowa
laws. This was the second code he helped
to make.
In 1894 he was a candidate for United
States senator, litit was defeated in the cau-
cus by Ex-Governor John II. Gear, his old-
time antagonist for the speakership.
In 1880 he was a candidate for the nom-
ination for congress at the Republican con-
vention at Council Bluffs. There were foui
candidates, Mr. Stone, Colonel W. F. Sapp,
then congressman. Colonel W. P. Hepburn
an.d Major A. R. Anderson, all prominent
men of the state. The convention was in
session six days and ballotted hundreds of
times. On the last ballot Colonel W. P.
Hepburn was nominated. He has, in a
changed district, been in congress ever since,
save during the four vcars he was solicitor
of the treasury department during the ad-
ministration of President Harrison. Mr.
Stone woidd inidoubtedI\- ha\e been sen:
to congress at different limes, from the new
district of 1882. if he had con.sente(l ; but
he has uniformly declined to be considered
in that connection. The intensity of hi^,
political aspirations has been greatly modi-
fied in his later \'cars. ih(nigh he is as earnest
and active as ever in conventions and cam-
paigns in support of his partv rmd p.arty
friends. But his friends have noticed that
while he has steadfastly refused to be con-
sidered for governor or representative in
congress, he has never been heard to sav he
would refuse an election to tiie United
States senate, where his many friends hope
to see him yet.
There arose in Iowa long ago many seri- '
ous controversies among the people along the
Des Moines river as to the title to lands
along that stream claimed by early settlers
on them under acts of congress. The old
Des Moines Railroad & Xaxigation Com-
])any got title from the state through an old
contract with certain state commissioners.
The title to about three hundred thousand
acres was involved in the controversy
l)etween the settlers and this company
and its grantees. Some early decisions
of cases between claimants through the dif-
ferent sources of title were in favor of the
company and persons to whom it had sold
some of the lands. Settlers were being evict-
ed, much distress was occasioned and great
excitement arose and some serious personal
conflicts followed, and man\- were threat-
ened. In 1889 Governor Larrabee requested
Mr. Stone, then attorney general of the state,
to go to Washington and endeavor to get
the attorney general of the United States to
institute a suit, on behalf of the government,
to forever settle these disputed titles. After
protracted arguments by Mr. Stone and Sen-
ator Allison of Iowa, who freely assisted
him. on the part of the settlers, and eminent
240
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
lawyers on behalf of the company, the attor-
ney- general of the United States made the
order directing the suit to be brought. Mr.
Stone was appointed by the attorney gen-
eral as special attorney on the part of the
gov)ernment to institute and conduct the
cause. It was argued by Mr. Stone for the
United States before Judge Shiras, United
States judge at Fort Dodge, in 1890. The
cause was decided against the government
and appealed to the supreme court. Mr.
Stone was again appointed as special attor-
ney to prepare and prosecute the appeal. He
and the attorney general of the United
States argued the cause in the supreme
court. That court adhered to the declara-
tions of the early cases, and decided that,
in view of the long period of time that had
elapsed during which the old cases had been
relied upon as the law of the matter, it
would not overturn the previously an-
nounced doctrines. The result of the suit,
however, had the effect to induce congress
to make an appropriation partially compen-
sating the settlers for their losses.
In the spring of 1884 Mr. Stone com-
menced the work of planting an apple or-
chard a mile west of Glen wood. By the
spring of 1892 he had purchased eiglit hun-
dred acres of land in one body, on which he
had in the meantime planted over one hun-
dred thousand trees and seveny-five thousand
grape vines. In the enterprise he invested
all the money he had ever earned and saved
and all he could borrow. The expense of the
operation and maintenance of the orchard
was afterward very great. But up to this
writing there has been no crop of apples in
this country since 1891, though all the trees
have long since been of bearing age. Such
a condition had never been known before
the orchard was planted. On this ac-
count Mr. Stone was obliged to let
go much of it.
taking from
" He began this great under-
both sentimental and prac-
tical motives and from a desire to benefit
the locality where, and the people among
whom, he had so long lived. Though
he has thus far gained nociiing for himself
in the enterprise, it has been of incalculable
benefit lo them. The pr'ce of land in that
county and around it cjuickly went up ten
to thirty dollars per acre, from which it has
not receded. Mr. Stone does not doubt that
the orchard will yet prove immensely profit-
able, and though it may not help him he is
gratified to believe it will greatly help
others.
In addition to his other studies during
the war Mr. Stone learned to read well the
French language, though, for want of a
teacher, not to speak it. He obtained
Jomini's and Schalk's works on the art of
war and mastered them. He thus became
well informed on the theories and principles
of this great art and acquired a technical
knowledge of the rules of grand strategy
and grand tactics and the principles of mili-
tary logistics. In an experience of more
than three years of service in large armies
under illustrious commanders in a great
war over a large territory he continuously
saw these great rules and principles put in
practice.
Since the war he has been a constant stu-
dent of language, literature, philosophy,
science and history and few uni\-ersity grad-
uates, who have been so long engaged in the
active duties of an arduous profession are
better scholars. The character of his mind
is such that he is a profound, analytical and
constructive thinker, and a clear, logical^
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
241 1
forcible and elegant writer. Since he re-
tired from the attorney generalship he has
devoted his time to his private practice with
unabated energy, and few professional or
business men work and study as many
hours Dt the day and night.
John Y. Stone was married at Glenwood,
Jcinuary 8. 1868, to ]\Iiss Harriet Solomon.
On that day he started to Des Moines to at-
tend his hrst legislative session, taking his
young wife with him for the winter. The
name of ^Irs. Stone's father was Joel Solo-
uion. He was clerk of the circuit ci>urt in
Fulton county. Illinois, when Stephen A.
Douglas was judge of that circuit, and he
was a warm personal and political friend
of that distinguished man. Air. and Mrs
Stone have but one child li\ing, John Clar-
ence Stone. He was born in 1871 and in
1S94 was married to Aliss Jessie DeLash-
mutt. daughter of \\\ C. Delashmutt, one
of the most prominent men in the county.
They have two children, boys, one named
John Ernest and the (Jther William Law-
rence, the former after his paternal and the
latter after his maternal grandfather.
JOHN D. KRUSE.'
An industrious and energetic career has
brought to John D. Kruse creditable suc-
cess, making him one of the substantial
farmers of Mills county. He was born in
Holstein, Germany, and his parents, Hans
and Katrina (Miller) Kruse, were also na-
tives of the fatherland. Our subject and
his brother Henry came to America in 1858,
taking up their abode in Oak township, Mills
county, Iowa, and three years later, in 1861,
they sent for their parents, who also crossed
tlie Atlantic t(^ the new world and became
residents of Oak township, where they spent
their remaining days, the father dying when
eighty-two years of age, while the mother
jjiisscd away at the age of eighty-three.
Of their six children John D. Kruse is
the second in order of birth. After coming
to the United States he spent three years in
W(jrking for others and then with the cap-
ital he had ac(|uircil he began buying land
and devoted his energies to its improvement
and cultivation. As a companion and help-
mate on life's journey he chose Miss Katrina
Schroeder, a daughter of Henry and Mar-
euerita Schroeder. Their marriage was
celebrated October 29, 1861, and they be-
came the parents of six children, fcntr of
whom are yet living, namely: Lena, now
the wife of Alatt Patterson, a resident of
South Omaha; Charlie, who resides in Sil-
ver City, Mills county, and is engaged in
the stock business; Lewis, who is employed
in a store in Emerson, Nebraska ; and Henry,
who is located in Mineola, where he is ex-
tensively engaged in dealing in stock. Those
who have passed away are William, who
died at the age of eighteen years, and Au-
gust, who died at the age of twelve years.
The mother of these children passed away
in 1875, and for five years Air. Kruse re-
mained single. He was again married, on
Chirstmas day of 1880, his second union
being with Mrs. Jena Domand. By her first
husband she had three children: Otto, who
resides in Wayne county. Nebraska, where
he is engaged in farming; Theodore; and
Martha. By the second marriage there are
three children, Metha. Herman an;l John.
\u 1896 Mr. Kruse lost his second wife,
who died on the 28th of Fel)ruary of that
year, at the age of fifty-three.
Since first purchasing a tract of land
242
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
John D. Kriise has carried on agricultural
pursuits, and as his financial resources have
increased he has added to his possessions
until he has owned nine hundred acres of
fine farming land. He has engaged in the
cu]ti\-ation of the cereals best adapted to this
climate and to the raising of stock, and both
have brought to him an excellent income.
He has made liberal provision for all his
children, and those who are married he has
settled upon good farms or else established
them in business. He has earned the dis-.
tinction of being what the world calls a self-
made man. He has met difficulties and ob-
stacles in his career, but has steadily ad-
vanced on the road to progress, for the trials
which he has encountered have seemed to
serve as an impetus for renewed effort. In
politics he is independent. He and his fam-
ily are members of the German Lutheran
church at Mineola, and are people of sterling
worth, enjoying the confidence and high re-
gard of many friends. Mr. Kruse has never
had cause to regret his determination to
come to America, for he found in the new
^^•orld the opportunity he sought and is to-
day one of the substantial and valued farm-
ers of ^lills county.
MORTIMER W. NELSOX.
A varied career has been that of Mr.
Nelson, who from a very early period in his
boyhood days has been dependent upon liis
own resources for a living. He is numbered
among the veterans of the Civil war, has
faced the hardships and trials of life, has
been connected with various business and
militarv concerns, and now. in the evenini'
of life, is enjoying a well earned rest at his
home in Randolph, Iowa, where he is num-
bered among the representati\-e citizens.
He was born near Hillsboro, in INIont-
gomery county, Illinois, July 21, 183 1, and
was reared upon a farm. His parents were
Robert C. and Elizabeth A. (Shull) Nelson,
and the paternal grandfather of our subject
was John R. Nelson, a native of Scotland and
a member of the distinguished family of
Nelsons living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Robert C. Nelson was born and reared in
that city, acquiring a liberal education. He
prepared for the practice of law and was
admitted to the bar. A broad-minded, in- '
telligent man, he also successfully engaged
in teaching school, and he was called upon
to fill a number of positions of public honor
and trust. After his removal to Illinois he
occupied the position of county clerk in
Montgomery county and filled a number
of minor offices. Prominent and influential
in public affairs, he left the impress of his
individuality for good upon the public life
of the community with which he was asso-
ciated. In his political preferences in early
life he was what was known as a member of
the Brownlow faction of the Tennessee
and trust. After his removal to Illinois he
became the owner of a farm, which he im-
proved, making it his home for a number
of years. Finally, however, he became dis-
sipated through his political work, became
involved in financial trouble and lost his
property, leaving his wife and two little sons
without means of support. He then accept-
ed a position as clerk on a steamboat plv-
ing between New Orleans and St. Louis, and
after a number of years he went to Jackson
county, Illinois, wdiere he died in 1866. His
family had had no correspondence with him
for a number of years and the only knowl-
MORTIMER W. NELSON
\^
^Ql€
iiS JA
aH8
BIOGRArillCAL HISTORY.
243
^dgo. they had of him was ohtained throtis^h
our suhject's correspondence with a iM'other
of his father, who knew of his ])lace of resi-
dence. i\iihci-l C". Xelson had two hrothers
in I ennessec : l)a\id. a jjroniinent attorney
at law in Knowillc: and Mattliew. who als(j
made his home in that city.
The mother of our suhject was horn in
^^'ayne county. Tennessee. After the father
left Iiome the mother kept her chihh'cn with
her. supporting- them hy workini^' at the
loom. \n 1S43 she removed to Van liuren
county. Iowa, locating' in Keosau(|ua. where
she remained for a numl)er of years. While
there he was again married. l)ecominy; the
Avife of a Mr. Richardson, and from that
date her sons were ohliged to ]3rovide for
their own support, receiving' no further in-
<lulgence or kindness from the mother. Later
she and Mr. Richardson separated and she
removed to Fort Scott, Kansas, where her
death occurred. Of the Alethodist church
she was a consistent and wortliv memher.
Mortimer W. Nelson was only two years
old when his father l.eft home. He was still
very young when he hegan to earn his own
livelihood. He received very limited edu-
cational privileges and his life has ever heen
one of industry and labor. He accompanied
his-mother on her remoxal to Towa aiid was
reared in Van Buren county. When sixteen
years of age he entered upon an a])prentice-
ship to learn the blacksmith's trade, anrl
after mastering that business he was enabled
to gain a gf)od living for himself. About
1850 he joined X'ed I'untline's exjiedition to
invade Cuba. Mr. lUmtline was to follow
Crittenden and Lopez, of Kentucky, who had
gone to Cuba with a force of hfty men
Ned Buntline then raised a compai:y of
about two hundred and fiftx- filibusters and
with his force made his way to N'ew Or-
leans, w here intelligence was received of the
shooting of Crittenden and Lopez, and the
expedition was therefore abandoned. From
Xew Orleans many of the company returned
to their homes, but Mr. Xelson. of this re-
! \ iew. went to Texas, where he spent five
years, t'ollowing the blacksmith's trade and
also speculated to some extent. In that way
he made soiue nione)-. gaining the nucleus
of his present iK)Ssessions.
Returning to his native county in Octo-
ber. 1856. Mr. Xelson was united in mar-
riage to Miss Parlina ^Mitchell, and unto
them was born a son. John H. Nelson. Our
subject remained in Illinois until i86i.wheii
he responded to the country's call for aid,
enlisting with the L'nion army. While he
was at the front he lost his wife. Mr. X'el-
son's mother then took care of his child,
rearing him to manhood ar.d when last heard
from he was in Texas.
In ]\lay. 1861, Mr. X>lson was enrolled
as a meml)er of. the First Illinois Cavalry,
which was assigned to the western depart-
ment of the army. He was detailed to act
as wagon-master and was superintendent of
all transportation for that division. At
Lexington. Kentucky, seven companies of
the regiment were captured, but were paroled
on the ground and sent to St. Louis. Three
davs later Secretary Stanton, of the war de-
partment. oVdered all to report at Benton
Barracks for duty. The meir responded and
the regiment was re-organized, with their
old colonel, John Marshall, of Coles county,
Illinois, in command. The companies were
then placed at different points to guard and
protect supplies and other transportation.
Mv. Xelson served in that wav until July
14. iS^j, when he was mustered out in ac-
244
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
cordance with the act which prevented him
from being" exchanged. He received an hon ■
orable discharge, and the 13th of August of
the same year he re-enhsted, becoming a
member of the Fortieth Iowa Infantry.
With that regiment he also remained in the
western department and saw much hard
service. He was made sergeant of his com-
pany and participated in many battles and
engagements, includmg the siege of Vicks-
burg". At Paducah, Kentucky, he was pro-
moted to the rank of color-bearer and there-
after was in all the battles in which his regi-
ment took part. At the battle of Jenkins'
Ferry, in 1864, he was wounded in the
left shoulder by a minie ball and was thus
disabled for further duty in the field and
was granted a furlough. His arm and hand
were so crippled by the gunshot wound that
he was never again able to work at the
blacksmith's trade. The government now
grants him a pension of twelve dollars a
month ; but this is certainlv inadequate to
the injury he sustained and the disability
which has since followed. He served his
country long and faithfully, doing every-
thing iui his power to uphold the cause of
the Union. While at the front his loyalty
and bravery were above question, and he was
never known to neglect a duty whether on
the firing line or on the tented field. Xo
soldier who wore the blue has a better rec-
ord, and his military service is one of which
he has every reason to be proud.
After returning to Illinois Mr. Nelson
was again married, his second union being
with Mrs. Elizabeth Williams, who was born
in Ohio, December 14, 1842, a daughter
of Thomas Pulling, a native of England.
He was a farmer and butcher and died in
Illinois. In his family were the following
named: Charles; George; Benjamin; Adam,
who was killed in the war of the rebellion ;
Thomas; Mary; Catherine; Elizabeth, the
wife of ]\Ir. Nelson; Mary, Emily, Joanna
and Ann. ^^'ith the exception of Thomas
and Ann, all are yet living. By her former
marriage Mrs. Williams had one daughter,
Alpha, who was reared and educated by our
subject and is now the wife of F. \\'alker.
Mr. Nelson continued farming in Illinois
until 1882, when he came to Fremont coun-
ty. Here he carried on agricultural pur-
suits for five years and then purchased a
comfortable home in Randolph, where he
has since remained, practically living retired
from the active duties of business. He has,
however, served as assessor for twelve years,
and has been re-elected for three years
more. He has also been street commis-
sioner and tax collector and has filled all
the offices with credit to himself and satis-
faction to his constituents. He was nom-
inated on the Republican ticket for the office
of sheriff, but as the county is largely Demo-
cratic he failed of election. He has, how-
ever, ne\'er been an aspirant for political
honors, and the offices which he has filled
have come to him in recognition of his ability
rather than from his seeking. On questions
of state and national importance he vijtes
with the Republican party ; but at local elec-
tions, where no political issue is invoh'ed. he
casts his ballot irrespective of party ties.
Both he and his wife are members of the
Missionary Baptist church and Air. Nelson
is a licensed minister thereof. He has been
very acti\'e in both church and Sunday-school
work and has aided in organizing a num-
ber of Sundav-schools in the countv.
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
24 s.
GEORGE I'Ll.LM AX.
The value of character was deiiionstrat-
ed in the life of tiie late George I'lilliiiaii,
of Ingrahani township, Mills county, Iowa,
who left to his descendants a priceless legacy
in a good name. Mr. rullnian was horn in the
province of Darmstadt, Germany, November
24. 1S34, and died September (), 1898, aged
sixty-four years, ten niimtlis and twenty-
three days. He was educated in his native
city and at the age of eighteen came to
America and joined his two sisters who had
previously located in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, and who took a special interest in
him because he was the youngest of six
children and the only son in their family.
He learned wagon and carriage making in
Philadelphia, and worked at that trade until
1856. He went from Philadelphia to Chi-
cago and from Chicago to Muscatine, Iowa,
where he was married, January 4, 1856, to
Elizabeth Plettinger, a native of Darmstadt,
Germany, born October 3, 1838, and a
daughter of George and Margaret (Buck)
Hettinger, who made the \-oyage from Ger-
many to the United States in a sailing ves-
sel in 1848, the passage consuming thirty-
six days.
After their marriage 'Sir. and Mrs. Pull-
man began life as tenant farmers at 3*Iusca-
tine. Fourteen years later, on Septeml)er i,
1870, they set out for Ingraham township,
]\Iills cotmty, Iowa, by wagon. dri\ing
through in thirteen days and arriving Sep-
tember 13th. They settled on one hundred
and sixty acres of new prairie land for which
Mr. Pullman paid ten dollars an acre and
which is now worth sixty-five dollars an
acre. Later, from time to time, he bought
other land until he owned six hundred acres,
most of it in one body, and for one eighty-
acre tract he paid twenty-nine dollars an
acre. 1 fe gave attention to general farming,
but made a specialty of raising hfjgs and
cattle, feeding his own crops I'lrgrly, ex-
cept wheat and barley, -of which :ie raised
good (juantities and f«jr which he received
the highest market price. The Pullman farm
is one of the best and most productive in the
county. The present residence of the family
was built in 189J and the barns, granaries
and other out-buildings were erected earlier,
according to necessity and opportunity.
Mrs. Pullman is one of a family oi ten
children, of whom seven grew to manh<jod
and womanhood and of whom Mrs. Pull-
man and four of her brothers are living.
John Hettinger is a salesman at Silver City,
Iowa. William is a farmer near Silver
City, Iowa. Another brother is a hotel-
keeper at Silver Citv, Iowa, and the eldest
is a farmer at Humboldt, Kansas. Mr.
and Mrs. Pullman had fourteen children,
who were born at the dates mentioned.
George Pullman, at Muscatine, .\pril, 1857;
William, 1858; Margaret, who was born in
i860 and married Frank Plummer: Sophia,
who was born in 1861 and married Will-
iam Mosley ; Mary, born in 1862; Philip, in
1864: John, who was bnni in 1866 and lives
at Silver City, Iowa; Henry A., born in
1868; Charles, in 1871 ; Edward, in 187J,
Lizzie, who was born in 1874 and is the
wife of Davis Greenwood, of Silver 'City,
Iowa; Frank, born in 1876; .\li)ert. in 1878;
and James, in 1880. bright grandsons and
eight granddaughters of Mr. and I\lrs. Pull-
man are living. The family are members of
the Lutheran church, of which Mr. Pullman
was a liberal supporter, and was interested
also in public education and served his fellow
246
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
townsmen as school director and was many
times elected trustee of his township on the
Democratic ticket. All of his children re-
ceived a good common-school education and
three of his sons were graduated from the
Gem City Business College, at Ouincy. Illi-
nois.
WALTER B. SHELDON.
Walter B. Sheldon is one of the most
extensive landowners of Fremont county and
for thirty-six years he has resided at hi?
present place of residence in Benton town-
ship. He is truly a self-made man, having
worked his way steadily upward from an
humble position in life to one of affluence,
and his life record contains many lessons
that may well be emulated.
Mr. Sheldon was born October 2y, 181 8,
in Watertown, Jefferson county, New York,
and is a representative of one of the old and
well known families of the Empire state.
His grandfather followed farming there.
His father, William Sheldon, was born in
Jefferson county, in 1793. and after arriving
at years of maturity married Miss Sela
Bross, of Watertown. Their marriage oc-
curred about 1812, and they became the par-
ents of the following children : Mrs. Eliza
Rogers, a widow who has six children and
resides in Benton township; Walter B., of
this review ; Mrs. Artie Gates, of Benton
township, who is the widow of a soldier and
has one daughter; Amelia, wife of E. R.
Hawley, of Percival; and Josiah B., a fruit
farmer and capitalist of Texas, who has a
wife and one son. The father of this family
died in 1835, at the age of forty-eight years,
and the mother was again married, becoming
the wife of Alpheus Wilson. After his death
she remained a widow for many years, mak-
ing her home with her son, Walter. She
died in 1875, at the age of seventy-eight
years.
Mr. Sheldon, whose name introduces this
record, was reared to farm life and obtained
his education before he was seventeen years
of age. At his father's death he was left in
charge of the farm of ninety acres, and upon
him devolved the responsibility of caring for
the family. Eight years later he sold that
farm preparatory to removing west. He
was married at Sackett's Harbor, New York,
on the 1st of June, 1845, to Miss Sarah
Hawley. She is a sister of Elijah R. Haw-
ley and is the fourth in order of birth in the
family of five children. She was born in
1 819, and she and her brother Elijah are
the only ones of the family now living. Her
parents were farming people and commanded
the respect of all who knew them. Her
mother was a member of the Baptist church,
and her father served as a trustee in that
church. Mr. Sheldon's maternal grandfa-
ther served as a captain in the war of 18 12.
Our subject and his wife resided in the
east until the fall of 1864 — the year of their
arrival in Iowa. Mr. Sheldon secured one
hundred and sixty acres of improved land,
for which he paid fifteen hundred dollars.
Since that time he has purchased other lands
and he now owns thirteen hundred acres on
the river bottom, while his son Charles has
one thousand acres, all in this township with
the exception of four hundred acres in Mills
county, where the father and two sons have
five hundred acres. Since arriving in Iowa
Mr. Sheldon has carried on general farming
and the breeding of and dealing in live-stock.
He keeps on hand good grades of horses and
cattle and everything about his place is neat
BIOGRArUlCAL HISTORY.
^47
and thrifty in appearance. I'^ir thirty-six
years he lias roidcd nii his i)resent farm and
has erected there one of the finest residences
in the locahly. and alscj has bnilt near his
home a large house for his son, W'ilham II.
Sheldon.
Unto our suljject and his wife have been
bcMMi seven sons: Charles, a resident uf h're-
mont county ; "Clark, who is living in Benton
township; William, wIkj died at the age of
two and a half months; William 11., who re-
sides on the old homestead; Till W., who is
also on the home farm; Eddy W., a resident
of Percival ; and Jay H., who died at the age
of two years. The members of the Sheldon
household during the past eight years have
been our subject, his wife and Mrs. Pamelia
Ward, who was born in the town of Pamelia,
Jefferson county, Xew York, a daughter
of Marseen and Catherine (Grems) Ward.
Ten children were born unto j\Ir. and Mrs.
Ward, of whom five were married, while
three are yet living. Mrs. Ward has been
a member of the family for fifty years. She
is not a relative by the tie of blood, but the
family entertain the greatest love and respect
for her. Although well provided for she is
still actively at work and is a most estimable
lady. Upon the farm Mr. Sheldon and his
sons have forty- live acres set in apple trees,
which orchard brings to them an excellent
income in good fruit seasons. This orchard
and the large maple trees which adorn the
lawn were planted by Mr. Sheldon and w'ill
stand as a monument to his memory long
after he is sleeping beneath the sod. In busi-
ness he has prospered, owing to his well di-
rected his efforts. He had no inheritance and
no influential friends to aid him. but steadily
he has worked his way ujjward, improving
his opportunities and annually augmenting
his capital by his perseverance and diligence.
He is a Master Mason of thirty years' stand-
ing and in politics he is a Democrat, but ha.s
never sought or desired the honors and
euKjluments of public office. His wife and
one of his sons are members of the Baptist
church, and he has contributed to its support
and assisted in buiUHng the house (jf worship.
He withholds his co-operation from no move-
ment or measure calculated to prove of public
good, and all who kiinw him esteem him for
his genuine worth.
RICHARD P. LINDSAY.
Among those who ha\e become promi-
nently identified with the business interests
of Sidney, Iowa, is Richard P. Lindsay, the
subject of this review. He was born in Ful-
ton county. Illinois, in i860, a son of Ehsha
and Elizabeth (Pennington) Lindsay, the
former (jf whom was born near Wheeling,
West Virginia, in 18 16, and is still living,
residing with a daughter at Creston, Iowa.
The mt^tlier of our subject was born in
Ohio, and her death occurred in this
county.
The early life of our subject was passed
on a farm, coming to Fremont county with
his relatives in 1877, and he continued an
agricultural life for some years. He then
entered [)ublic life as a clerk in several mer-
cantile establishments, finally becoming mes-
senger and baggageman on the Sidney
branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad, continuing that actix'e life for nine
years. Seven years ago Mr. Lindsay
formed a partnership with his brother-in-
law, R. S. Tate ( whose sketch appears in this
work), opening up a grocery business which
248
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
has been most successfully conducted ever
since.
The marriage of Mr. Lindsay was cele-
brated in Sidney in 1889, by Rev. R. C.
Hughes, now the president of Tabor College
(a sketch of which appears elsewhere),
when Miss Kate Argyle became his wife.
She was a daughter of Archibald and Harriet
(Bowman) Argyle, the latter of whom is
still living in this city. Mr. Argyle was a
native of Virginia, who came to Fremont
county about 1856, engaged in conducting a
store and became a prominent citizen. He
was the first recorder of the county, and
when his death occurred in 1866 he was sin-
cerely mourned by all of the old residents.
Socially Mr. Lindsay has connected him-
self with the orders of K. of P. and M. W.,
in both of which he is very popular. He
has been a prominent politician and has re-
ceived recognition from his party, being
elected to the office of county recorder, No-
vember 6, 1900. For three years he efficient-
ly represented the city in the council and is
justly regarded as one of the representative
men of this section. Both he and his most
•estimable wife are members of the Presbyte-
rian church.
MARSHALL J. WILLL\MS.
A very wealthy landholder and promi-
nent farmer of Mills county, Iowa, is Mar-
shall J. Williams, the subect of this sketch.
He is the son of Dr. S. W. \A^illiams and was
born in Pottawattamie county, Iowa, July
4, 1864. His father, Dr. Williams, was a
native of Ashtabula county, Ohio, and be-
came a prominent citizen of Iowa, well and
favorably known in his profession, and es-
pecially beloved in his family. His educa-
tional advantages in early life were very
limited, but he applied himself to his books
whenever opportunity offered, the result be-
ing that he acquired a fund of \'aried in-
formation which enabled him to take an
equal position in life with those who had
been more favored by fortune, ^^^^en but
fourteen years of age he went to Cape
Girardeau county, Missouri, 'and engaged
as a clerk in a mercantile business, remain-
ing in this position for about seven years,
quietly preparing all this time to enter the
profession of medicine.
Dr. Williams attended a course of lec-
tures at the Louisville Medical College and
then commenced to practice at his former
home, shortly afterward returning to the
college, where he finished the course and
graduated at the head of his class, in 1851.
Removing to Council Bluffs, Iowa, he en-
gaged in practice in connection with Dr.
P. J. McMahan, a prominent physician of
that place. He became very successful and
was valued highly by the residents of Coun-
cil Bluffs. He possessed those noble traits
of character which the world loves to find in
a physician, kindness, courtesy and sympa-
thy. He was ever ready to respond to the
call of the sick, making no distinction be-
tween the rich and the poor.
Ow'ing to failing health Dr. \\"illiams
retired from practice in 1865. and located on
a farm near Glenwood, Iowa. He was called
upon very often to consult with brother
physicians, but aside from this duty he en-
tirely laid away his medical paraphernalia,
realizing that work in that line was at the
expense of his own health. He became
closely identified with all of the progressive
measures intended to promote the growth
of Mills countv. For several vears he was a
BlUCRAl'lllCAL lIISTORy.
249
member of the \arious county boards, and
at one time was a cancHdate for representa-
tive. He labored to promote the interests
of the Congregational church, of which he
was a trustee. The death of Dr. \\'illialn^
occurretl June 8, 1880, at the age of lifty-
seven. He had married J'Tiet Grierson. in
1856, and three children were born of this
union: Rowena ; Sarah E.. wiio married
James Record; and ^Marshall J., our subject.
The mother of these children died January
31, 1880.
Our subject was placed in a \'ery trying
and responsible position at the time of his
father's death. He was but sixteen years
old, and the care of the large estate fell upon
his young shoulders; but he faced the re-
sponsibility and overcame the many diffi-
culties. He took a trip to California, but
Avith that exception has spent his life on hib
own land. He is the owner of ihree hundred
and thirty acres, and a half interest in two
hundred and seventy acres, both in Oak-
township, and eight hundred and eighty
acres in Pottawattamie county. He has car-
ried on farming in connection with stock-
raising, in both of which he has been very
successful. He has never liad a case of dis-
ease among his hogs, which are of Poland
China and Berkshire breeds. Their pens
and yards are kept clean and disinfected,
and probably this ])recaution explains the
vigorous health of his stock. Among his
•cattle the same conditions prevail. He has
made a scientific study of the science of
breeding and the care of stock, and considers
regular feeding a great factor in successful
management of such a business. I lis prefer-
ence in cattle is for the Hereford and Dur-
ham breeds, of which he owns a great
number.
The marriage of Mr. Williams took plac^
March 24, 1887, to Miss Gertrude L. Star-
buck, a daughter of Elisha Starbuck, a na-
tive of Ohio, and now engaged in the prac-
tice of law at Glenwood, Iowa. To Mr. and
Mrs. Williams has been born one child, viz. :
Clifford Starbuck Williams, August 11,
1891. IMr. and Mrs. Williams are among
the representative people of Mills county.
They are highly esteemed and well-known
residents, and their hospitable home is
familiar to their many friends.
Jn politics Mr. Williams is a Democrat,
but has never sought office, although he has
been made chairman of the central com-
mittee for many years and at present is
township trustee.
RANDOLPH SALMONS.
The successful and prominent agricul-
turists of Deer Creek township. Mills coun-
ty, Iowa, are well represented by Randolph
Salmons the subject of this sketch. He was
lx)rn in this county, in 1857, a son of James
and Sarah (Silkett) Salmons, the former of
whom was born in Kentucky and died in this
county, in 1879; the latter was born in \^ir-
ginia, but lier last days were spent in Mills
county. They lived good and respected
lives, and in their death the family and com-
munity lost worthy people.
The paternal grandfather of our subject
was Randolph Salmons, who came to Amer-
ica from England and died in Indiana. Two
brothers of our subject's mother, George and
Jacob, were soldiers in the Union army dur-
ing the Civil war, and George died in the
service, one brother of our subject's father
also serving through that war.
250
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
The parents of our subject came to Iowa
in 1 85 1 and located in Mills county, where
they engaged in farming. Here Mr. Sal-
mons was reared and obtained his education,
and is now one of the best known and weal-
thiest of the farmers near the town of Em-
erson. His fine farm comprises two hun-
dred and forty acres, wdiich are well culti-
vated, improved in modern ways, and Mr.
Salmons has demonstrated that he knows
how to make agriculture a very satisfactory
business.
Mr. Salmons was married in this coun-
ty, to Miss Euphie H. McMullen, a daughter
of L. D. McMullen, of Indian Creek town-
ship. Three children have been born to
this union — Jessie Blanche, Iva Iowa and
Goldie Alice. Socially Mr. Salmons is a
popular member of the I. O. O. F.. the Mod-
ern Woodmen and A. F. & A. M., and is a
prominent and active Republican. The fam-
ily attend the United' Brethren church, in
which they are highly esteemed for many ex^
cellent traits of character.
MRS. MARY D. MAGEL.
Mrs. Mary D. Magel, the widow of the
late Theodore Magel and one of the highly
respected citizens of Fremofit county, was
born in Peoria county. Illinois, January 13,
1857, and is a daughter of Henry P. and
Mary L. (Heaton) Brown. Her father was
a native of Pennsylvania, and her mother of
Peoria, Illinois, in which latter place they
were married. The grandfather, Christian
Brown, was also a resident of Pennsylvania
and followed farming. Emigrating west-
ward he became one of the pioneer settlers
of Peoria county, Illinois, there making his
lliome throughout the remainder of his
days. His religious faith was in harmony
with the Presbyterian church. His children
were: Elizabeth, the wife of J. Fisher; John,
who died at the age of twenty-two years;
Henry P., the father of Mrs. Magel; Mary,
the wife of C. L. Stoner; Christian, a me-
chanic; Aaron, and Reuben, who follow
agricultural pursuits; and Salinda, wife of
H. Pearce.
Henry Brown, the father of Mrs. Magel,
was a cooper by trade, but devoted much of
his life to farming. He was reared and mar-
ried in Peoria county, Illinois, and then took
up his abode on a farm, where he remained
until 1866, when he removed to Iowa, lo-
cating in Prairie township, Fremont county.
There he purchased a tract of raw prairie
land, which he transformed into a good
farm. It was located in the valley of the
Nishnabotna river, and upon it he made
substantial impi-bvements. and it became his
permanent home. He was very systematic
in all his work and was an energetic and en-
terprising man who acquired a handsome
property. The poor and needy found in
him a friend who freely assisted them, and
among those who knew him best he was
held in highest regard because of his noble
traits of character. In his political views
he was a stalwart Democrat, but never cared
for the honors or emoluments of public office.
He died February 25, 1887, and his wife,
who still survives him, is hale and hearty.
She has since married John B. Furbush, a
native of Xew York, who for many years
has resided in Sidney, engaged in various
business ]jursuits, l)ut at the present time
he is living retired from active labor, hav-
ing no business cares save the management
of his property interests. His wife was a
daughter of Henry J. and Deborah (Griffin)
THEODORE MAGEL
THf ."fy;- four /
Pap-- TRHART
As:c »
* '*''i XtiB
BIOGRAPHICAL 11 1 STORY.
251
llcatun. Ijotli <»1 \vlu)m were nalixcs oi Xew
York city, where they were married and
where the fatlier follDWed the carpenter's
trade.
In the pitjneer days of llhnois they lo-
cated in Peoria county; where Mr. lieaton
purchased land and improved a farm in con-
nection with the work of his trade. He was
also an in\entor of note and invented the
first corn-sheller. His business ability and
keen sagacity enabled him to accjuirc a valu-
able property and his real estate in Peoria
was extensive. Pie also owned a num1)er of
farms. Plis wife died in Peoria, in 1849,
after which he sold his property in that
city and in 1806 came to Fremont county,
where he purchased land and improved a
farm. He also bought farm land in Xc
braska and the labor and improvement which
he put upon it made it very valuable. His
investments were judiciously placed and his
business judgment was rarely at fault. Jn
his political views he was an earnest Dem<j-
crat. who always kept well informed on the
issues of the da}- and had a broad general
knowledge of all questions of public interest.
In the evening of life he sold his homestead
and found a good home among his children.
Returning to Peoria to visit a dauohter. he
there died, January 10, 1889. Both he and
his wife were attendants of the Episcopal
church. Their children were: Alary L..
who became the mother of Airs. Alagel ;
Margaretta, the wife (jf J. Armstrong;
Richard, who married and followed farm-
ing in Fremont county, and there died in
July. 1885. leaving a wife and four chil-
dren; William ^'.. who also was a farmer of
Fremont county and died in 1888, leaving
a wife and two children; Harriet S., now
the wife of William G. Randall, an attornev
16
at law of Chicago. Illinois; and Henry, who
died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Urown had
four children : Mary D., the subject of this
review; Nettie. wIkj died at the age of twen-
ty-one years; William II., who died at the
age of twenty-sexen, lea\ing a wid<j\\ to
UKnu'n his loss; and Mrs. Emma L. Maxted.
Tlie mother was a meniber of the Episcopal
church.
Alar}- D. Brown was born in Peoria
county, Illinois, and with her j)arents came
to Fremont county, where on the 24th of
April, 1878, was celebrated her marriage to
Theodore Magel. He was born in Des
Moines county, Iowa, near the city of Bur-
lington, and belonged to an honored pioneer
family of the state. His parents, Sibert and
Mary (Lee) Alagel, were natives of Ger-
many, and on the same vessel they crossed
the Atlantic to America, locating in Iowa,
in 1833. In this state they were afterward
married. Among the pioneers they resided,
experiencing the usual hardships which fall
to the lot of frontiersmen. Burlington was
little more than a steamboat landing, con-
taining only a few houses and no market.
Mr. Alagel secured a claim three miles from
Burlington and after some time established
a good home there. Pie worked at any em-
ployment that he could secure that would
])ring him some ready money, and when not
tlius engaged his time and attention were
given to reclaiming the wild land and trans-
forming it into a productive farm. When the
land was placed upon the market he had to
borrow money at fifty per cent interest in
order to pay for his farm; but he worked
hard and soon cleared his place of all in-
debtedness. He found in his wife a faithful
companion and helpmeet on life's journey,
and as the years passed he prospered and
252
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
purchased other lands, becoming the owner
of various farms whicli he improved. He
also bought and sold city property and be-
came a money-lender. Prosperity crowned
his efforts and he entered claims in various
localities,, his realty possessions becoming
extensive. He aided in erecting the firsi
mill in Des ]\Ioine^ county and witnessed
the development of the county into one of
the "most progressive and prosperous sec-
tions of the state, bearing his part in its-
advancement. He never sold his first pur-
chase, keeping that as the homestead and
thereon all of the children were born and
reared. Death came to him on the 9th of
August, 1897, and his wife passed away De-
cember 5. 1896. Two of her brothers, Con-
rad and \\'illiam, came from Germany to
America and followed farming in Iowa, but
Mr. ]\Iagel had no relatives on this side of
the Atlantic. Through life they were earnest
adherents of the Lutheran church, in which
they had been reared. They had ten chij.-
dren : Elizabeth, now the wife of ^\^ Hill-
gartner; \\'illiam and Henry, who reside
in Des Moines county ; Charles and Con-
rad, who are prominent farmers of Fremont
county; Peter, who makes his home near
Burlington ; Mary, the wife of J- Schafer,
of Burlington; Margaret, the wife of H.
Steyh, who is also living in the same city;
Theodore S., who became the husband ot
Mrs. Magel ; and Benjamin, also of Des
Moines county. The family was a well
known and prominent one and the ^'arious
members are now well, located in life.
Theodore INIagel was reared in Des
Moines county, where he was early trained
to habits of industry and economy, and in
the public schools he acquired his educa-
tion. Two of his brothers, Charles and
Conrad ]\Iagel, came to Fremont county in
1870 and later Theodore established himself
there. He secured a tract of land upon
which he made permanent improvements and
in this county he was married, after which
he turned his attention to farmino- and
stock-raising. His progressive methods
and practical work were indicated in his
business career, making him one of the
leading agriculturturists in the communi-
ty. He was a well known and prosper-
ous farmer of Prairie tow^nship when his
death occurred. He was accidentally killed
by an unruly horse, January 25, 1896,
leaving a wife and five interesting children
besides many friends to mom^n his loss. In
his political views he had been a Democrat
and in religious faith was a Lutheran. His
life was in harmony with his professions and
all who knew him respected him for his
sterling" worth. ^Nlr. and Mrs. Magel be-
came the parents of six children: Henry S.,
born May 11, 1879; Nettie. August 13,
1880: Edith L., September 28, 1882: Lucy,
born November 17, 1884, and died August
20, 1886; Cara B., born September 9, 1890;
and Paul, June 6, 1893. The devoted
mother keeps her children together and su-
perintends the management of the home
place. She is a most estimable woman,
possesses excellent business ability and en-
joys the high regard of many warm friends.
\Miile the family bear the loss of a loving
and devoted husband and father, they have
every reason to be proud of the untarnished
name which he left them. The Magels
ha^•e e\'er been prominent people in Fremont
county since they joined the first set-
tlers here, and the present representatives
cf the name here ar no exception to the
rule.
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
253
SAMTl-.L 1'. klCKl'.TTS.
Samuel I'. Kicketts. who is engaged in
farming on section 12. Benton township,
l-'remont county, was born on the 2Sth of
March. 1S51, in Lorain county, Ohio, and
is a representatiNc of one of the old famiHes
of the soutli. His paternal grandfather was
a nati\e of r>altimore. hut died before the
l)irth of his son. Richaril K. Kicketts, the
father of our subject. He had one l)rother,
who became the father of General Ricketts,
a distinguished officer of the Ci\ il war.
Richard l\. Kicketts was born in Baltimore
on the (a\\ of February. 180J, and when he
was six years of age his mother (bed. He
then went to live with his uncle, who had
charge of the estate and remained with him
until eiybteen vears of age, when he left
Baltimore, his cash capital being a twenty-
dollar gold coin. He started on foot to
Kentucky and resided for some time in the
vicinity of Mavsville and Bowling Green.
He served a five-years apprenticeship at
the cabinet trade, following that pursuit
both in Kentucky and New Orleans. At
the time of the cholera scourge in the latter
city he was the only white man left in the
shop. For four years he remained there
and then returned to Kentucky, where he
was married to Miss Betsey Platte, of Xew
I laven. Connecticut. Slic was born January
7. 1816. and was a daughter of Alanson
IMatte. a farmer of Xew York, who resided
for three years west of Buffalo and in Lorain
county. Ohio. ])rior to 1840. Mrs. Ricketts
was engaged in teaching in Kentucky at the
time she became acquainted with her future
husband. They were married in the Blue
Grass state and soon afterward went to
Ohi(\ locating on a farm of ei^htv acres.
which was given them by her father. L'n-
til the suiumer of 1855 they remained upon
that land and then drove across the coun-
try in a doul)Ie-seated buggy to Fremont
county. b)wa, that vehicle being the first
of the kind ever seen in this locality. Hav-
ing sold their property in Ohio Mr. Ricketts
purchased nine head of horses, driving three
double teams to Iowa. He possessed a very
comfortable competence for those times, hav-
ing twenty-five hundred dollars, and a [X)r-
tion of this money he invested in a tract of
one hundred and eighty-two acres of land.
His brother-in-law. L. W. Platte, had come
to this state several years before and had
made arrangements for the transfer of the
property of which the father of our subject
became the owner. The house was a cotton-
wood shanty and only twenty acres of the
land had l)een cleared. This work was done
in 1842. being the first clearing in that por-
tion of the count}'. For two years after
liis arrival in Iowa Richard Ricketts re-
mained in his Cottonwood home and then
built a part of the present residence, erect-
ing a structure sixteen by twenty-four feet,
of logs hewed by McKinney Lambert. The
frame part of the house was erected in 1869
and the log structin-e was then weather-
boarded. Mr. Ricketts provided well for
his family and at his death owned his fertile
farm, which was well improved and well
stocked.
He had six children, of whom four are
li\ing, namely: Charlotte Flizal)eth. the wife
of George Lehman, of Columbus. Nebraska,
by whom she had eight children, of whom
four are li\ing; Ixichard R.. who died in
1857, when about thirteen years of age;
Mary H.. who died December 2S, i860, at
the age of thirteen years; Samuel, of this
254
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
review; A. E., who is living on the south
half of the home farm, on one hundred and
sixty acres, with his wife and nine children;
and Myra Grace, the wife of Tames H. Cope-
land, of Benton township, by whom she has
two children. The mother died April 28,
1894, in her seventy-eighth year, and was
laid at rest by the side of her husband in
the Blanchard burial ground. He was a
Baptist in his religious faith and she a Con-
gregationalist, and both were consistent '
Christian people whose teachings and ad-
monitions did much to shape the career of
their children.
Samuel P. Ricketts, a well-known and
esteemed farmer of Benton township, ac-
companied his parents on their, emigration
to Iowa and in the district schools here ac-
quired his education. He displayed a special
aptitude for mathematics and always stood
well in every study to which he gave his at-
tention. With the exception of four years
spent upon other farms in the neighborhood
he has always resided on the homestead.
He was married in 1876, on his twenty-
fifth birthday, to Miss Mahala Clift, of
Kentucky, who was born October 14, 1854,
and is a daughter of John D. Clift. By
this marriage there were eleven children,
five sons and six daughters, but they lost
an infant son. Those still living are as
follows: Roscoe R., born December 24,
1876, is living in Nebraska City where he
follows carpentering; Ida C. is with her
parents ; Augusta C. is the wife of Robert
Acord, of Benton township, Fremont coun-
ty, by whom she has two children, — Walter
R., a young man of twenty years, and
George R.. ncnv eighteen years old, assisting
in the cultivation of the home farm ; Eliza-
beth is with her parents; Xellie !M. is attend-
ing school; Grace L., Clara L. ami Richard
Henry, aged respectively eleven, nine and
four years, are with their parents. The
son who died in infancy was named Carl.
]\Ir. Ricketts is a member of the Masonic
Order and of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. In politics he is a stalwart Repub-
lican and has' served as assessor for two
terms, and as school director and road super-
visor. His wife is a member of the Con-
gregational church. They are people of the
highest worth, well known as honored rep-
resentatives of the pioneer life.
Mr. Ricketts carries on general farming
and raises about seven thousand bushels of
corn annually. He also keeps a few head of
cattle and he has on hand from six to twelve
head of horses. His father was a fine work-
man in the cabinet manufacture and house-
finishing in the early days, when the large
black-walnut trees were peeled and placed
on high skidways, where they were sawed
into thick planks by two men, one under the
log and the other on top, — which method
is called whipsawing. Timber was abund-
ant at that time, so that little veneering was
used, but Mr. Ricketts was especially expert
in executing that line of work. WHien the
family first came to Iowa deer roamed over
tlie prairie and through the forests and wild
turkeys would frequently come into their
yard. On one occasion a wild-cat made its
way down the mud-and-stick chimney and
into the cottonwood shanty in which they
lived. Several times the mysterious visitor
appeared at night and robbed them of poul-
try, although a watch dog was on guard.
Finally ]Mr. Ricketts remained awake one
night and struck a light just in time to see
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
■ss
tlie .'iiiiinal make its escape. The cat per-
sistetl in il>^ visits f<»r some time and he was
unahle t<> capture it.
The name of kicketts is inscparahly in-
ter\\ii\en witli the pioneer history of the
county and from the earhest development of
this portion of the state the members of the
family ha\e borne their part in the work of
public progress and impro\ement.
FRED lllATT.
A successful and enterprising agricultur-
ist of Fremont county. Iowa, located near
the prosperous town of Sidney, is I'^'cd
lliatt, who was birn in I'^XMiiont count}', in
ii^jj. a sun of Reuben and Martha Ann
(Kauble) Hiatt, the former of whom was
born in lllinoii and died in Fremont county
in 1897. The father was a very prominent
man. being one of the first settlers of the
county, coming here in 1831. Mrs. Hiatt
was born in Indiana, in i<S30, of German
descent, a daughter of David and Alary
(Kratzer) Kauble, and married Air. lliatt in
Missouri. She still survives. The paternal
ancestry of our subject can be clearly traced
to Page Proct(jr lliatt. the great-grandfa-
ther, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war. The paternal grandparents were Jesse
and .Mary (Proctor) Fliatt. the latter born
in Madison county, Kentucky, the former in
South Carolina, from which state he emi-
grated at a very early day to Peoria, Illinois,
\vliere he was one of the oldest settlers, and
from there entered the armv in the war of
1812.
Our subject received his education in Sid-
ney. Iowa, passing through the high school
at that place, and then engaged in farming.
He has a tine tract of valuable land, compris-
ing ninety acres, upon which he carries on
general farming and stock-raising, being
particularly successful.
The marriage of our subject took place
.\'o\eml)er 7. 1894. to Miss ()li\ia Ale.xan-
(Icr. who was born in Missouri, a daughter
of Aaron and Alartha (St(jkes) Alexander,
the former of whom died in Missouri, the
latter now being Mrs. Henry Keyser, of this
place. One interesting little daughter, Belma
Fern, just three years old. has been added
to the family.
\\\ national affairs our subject is always
found voting with the Democratic party, but
in 1< cal matters he casts his ballot for the
man he deems best for the position, regard-
less of general politics. Fie has been called
upon to serve the township in some of the
local offices, and has been a very efficient
road supervisor for several terms. He is a
Aalued member of the Methodist church at
Sidney, while Mrs. Hiatt is connected with
the Christian church. Both possess the es-
teem of the community and are regarded as
among the most respected residents of the
county.
HEXRY KUHL.
German industry and thrift has had much
to do with making the prairies of the west
the garden spot of the world, b >wa lias ben-
efited materiallv bv thi^ good element in our
population, and Alills county has its quota
of German and Cierman-American citizens,
who have been successful personally and have
been influential for the general prosperity
of the people among whom they have cast
their lot. One of the best known farmers of
German birth in Ingraham township is
Henry Kuhl, whose farm is in section 25.
256
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Henry Kuhl was born in northern Ger-
many, May 5, 1857. a son of Peter Kuhl, a
farmer, and was reared to the work of the
farm. His father, who was born in 18 17,
is now hving in Ingraham township, aged
eighty-three. He married Anna Steffen in
1841, and of their ten children they reared
five sons and three daughters. The first of
the family who came to America was Anna,
the wife of Hentz Snecklot, who came in the
spring of 1864 and lives in Nebraska. In
the following fall Hans Kuhl came, accom-
panied by his sister Maggie, who is now the
wife of James Kay, of Oak township, Mills
county. John is a prosperous Nebraska
farmer. Klaus Kuhl, another bruther of
Henry Kuhl, came three years later. In the
spring of 1873 Katie, another sister, came,
and she is now ]Mrs. John Helkan, of Scott
county, Iowa ; and Henry, the subject of this
sketch, came in the fall of the same year.
William came about 1878 and Peter and
Anna (Steffen) Kuhl in the spring of 1880.
When Henry Kuhl came to America he
was between sixteen and seventeen years old.
He joined his brothers and sisters who had
come to Scott county, Iowa, and worked
there on farms until his parents arrived early
in 1880, with Ferdinand, his youngest
brother. In 1884 he bought his first farm
of two hundred and forty acres, on which
he had located the year before as a tenant, at
the beginning of his'married life. He paid
thirty-seven dollars an acre for the place
and began with a debt upon him of seven
thousand dollars, but applied himself so dil-
igently to the task he had assumed that he
overcame all obstacles and not only paid for
the farm but made money on it and sold it in
1900 at sixty-four dollars an acre. He then
bought three hundred and fifty-three acres
south of Silver City at fifty-two dollars an
acre, and in the fall of the same year he
bought eighty acres more. He owns also
twenty acres of timber land. Beginning
without cash capital, he has made a marked
success in life and now ranks as one of the
heavy farmers and prominent stockmen of
his township. He breeds shorthorns, of
which he has about fifty head ot registered
stock, and forty-three of which he purchased
at one hundred and thirty-five dollars a
head. He keeps also sixty head of grade
stock, raises about forty calves each year,
and has sold one yearling bull and two
heifers at two hundred dollars each.
]\Ir. Kuhl was married August 20, 1883,
to Johanna Bickel. of Mills county, a daugh-
ter of Fred Bickel, of Germany, and they
have had children as follows* William, now
fifteen years old; Lennie, fourteen; Ferdi-
nand, thirteen; Fritz, eleven; Lizzie, nine;
Rudolph, five; and Emil. ^Ir. Kuhl's father
and mother celebrated their golden wedding
in 1 89 1. His mother soon afterward fell
and broke her hip and the accident resulted
in her death, in the spring of 1892, when she
w^as seventy-five years old. His father, in
fair health, has his home with his son, Henry.
]\Ir. Kuhl was reared in the Lutheran faith
and he is independent in politics.
JAMES SIAIEON FRANCIS.
The subject of this personal narrative is
one of the successful and progressive farm-
ers of ]\Iills county, his home being in Silver
Creek township. He has made his special
field of industry an eminent success, and is
highly esteemed and respected by all wdio
knovv- him.
Mr. Francis was born in Kalamazoo
county, ^Michigan, on the 24th of January,
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
■S7
1838. a son of Lyiiion and Rachel (Fuller)
I'lancis. jxith natives of Xew York. His
paternal grandparents, Simeon Francis and
wife, spent their entire li\'es in the I'Jiipire
state, and the maternal grandparents, Abial
and Dezier (Stephens) Fuller, were also
residents of Xew \'ork, though the former
was horn in Massacliusetts.
Thv father of our subject was a farmer
and carpenter and devoted his later years to
wagon-making. He also was a shoemaker
through<nu the greater part of his life. In
1833 he removed with his family to Mich-
igan, where he made his home until 1851,
and then went to Illinois, but three years
later came to Iowa, locating in Benton coun-
t\-. where his last days were spent. Flis
death occurred when he was a little past
sixty-eight years of age. His wife had died
in the spring of 1831. when more than
fortv-three years of age. In their family
were tweKe children, six of wIkmii are still
living.
During his minority James Simeon Fran-
cis remained with his father, and although
he commenced life for himself at the age of
twenty-one he contiimed under the parental
roof until his marriage. In the meantime,
however, he was in the service of his coun-
try for three years during the Rebellion.
On the 6th of August, 1862. he enlisted
in Company A, Twenty-eighth Iowa Volun-
teer Infantry, under Captain William Gas-
ton, who in turn was succeeded by the fol-
lowing: J. A. Shutts. John A. Palmer and
\\'illiam Mc(_iuire. Mr. Francis participated
in every battle and skirmish in which the
regiment took part with exception of the
time he was confined in the hospital. For
three months he was in the hospital at Jef-
ferson Barracks, and was then transferred
to the hospital at Quincy. Illinois, where he
remained for five months. At the close of
the war he was mustered out at Savannah,
(jeorgia, and discharged at Davenport, Iowa,
August 12, 1865. His health being per-
manently imjjaired he now receives a pension
from the government.
In March. 1866. Mr. Francis was united
in marriage with Miss Mary Hawley, also
a native of Kalamazoo county, Michigan.
The parents of Mrs. Francis were Sheldon
and Eliza ( Hawey ) Hawley. both na-
tives of Xew York. The}' died in Benton
county, Iowa, the father at sixty-eight years
of age, and the mother at the age of seventy-
six years and nine months. To Mr. and
Mrs. Francis ha\'e been born live children,
four of wliom are still living, namely:
Frank D.. who is married and has one son
and one daughter; William E., who married
]\Iiss Lizzie Jackson, of Silver Creek town-
ship, December 19, 1900, and resides near
his father; Delia E.. who is married and has
one (laughter: and Iva I^., at home. .Ml
have received good educational advantages
and are now residents of Iowa.
As previously stated. Mr. Francis began
his business career at th.e age of twenty-one,
and was successfully engaged in farming in
Benton county for several years, owning
and operating a well improved place of eighty
acres. In 1883, however, he removed to
Mills county, and purchased the Daxis farm
of one hundred and sixty acres in Silver
Creek township. Cnder his careful super-
vision it is m^ide to yieUl a l)ountiful return
fiM" the care and labor bestowed upon it. and
is to-dav one of the most desirable places
of its size in the locality.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Francis
has affiliated with the Republican party, and
2S8
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
cast his first presidential vote for Abraham
Lincohi in i860, ^^'hile a resident of Ben-
ton county he served as township trustee,
and has ever taken a commendable interest
in public afifairs. He and his family attend
the Christian church at jMalvern, and are
people of the highest respectability.
CONRAD MAGEL.
The ]\Iagels are numbered among- the
pioneer families of Iowa. In the early day^^
when Iowa was still under territ(3rial gov-
ernment the parents of our sul)ject took up
their abode within its borders, and in Des
Moines countv. near the citv of Burlino-ton.
on the 22d of November, 1847, Conrad Ma-
gel was born, a son of Sibert and Mary
(Lee) ^Nlagel. The parents were both natives
of Germany and on the same vessel they
crosed the Atlantic to the new world and
were married in Iowa. Thev belono-ed to
prominent families in the fatherland and be-
came frontier settlers in the new world. It
was in the year 1833 that Sibert
Magel cast- in his lot with the pioneer
settlers west of the Mississippi. He left
his home full of hope, true-hearted and
determined to make the best of his op-
portunities in the land of the free; and
though he had no capital to assist him
his resolute spirit, energy, perseverance and
economy have enabled him to ad\-ance stcad-
ilv toward success. Althouoh he met man\
hardships and trials, he was not discouraged
but worked hard to carry out his earnest
purpose to gain an honest living and pro\ide
a good home for his family. His labors
were crowned with prosperity, and when he
was called to the home beyond h.e left a
very large estate.
Near Burlington, which was then a col-
lection of cheap houses, constituting a small
hamlet, he located a claim and began im-
proving it. He also worked at other em-
ployments that would bring to him some
ready money. W'hen he married he found
an able assistant in his wife and together
they labored to establish a home. When
the land was put upon the market he attend-
ed the sale, and though he had not been
able to save enough to purchase his claim,
he found a friend who lent him the money,
on which he paid fifty per cent interest un-
til he was out of debt. From the claim,
he developed an excellent homestead, upon
which he remained throughout the re-
mainder of his days, passing away on the
9th of August. 1897. His wife preceded
him to the home beyond, being called to
her final rest December 5, *896. Through-
out their lives they were consistent members
of the Lutheran church, in which they had
been reared. He was a verv important
factor in the development and improvement
of the section of the state in which he lived,
and while promoting his individual pros-
perity also added to the general prosperity.
He possessed superior business and executive
ability and was an excellent financier, so that
he was enabled to carry forward to success-
ful completion whatever he undertook. He
dealt quite extensively in real estate, pur-
chasing and selling much farm land and city
property. He was one of the leaders in all
movements calculated to promote the im-
provement and upbuilding of Burlington,
and at the time of his death his realty
possessions in that city were extensive and
important. When he came to Iowa there
were no mills in Des Moines county, and
he aided in erecting the first one within its
CONRAD MAGEL
Tbf ^K^■ K'RT
PirRllC I IP R ART
A - » ^ ., Jl A .-^ U
f k.
BIOGRAPHICAL IIISrORV.
259
borders, lie Ii\C(l to sec the county settled
up 1)V progressive and pniuiincnt people, and
every line of business, as;"ricultural, com-
mercial and professional represented there.
Towns and villages sprang up and Burling-
ton develoi)ed from a few cabins to a cit\
of splendid proportions and importance.
i\lr. Magel withheld his sujjporl from no
movement or measure calculated to prox c
of general good, and just a year beftire his
death gave one thousand (hollars to the
Burlington Hospital, lie also reared a
large and interesting familv who are now
well estabUshed in life, carrying forward
the work he inaugurated. Eli/.abeth is the
willow of William Ililgartner; \\'illiam anil
Henry are living in Des Moines county;
Charles is a prominent farmer and stock-
raiser of Fremont county; Conrad, the sul)-
ject of this review; Peter- is ]i\ing neai
Burlington; Mary is the wife of J. Schafer,
of Burlington; Margaret is the wife of H.
Steyh, also of that city; Theodore S.. who
was a prominent farmer, died January 23,
1895, l>eing killed by a horse, and left a
wife and five children; and Benjamin, who
is living in Des r^ioines countv, where he
is a prominent and intUieniial man.
Conrad ]\lagel acquired his education in
the country schools near his liome and was
reared to habits of industrv and econoniv
on the home farm. When twenty-two years
of age he left the parental roof and went
out into the world to fight life's battles,
and in 1869 came to Fremont county with
his brother Charles on a prospecting toiu'.
They also visited Nebraska, making the
western trip in order to look after lands
entered by their father. Returning home
they completed arrangements to take up the
W(^rk of cultivating the Iowa land and in
iiSjo located permanently in Fremont coun-
ty. They had means to prosecute the work,
erected a house on the prairie, which they
began breaking and soon were busily en-
gaged in farming. A man was employed
to assist in the work of the farm, while his
wife did the housekeeping, for both Mr.
Magel and his br(jther were unmarried ai
the time. The location of the farm was
most favorable, being in the valley of the
Xishnabotna ri\er and extended back to
the bluffs, the rising ground affording an
excellent building site, upon which the
brothers erected their house. At the time
there were n(j farms near, and thev could
ride in any direction witltout hindrance.
There were no fences in the locality and so
they had to fence their entire property with-
out the assistance of division fences. Their
In-st crop was sod corn and soon their land
was placed under a high state of cultivation
and brought to them an excellent return,
i'he Ijrothers continued the business together
until 1880, when they married and their
property interests were di\ided by mutual
consent, Charles retaining the tlrst improve
ments. while Conrad ]\lagel purchased an
adjoining farm of one hundred and sixt}'
acres, upon which he took up his abode.
The work of imi)rovement had been carried
forward there to only a very slight degree,
but with characteristic energy he labored
early and late, and, being successful, he
added from time to time to his property
until he now owns nine hundred and twenty
acres of land in this county and valuable
tract in Nebraska. He has made many ex-
cellent improvements, including the erection
of a hue two-story residence and supplied
with all modern conveniences. A large
barn furnishes shelter for grain and stock
i6o
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
and other substantial outbuildings have been
erected. The home is seen through the vista
of forest and ornamental trees, which have
been planted by Mr. Magel, and an excel-
lent orchard 3aelds its fruit in season, and
the place, pleasantly located five miles east
of Sidney, is one of the finest country
seats in the county. Mr. Magel also has
business property in Mah'ern, is a stock-
holder in the Sidney Bank and lends money
on security, but devotes the greater part
of his attention to the management of his?
farming and stock-raising interests. He is
an extensive feeder and shipper of cattle
and hogs and in all lines of his business he
is meeting with creditable success. His in-
vestments have been judiciously made and
his enterprise and sound judgment have con-
tinually added to his income.
In 1880 Mr. Magel was united in mar-
riage to Miss Mary E. X^ewlon, who was
born in Fulton county, Illinois, July 30,
1855. She is a lady of energ\' and culture,
belonging to one of the honored early fam-
ilies of Illinois, her parents being ^^'illiam
H. and Margaret (Schafer) Xewlon. Her
mother was a widow at the time she mar-
ried Mr. Newlon and was a daughter of
Jacob Linkenfelter, of Pennsylvania, and
was of German descent, and at an early day
emigrated westward, taking up his abode
in Fulton county, Illinois, where he followed
farming. His children were : James, of
Washington, D. C. ; William, of Altoona,
Pennsylvania ; Mrs. Margaret Xewlon ; and
Mrs. Jane Feathers. After attaining
womanhood Margaret Linkenfelter gave
her hand in marriage to Jacob Schafer, a
native of Germany, who crossed the At-
lantic to America in early manhood with his
father and family. They located in Penn-
sylvania and after a number of years re-
moved to Fulton county, Illinois, where his
father followed agricultural pursuits. Jacob
Schafer learned the tailor's trade and was
engaged in that line in Pennsylvania, but
in Illinois he turned his attention to farm-
ing. He died in 1852, in the faith of the
Lutheran church, in which he was an
earnest worker. He left to his wife and
four children a good farm. His children
were: L. D.. now a merchant of Sidney,
Iowa; Henry E., who was an insurance agent
in Chicago and died in 1898; L. A., a prom-
inent agriculturist of Fremont county ; and
Louisa, the deceased wife of D. ^forehead.
A few years after the death of her first
husband Mrs. Schafer became the wife of
William H. Newlon. They subsequently
sold the homestead and lived in Fremont
countv, where they purchased a farm, upon
which they lived until old age, when they
sold that property and took up their abode
in Sidney, where they lived until called to
the home beyond. Mrs. Newlon died in
February, 1897, and \h. Newlon in March
of the same year. He was a plain, unas-
suming but honest farmer, and both he and
his wife were consistent members of the
Methodist church. He had one brother,
Hardy, who is now living in Kansas. Mr.
and j\Irs. N"ewlon had luit three children,
namely: ]\Irs. Magel; Edward F., of Ne-
braska; and D. C., a carpenter of Sidney.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Magel has
been blessed with four children: Sibert W'.,
settled on a farm in Fremont county ; ^Nlar-
garet. who died at the age of nineteen years
and was deeply mourned by her family and
friends; and Frank and James G., who are
yet with their parents. Both Air. and Mrs.
Magel were reared in the Lutheran faith.
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
261
t(» which he still adheres, hiii his wife nnw
beion.^'s to the Methodist ciuirch. in his po-
litical affiliations he was a Democrat until
1896, when he joined the ranks of the i\e-
puiilican |)art\-, of which he is now an earnest
advocate. I lis wurtii is widelv acknuwl-
edj»'ed and his h'fe record furnishes an ex-
runiile that may well he emulated, for
throu,i;h an honorahle career he has gained
a handsiime com])etence and at the same
time has kept untarnished the fann]\- name.
WILLIAM C. JOHNSTON.
Mr. Johnston has a remarkable record,
and from the study of his life history one
may learn valuable lessons. The spirit of
self-help is the source of a-11 genuine worth
in the individual and is the means of bring-
ing t(-) man success when he has no advant-
ages of wealth (»r influence to aid him. It
illustrates in no uncertain manner what it is
l)ossible to accomplish when perseverance
and determination form the keynote to a
man's life. Depending on his own resources,
looking (or no outside aid or support, he has
risen from comparative obscurity to a place
of prt)minence both in the commercial and
political world.. The tow 11 of Randolph
owes much to him on account of his connec-
tion with her business interests, and in the
early days of his residence in Fremont coun-
ty he was a prominent factor in agricultural
circles. Mr. Johnston was born near Que-
l)ec. Canada, September 22, 185 1. Ilis
paternal grandfather. Joseph Johnston. Sr..
was a farmer and died in Ireland, his nati\e
land. .\11 n\ liis children remained in that
country with the exception of his two sons,
John and Joseph, who crossed the Atlantic
to Canada. The former followed farmin<r
and reared his family in the English prov-
ince, and all of his children have now passed
away.
Joseph Johnston, Jr.. the father of our
subject, was born in county Monaghan. Ire-
land, and when twenty years of age came to
the new world, taking up his abode in Can-
ada, where he followed an\- pursuit that
would yield him an honest living. He de-
\-otcd much of his time to the WT»rk of a
farm hand and saved as much of his earnings
as possible. Ten years later he married
Miss Mary Ann Lackey, a nativj ni the
south of Ireland, born in W'estmeath. whence
she came to America in early life; but in the
meantime Mr. Johnston had purchased a
tract of land, on which the young couple
began their domestic life. A small home
was erected upon the place and a portion of
the land had been cleared, but much of it
was covered with timber and it required hard
labor to clear, develop and improve it. 1 low-
ever, with characteristic energv the father
resolutely set to the task and there remained
until after the birth of all of his ten chil-
dren. In 1854 he sold the property and re-
moxed to Illinois, taking u}) his abi-de in
Mercer county, wliere he purchased a large
farm of fuie land, becoming one of the lead-
ing and influential agriculturists nf that
communitN'. He carried imi general farm-
in.g and stock-raising and his labors were
attended with prosperity. His business ca-
reer was also characterized by honest deal-
ings and his name became the synonym for
integrity in business transactions. He was
a man rather under medium size, but was
(|uite athletic and strong. While living in
Canada he was an officer in the militia. He
continued to make his home on his Illinois
farm until his death, which occurred March
262
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
30, 1865, when he was seventy-two years of
age. He was a broad-minded and intelli-
gent man, possessing good business qualifi-
cations, whereby he acquired a very desir-
able estate. He was of a social nature, yet
was quiet in demeanor and never aspired to
public office or notoriety. The people of
the community found him a good neighbor
and the poor and needy an assisting friend.
He was hopeful in his views of life, did all
he could to better the condition of the human
race and his own sterling integrity and honor
left a strong impress for good upon all with
A\hom he came in contact. His widow still
surx'ives him at the ripe old age of ninety-
four years, having been born June 23, 1807.
She is a large woman, of strong constitution,
and has done her share of hard work in the
world. After her children were born and
married she sold the old homestead and came
to Fremont county, Iowa, in 1877, in order
to be near her children, who were living in
this locality. Here she purchased a small
farm, which she afterward sold, and erected
a comfortable residence in Randolph, which
has since been her place of abode. She yet
supervises the work of her own home, and
now in the full enjoyment of a well-spent
life she is surrounded by many of her chil-
dren, who are prominent citizens of the com-
munity and do honor to her name. She,
too, is a member of the Episcopal church.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Johnston were born the
following named : John, a leading business
man of Randolph ; Joseph, who is living in
Rock Island, Illinois; James, who became a
resident of Madison, Nebraska; Elizabeth,
wife of William Jingles, a farmer of Fre-
mont county ; Mary Ann, wife of James
Dickman, of Rock Island, Illinois ; Isabel,
wife of J. x\llely, a prominent agriculturist
of Fremont county; Frank, who died at
Omaha, Nebraska, i'n 1891, leaving a family
of five children; Jennie, wife of M. Allely,
an agriculturist of Fremont county; Will-
iam C. of this review; and Isaac, who died
in Omaha, leaving two children.
William C. Johnston was only three
years of age when, in 1854, his parents re-
moved from their Canada home to Mercer
county, Illinois, where he was reared to
manhood. He acquired a common-school
education, remaining under the parental
roof until 1875, assisting in the work of the
home farm. He was then married, after
which he located upon a farm and raised
one crop in the Prairie state. In 1876 he
came to Iowa, establishing a home in Fre-
mont county. He had but a small amount
of money at the time, and is practically a
self-made man. He first purchased a tract
of raw land from the government, making
arrangements to pay for the same at a future
date. His earnest labor and his excellent
management enabled him to meet the pay-
ments at the required time, and his unflag-
ging energy and honorable dealing brought
to him continued success as the years passed
by. He now owns three hundred and twenty
acres for meadow and for pasturage pur-
poses. Upon the place is a commodious
home, substantial barn, good orchard and
all other modern improvements which con-
stitute the model farm of the twentieth cen-
tury. He carried on general farming and
also did some trading, but fed much of the
products of his farm to his stock. Of late
years he has rented his land, having in 1886
removed from the farm to Randolph, where
he has a commodious residence, — one of
the most attractive homes of the city. He
has since been numbered among the leading
BIOGRAPHICAI. HISTORY.
•63
business men of the place. He engages in
trading and also owns and conducts a large
livery business, having two extensive barns.
He lias a block of ele\cn joi^ and also con-
siderable improved property which he rents,
including the (irand Hotel, lie likewise
rents a block of land adjoining the stock-
yards and on it he has a line race track.
Residence property in Omaha also belongs
to him and brings a good rental, thus materi-
ally increasing his income. He is widely
recognized as a progressi\e and prominent
business man and an excellent hnancier,
occupying a leading position in commercial
circles and ct)mmanding the confidence and
respect of all who know liim.
Mr. Johnston was united in marriage to
Miss Ruth 1. Hasbrook, who was born in
Mercer county. Illinois. December 3, 1856,
and is a lady of intelligence and culture,
belonging to one of the early families of that
locality. Her parents. Thomas and Louisa
(Wood) Hasbrook, were natives of Ger-
many, and the former was a farmer by oc-
cupation. He removed to Texas and served
in the Confederate army at the time of the
Civil war. After the close of hostilities he
started to return to Illinois, but died in His
wagon while ou the trip. The family con-
tinued on their way to tlie Prairie state,
where they remained until after the children
were grown when the mother made her
home with her sons and daughters. Her
death occurred in Nebraska. She was twice
married, her first husband having been a
Mr. Tennie. I'y that marriage .she had three
children, namely: Mrs. Emma Hasbrook;
Mrs. Fannie Pierce: and Permilia, wife of
W. Whan. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hasbrook
were horn five children: Mary, wife of W.
Huett; Eftie, wife of J. Clark; Kate, wife of
J. Weaver; Ruth, the wife of our subject;
and Minnie, wife of H. Jackson. The mother
of this family was a member of the Baptist
church.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Johnston
was blessed with eight children: Joseph T.,
who was lx)rn January 6, icS/G; William T.,
born August 19, 1877; Leonard O., born
Marcli 9. 1880; Jennie Isabel, born Decem-
ber I. 1885; Gertrude R., born April 4,
J 888; I'^lith May. born June 20, 1890; Eva
B., born June 11, 1893; and Ida Jessamine,
born August 24, 1898. Mr. Johnstcni is an
influential member of the Democratic party
in Fremont county, and exerts his influence
i with telling efTect in supix)rt of its prin-
ciples. He served in the office of postmaster
of Randolph for four years in a manner en-
tirely satisfactory to the people of the com-
munity, but has ever been very modest in his
demands, not asking for political reward
for his services, which were given to the
party because he believed in its principles as
most conductive to good g(jvernment. His
life is that of a thorough-going business
man. He is particularly prompt in keeping
his business engagements and expects the
same consideration of others. Many of his
associates testify in strong terms to his kind-
ness of heart, finding in him not only a safe
advisor, but also one wliose counsel is not
that of words ali">ne.
ELI FICKEL.
Amou"" those farmers who ha\e made
comfortable homes and gained much of this
world's desirable gootls by the efforts of
their own hands, is Eli Fickel. the subject of
this sketch, who resides upon one of the
264
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
finest farms in ]\Iills county. Iowa. He was
born in Perry county, Ohio, November 13.
1830, a son of John and Rachel Fickel, the
former of whom was born in Perry county,
but died in Putnam county, Ohio, aged sev-
entv-two. The latter was born in Balti-
more. ]\Iaryland, and died in Mills county,
Iowa, in her ninety-fifth year. Her parents
were Peter and Mary Barnett, who were
born in Baltimore, but died in Ohio.
Our subject was reared to farm life and
had few educational advantages. Until
twenty-one years of age he remained with
his parents, but was married about that time
to Catherine JMadden, who died, leaving
him one son. He had settled on a farm
in Putnam county and it was not until after
his second marriage, with Martha J. Mad-
den, a cousin of his first wife, that he came
to his present home. Mr. Fickel here owns
two hundred and eighty acres of fine land.
beginning with eighty acres, and has earned
this large and productive estate by his own
labor. He has engagd in farming and
stock-raising, being very successful in both
lines.
Of the eleven children born to Mr. and
Mrs. Fickel, seven still survive. Two of
those who died left children. The young-
est child died when only a few weeks old.
Mr. Fickel is a member of the Democratic
party, thoroughly believing in its principles.
He cast his first vote for Franklin Pierce and'
ever since has supported the candidates of
his party. For years ]\Ir. Fickel has been
one of the efficient members of the school
board, taking great interest in educational
matters. Mrs. Fickel died at the age of
forty-five. During life she had been, with
her husband, a consistent member of the
Methodist church. Mr. Fickel is active in
Sunday-school work, being superintendent,
and is highly esteemed by the residents ot
Malvern and vicinity.
FRANCIS H. DASHNER.
The life history of Mr. Dashner. if
written in detail, would form a volume con-
taining man}^ exciting and intensely inter-
esting chapters. The old adage, "truth is
stranger than fiction," is verified in his
career. He has visited many ports of the
civilized globe, has lived the wild life of a
miner in the west and has followed the quiet
pursuits of the farm in the Missouri valley.
It was on the Atlantic seaboard that his
birth occurred, for he is a native of Jefferson
county, New York, born February 28, 1827.
The family is of French lineage. His grand-
father and his father were both soldiers in
the war of 1812 and were wounded in the
battle of Sackett's Harbor. The latter bore
the name of Francis Dashner and niJlrried
Alaggie July. In their family were three
children, of whom our suljject was the sec-
oi;d' in order of birth. He started out in
life for himself at the age of nine 3^ears
and has since made his own way in the
world. Leaving his parental home, he went
to Carthage. New York, and entered the em-
ploy of a man engaged in the manufacture
of cheese-boxes. A year and a half later his
mother and sister induced him to return
home, but he remained only for ■A short time,
going thence to Pamelia Corners, in Jef-
ferson county. New York, where he spent
six weeks. On the expiration of that period
he journeyed. to Watertown, New York, and
in the vicinity of that place worked for two
3^ears on a dairy farm. He was employed
BIOGRAPHICAL IIISTORY
265
in that locality iliiriiii^- the <,n-cater part "f the
time until he had attai.ietl the age of nine-
teen \eais. when he hecame a representatixc
(if marine life, sailing on the dilTercnt Amer
ican lakes anil seas for six years. During
that period he was twice shipwrecked, once
on a South Manitou island, when the vessel,
the J. ^". Scamnion. was lost; and again on
the Big St)dus Keef, in Lake Ontario, the
(late of the latter heing Decen'iher 10. 1854.
During his six Ncars of seafaring life he war.
on all the princi^jal lakes in X'orth America,
and he crossed the ocean to Oueenstown,
and also visited many other foreign ports.
At length Air. Dashner ahandoned the
water, taking up his abode in Ogdenshurg.
New York, where he was engaged in busi-
ness for two years, lie next mo\ed t<^
Knox county. Illinois, where he began farm-
ing, but after two years passed in the Prairie
state he removed to Idaho, where be fol-
lowed ranching and mining for about three
years, lie was ver\- successful in his un-
dertakings, making much money there, but
while returning to the east he was robbed,
in Denver, of a large sum and was severeh
wounded in his struggles with the bandits.
'J1ie next s[)ring. 1855. he came to Alill.v
eounty, Iowa, where be has since resided,
either in Lyons or in I'latteville township.
On the 1 6th of October of that year he was
united in marriage to Miss Lucy Gonsollay.
a daughter oi Benjamin and Kliza ( Brow-
er) Gonsollay, natives of Illinois. Twelve
children were born uiUo them, as follows:
Cora May. who died June 27. 1894, at the
age of twenty-six years; ^[aggie Zelpha,
wlut (lied on the 4th of May. i8(/). at the
age of twenty-seven years; Clara iM'ances,
now the wife of Frank Tohnsou. a resident
<'f St. Edwards. Nebraska; Francis E
tigene.
who is li\ing u])on the home farm; Lillic
Luella. who died January 2t,. 1898. at the
age of twenty-five years; Stella Elounant,
who departed this life on the 7th of June,
1896. at the age of nineteen \ears ; Sabra
Victoria, who died September 25, 1899. at
the age of twenty; Emily Lenora, whose
death occurred September 25. 1899; Clifford
Clifton, who passed away at the age of six-
teen years on the 30th of October, 1896;
Clay Henry. wIkj is living at home and as-
sists in the operation of bis father's farm;
Clara Pearl, who died in 1899; and Earl De-
\'ille. at home. The mother of this family
passed away on the 16th of August. 1894.
wlien forty-seven years of age, and the father
was afterward again married, on the 13th of
January, 1897, his second union being with
Mrs. Angeline Pfifer, a daughter of Elija
and* Frances (Xix) Dalton, natives of Ken-
tucky. Her father died in St. Joseph. Mis-
souri, in 1885. ^t the age of sixty-five years.
For manv vears he conducted a hotel in
Lenox, Missouri, and in 1851 he came to
Mills county. Iowa, locating in Oak town-
ship. His wife sur\ived him for about ten
years, passing awav at her home in Oak
township, in 1895. when seventy-nine years
of age.
Since coming to Iowa Mr. Dashner has
constantly and successfully engaged in farm-
ing, and is one of the most enterprising and
progressive agriculturists (^f the entire coun-
ty. He to-day owns three hundred and
forty acres of land and is engaged in rais-
ing stock and fruit, having o\er eleven hun-
dred fruit trees. His methods of cultivating
his farm are progressive and practical and
bring to him an excellent income. Mr.
Dashner has had an eventful life, yet. altt.)-
gether his career has been a successful one.
266
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
although he has met with many financial
losses. He was twice robbed and has had
many misfortunes, the greatest of which has
been the loss of his children. He is a man
of kind impulses, large-hearted and generous,
and he possesses the friendship and esteem
of all who know him.
H. E. HAWLEY.
Among the leading and prominent citi-
zens of Sidney, Iowa, is Mr. Hawley, who is
now so capably and satisfactorily serving ag
the treasurer of Fremont county. For sev-
eral years he has been prominently identi-
fied with public affairs, and is a recognized
leader in the ranks of the Republican party.
Mr. Hawley was born in Jefferson coun-
ty, New York, on the 6th of August, 1849,
and in 1864 came to this county with his
parents, E. R. and Amelia Hawley, who
were natives of Connecticut and New York,
respectively. His early life was passed
upon a farm, and his education was obtained
in the public schools of Tabor, and in a busi-
ness college at Burlington, Iowa. For some
time he was engaged in the general merchan-
dise business at Percival, this county, and
was residing there when he first became
identified with public affairs. His first offi-
cial position was that of township clerk, ta
which he was elected about 1881. Later he
became prominently connected with county
affairs, and was elected auditor in 1885 and
treasurer in 1898. The latter office he is
still filling in a most creditable manner, and
is one of the most popular officials of the
county. His political support has always
been given the Republican party since he cast
his first vote for U. S. Grant in 1872.
Fraternally he is connected with the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and relig-
iously is a member of the Congregational
church. The marriage of Mr. Hawley took
place October 20, 1875, with Flora Wad-
hams. Of this union there have been born
seven children— Gertrude, Grace, Floyd,
Edith, Ethel, W'innefred and Herman. Floy
is the deputy county treasurer.
JAMES M. STRAHAN.
The history of mankind is replete with
illustrations of the fact that it is only under
pressure of adversity and the stimulus of
opposition that the best and strongest in
men are brought out and developed. Per-
haps the history of no people so forcibly
impresses one with this truth as the annals
of our own republic. If anything can in-
spire the youth of our country to persistent,
honest and laudable endeavor it should be
the life record of such men as he of whom
we write. The example of the illustrious
few of our countrymen who have risen from
obscurity to the highest position in the gift
of the nation often serves to awe our young
men rather than inspire them to emulation,
because they reason that only a few can
ever attain such eminence; but the history
of such men as Mr. Strahan proves conclu-
sively that with a reasonable amount of
mental and physical power success is bound
eventually to crown the endeavor of those
who have the ambition to put forth their
best eft'orts and the will and manliness to
persevere therein. Certainly he deserves
mention among the most prominent citizens
of Mills county, having had a marked in-
fluence upon the business life and the sub-
Cir ^/CZaJ-^
1 IKf f**^ ,„-
A>- • - ■
r
bi(x;raphical history
267
stantial development of this portion of the
state, ilis wide ac(iiiaintancc will render
his history one of special interest to many
of onr readers, and therefore we gladly give
it a place in this volnme.
.Mr. Strahan is a native of Indiana, his
birth having^ uccnrrcd in I'utnam county
on the 17th of November, 18J9. Mis fa-
ther, James Strahan, was born in Pennsyl-
vania, August ^>. I7S[, and emigrated to
the Hoosier state during the pioneer epoch
of its development. He became identified
with the farming interests of Putnam coun-
ty, where he carried on agricultural pur-
suits until his demise. In June, 1813, he
was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth
Ramsey, also a native of Pennsylvania,
born December 16, 1793. They became tho
parents of seveit children. The father died
in Putnam county, Indiana, in September,
1835, and the mother, long surviving him,
l)assed away in Davis county, b)wa, Octo-
ber 7, 1857.
The sul)ject of this review spent the
first six years of his life in his native state,
and then accompanied his parents on their
removal to Illinois, being identified with
the farming interests of that commonwealth
until 1850, when he went to California, re-
maining for three years on the Pacific coast.
He then returned to Illinois, but in 1854
made a .second trip to California, taking
with him a drove of cattle across the plains.
l''or a year he again remained in the land
of gold and then retraced his steps to the
Mississipi)i valley, but this time he located
on the west side of the Father of Waters,
becoming a resident of Marion county,
Iowa, residing there until 1864, when he
sold his land and removed to Lucas county,
Iowa. J 11 1866 he removed to Henderson
16
county. Illinois, and in 1869 he returned to
Marion county. L)wa. There he resided
until 1870, which year witnessed his arri-
val in Mills county, where for almost a third
of a centurv he has made his home. Since
that time he has been a very prominent fac-
tor in the business interests which have con-
tributed not alone to his individual pros-,
perity, but have also promoted the general
welfare of the community. Entering into
partnership with John i^lvans, they engaged
in farming and feeding cattle for the mar-
ket, carrying on the latter branch of their
business on a very extensive scale, selling
from two hundred to a thousand head of
cattle annually.
In 1873, in company with others, ^Ir,
Strahan laid out that part of Malvern
known as Strahan's addition into lots for
building purposes. The town of Strahan,
in Deer Creek township, has been named
in his honor. His first home in Mills coun-
ty was an old frame residence, but in 1881
he replaced it with one of the finest houses
in the county. He first purchased eleven
hundred acres of land, but is now the owner
of fifteen hundred acres in Mills county
and two thousand acres in Wayne county.
His operations in land have been very ex-
tensive and they bring to him a splendid
income. Xot only have his stock-raising
interests assumed large proportions, but he
has also dealt largely in grain, making-
enormous profits.
A man of resourceful business ability,
his efforts have by no means been confined
to one line, but have been extended to many
fields of endeavor and have always been
attended by success, for he is a man of
sound business judgment, rarely if ever at
fault in an opinion on Inisiness matters.
2 68
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
His name figures conspicuously on the pages
of the pioneer history of Alills county. He
was one of the organizers of the First Na--
tional Bank, became its first president and
has since occupied that position. His splen-
did executive ability, keen sagacity and
strong purpose enabling him to place the in-
stitution upon a sound financial basis that
has made it one of the leading moneyed
institutions of the county. Its first cashier
was L. Bentley, and the present cashier is
J. J. Wilson, who has occupied the position
for about ten years. j\Ir. Strahan is also
the president of the First National Bank of
A\'ayne county. He also has a private bank
at ]\Ialvern, which is conducted under the
firm name of Strahan & Christy. The fam-
ily is a prominent one in connection with
financial interests. His son, Frank E. Stra-
han, is the vice-president of the First Na-
tional Bank at Wayne, Nebraska, while
Otis, another son, is assistant cashier in
the First National Bank of Malvern. Few
men have a more comprehensive, accurate
and reliable knowledge of the banking busi-
ness than has Mr. Strahan, who is widely
recognized as one of the leading financiers
of this portion of the west. He is a man
of keen discernment and excellent execu-
tive ability. He carries forward to success-
ful completion whatever he undertakes and
his perseverance and determined purpose
have been important factors in his splendid
success.
]\Ir. Strahan has been twice married.
On the 3d of January, 1856, he led to the
marriage altar i\Iiss Frances C. Davis, of
Henderson county, Illinois. Her father,
Abner Davis, served in the war of i8-i2,
and the farm upon which he made his home
was granted him in recognition of the aid
which he rendered his country at that time.
Five children, two sons and three daughters,
were born of this marriage, namely : Otis
A., who married Ida INIorris and has two
children; Lucy, who is the wife of D. A.
Jones and has five children; Luella, who is
the wife of June Conger, and they have
five children; Francis E., who married Lu-
ella Larison, and they have had six chil-
dren, of whom three are now living; and
Rosetta, who is the wife of John Larison.
The mother of these children died August
30, 1885, and in 1889 Mr. Strahan was
again married, his second union being with
Mary W. (Wheeler) Guilford, a daughter
of A\'illiam and Phebe Diana (Makyes)
Wheeler. Her paternal grandparents were
William R. and Hila (Curtiss) Wlieeler,
Connecticut people. The latter died in
Michigan. The grandfather was born
October 16, 1782, and died in Connecti-
cut in the thirty-ninth year of his age.
The W'heelers ^^■ere from Denmark, and a
very prominent family there. Mrs. Stra-
han was one of a family of fourteen chil-
dren, ten of whom reached mature years,
while the mother, who was born in Onon-
daga county. New York, died at the ad-
vanced age of eighty-one years. By her
former marriage ]\Irs. Strahan had four
children, of whom two are living : Jessie,
now the wife of Alonzo Ring; and Lizzie,
the wife of J. E. Cleaver, by whom she has
three children. They also lost two daugh-
ters : Ella, who became the wife of F. B.
Rumsey, of Kansas, and died at the age of
twenty-nine years, leaving a daughter.
Charta became the wife of M. P. Steele,
and died at the age of twenty-eight years.
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
269
leaving one son, while one child died al the
same time. t)ccasioned hy a gasoline exiilo-
sioji, March 6. 1899.
Mr. and Mrs. Slrahan are [)r(iminent
and intluential memhers of the Baptist
church, in which he has held membership
since 1871. He has served as trustee and
steward and has contributed liberally to its
work, doing all in his power for its ad-
vancement. The cause of temperance finds
in him a warm friend, and he nuw affiliates
with the Prohibition party, ha\ing cast his
first vote in support of its candidates when
he deposited his ballot for GoNcrnor St.
John, of Kansas. Prior to that he was a
Democrat in his political aftiliations. ]\Ir.
Strahan is a most progressive and public-
spirited citizen, and his wife is also noted
for her generosity. They contribute very
liberally to all worthy enterprises calculated
to prove of public benefit, giving their active
co-operation to every measure intended for
the i)ublic good. They are people of the
highest worth of character and their lives
are in harmony w'ith honorable principles.
Regarded as a citizen, Mr. Strahan belongs
to that public-spirited, useful and helpful
type of men whose ambitions and desires
are centered and directed in those channels
through which flow the greatest and most
permanent good to the greatest nunil)er, and
it is therefore consistent w'ith the purpose
and plan of this work that his record l)e
^iven among those of the representative
men of the state.
HON. LEWIS T. GENUNG.
Whatever else may be said of the legal
fraternity, it cannot be denied that members
of the bar have been more prominent actors
in public affairs than any other class of the
community. This is but the natural result
of the causes which are manifest and re-
quire no explanation. The ability and train-
ing which (jualify one to practice law also
qualify him in many respects for duties
which lie outside the strict path of his pro-
fession and which touch the general inter-
ests of society. Holding marked precedence
among the members of the bar of Mills
county, stands Hon. Lewis T. Genung, who
is a recognized • leader of the Democratic
party in this section of the state, and as a
man prominent in public affairs, actively co-
operating in many movements which have se-»
cured substantial advancement for the
county.
Mr. Genung was lx)rn September 21,
1841, in Port Byron, Illinois. His father,
John W . Genung, was born in France and
came to the United States early in life.
He died at his Illinois home when the sub-
ject of this review was but three years of age.
His wife bore the maiden name of Mary
Henderson, and was a native of Xewtown,
Maryland. She, too, died in Port Byron,
and is survived by four of her five children.
Lewis T. Genung was reared upon a
farm and in his native village, and from
early boyhood has been forced to depend
ui)on his own resources and labors for a
livelihood. lie was permitted to attend
school for onh- a few weeks, but he
has developed his latent talents and im-
proved his opportunities until to-day he is
classed among the men of strong mind and
scholarly attainments. Reading, experience
and observation have added continually to
his knowledge. He was first employed by
the day and mc^nth. He remained at home
at intervals until about eighteen years of
270
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
age, but provided for his own support by
working in the neighborhood. He then left
home to accept a position as a farm hand,
being employed in that capacity by the
month. He applied himself diligently to the
work entrusted to him and thus had the con-
fidence and good will of his employers.
He watched with interest the progress
of events at the south prior to the Civil war,
and believing in the injustice of slavery and
unconstitutionality of secession, he resolved
that if the south attempted to overthrow
the Union he would strike a blow in its de-
fense. In the first year of the war he en-
listed under Captain Beardsley, later Major
Beardslev, as a member of the Thirteenth
Illinois Infantry. The company did not
leave the state for several months, and as
a part of the regiment was cut off Mr. Gen-
ung was transferred to Company H, of the
Fifty-first Illinois Infantry, under Captain
J. T. \\'hitson. He thus served from Au-
gust, 1 86 1, until the close of hostilities, for
in February, 1864, he re-enlisted in the vet-
eran corps. At the battle of Franklin he
was wounded by a bayonet thrust, was cap-
tured and placed in Cahaba prison, in Ala-
bama, where he was incarcerated until the
war was ended, when he received an hon-
orable discharge there on the 13th of June,
1865. Previous to the time he was wound*
ed l)y the bayonet he had sustained a wound
while guarding one of General Rosecrans'
wagon trains on the Secorn river, October
t6, 1863. He was an aggressive soldier,
whose patriotic loyalty was above question
and he was ever found at his post of duty,
whether on the picket line or on the firing-
line. When engaged in battle he was al-
wa}s in the thickest of the fight, being brave
and fearless. At Chickamauga all of the
members of his company were killed save
six, he l:ieing among the few who escaped.
He reported each day for duty except when
his wounds forced him to remain in the hos-
pital. He participated in many of the im-
portant engagements in the war, including
the battles of Missionary Ridge and Lookout
Mountain, the first battle of Corinth, Stone
River, Chickamauga, and all the battles
from Chattanooga to Jonesboro under Sher-
man, and at the battle of Franklin, Ten-
nessee. While held as a captive he was made
the sheriff of the prison. He has a most
enviable war record, and his most bitter
political enemies never hesitate to give him
credit for his honorable history as a soldier.
He knew not what it was to fear or falter
when his country called, and his felloW' men,-
who know of his military service, esteem
and respect him for what he did for his coun-
try, although they may be opposed to him
in political belief. In Neola, on the 4th
of July, 1899, he delivered a splendid ora-
tion on the war, vividly portraying to his
hearers the condition of affairs at the time
and showing that the Civil war was the
greatest that has ever occurred in the world.
When the stars and stripes floated over
the defunct capital of the southern Confed-
eracy, and the men of both the north and
south returned to their homes to take up
the pursuits of civil life, Mr. Genung made
his Avay to Illinois, and there, soon after-
ward, was united in marriage to Miss Clara
E. Prouden, a native of Illinois and a rela-
tive of President W^illiam McKinlev. She
died in Dakota only a few months later.
Al)out the time of his marriage Mr. Genung
became interested in land speculation and
railroad work in connection w'ith the Union
Pacific railroad. Traveling through Ne-
BIOGRAPHIC. IL IIISTOKY.
271
Lrnska. he recogMiized the si)lciKli(l opportu-
nities offered for making- money. A clear
brain, shrewd business tact and an honora-
ble business insight enabled him to place his
capital in judicious investments which
brought to him a good financial return. He
traveled not only to the end of the railroad,
but e\en beyond the line into Colorado, and
obtained a contract for su])])lying lies. He
Avas as.sociated with a partner on an equal
basis to furnish ties for the construction
of the original Colorado Central Railroad.
Tn iSfK) lie left that state and came to Iowa,
arriving in j\Iills county on the 23d of June,
1870. Here he located near White Cloud,
and subseciuently removed to the vicinity of
TTastings.
-Mthough he carried on Inisiness along!
various lines, it was his desire to eng^age
in the practice of law. Pie was never a
student in a public or private law school,
but mastered the principles of jurisprudence
unaided. He would often ride horseback
to the count}' seat to borrow law books,
which he read and mentally digested, thus
gaining a knowledge of the fundamental
principles of the profession. His army
ANounds forbade him to engage in hard
work, and it was therefore fortunate that
he desired to take up the legal practice. He
was admitted to the bar in the year 1875,
and for twenty-four years he was a leading,
prominent and successful lawyer of Hast-
ings. His counsel was sought by young and
old. rich and poor, and his standing as an
ad\iser was very high. He carefully
weighed all the points presented to him.
and his opinions were sound and unbiased.
Never has he undertaken the conduct of a
case simi)ly to secure the fee, but because
he had faith in tlic justice of the suit. About
the 1st of July, 1900. he removed to the
county seat. Glen wood, and is there con-
trolling an extensive and important client-
age. His success in the profession affonls
the best evidence of his capabilities in this
line. He is a strong advocate before the
jury and concise in his appeals to the court.
His pleas have been characterized l)y a
terse and decisive logic and a lucid presenta-
tion rather than by fiights of oratory, and
his power is the greater before court or jury
from the fact that it is recognized that his
aim is ever to secure justice and not to en-
shroud the cause in a sentimental garb or
illusion which will thwart the principles of
right and equity invol-ved.
While in Hastings j\Ir. Genung became
recognized as a leader in the Democratic
ranks. His fitness for leadership has been
demonstrated on many occasions, and it was
this which led to his election to the position
of mayor of the city on the independent
ticket. In this county, which is usually
strongly Republican, he was twice elected
county attorney, and served for four years.
He was also the attorney for the board of
supervisors. He has never been a dictator,
]jut his capable management of campaign
work and his practical methods commend
him to those who are endeavoring to secure
party success. For nearly a quarter of a
century he has stood as one of the most
prominent and influential men in Demo-
cratic circles of Mills county. He has been
a delegate at large to various conventions,
and was an alternate to the national Demo-
cratic convention held at Kansas City in
1900. when Bryan and Stephenson were
nominated.
Mr. Genung was the second time mar-
ried. in 1872. Miss Julia Anderson becoming
272
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
his wife. Seven children have heen born
unto them: CHnton, the eldest, is a repre-
sentative citizen of Mills county. He served
for four years as postmaster at Hastings,
under President Cleveland, and resignedi
that office in order to become the deputy
county treasurer in 1897-8. Bert is mar-
ried and manages the old home farm. Clar-
ence also aids in the operation of the home
farm. Clyde is a student in a law school.
Norman, Ethel and Georgia are all at home.
The children are well known for their
strong mentality, which has been developed
through good educational privileges ; and
in social circles, wdiere intelligence, culture
and character are received as passports into
good society, they hold an enviable position.
The family belong to the Methodist Epis-
copal church, and Mr. Genung is a charter
member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge at
Hastings. Well does he deserve his place
as a leading resident of Mills county. He
holds distincti\-e precedence as an eminent
lawyer, as a valiant and patriotic soldier,
and as a man of affairs who has wielded a
wide influence. A strong mentality, an in-
vincible courage, a most determined indi-
viduality have so entered into his make-up
as to render him a natural leader of men
and a director of opinion.
REV. JONATHAN S. ZUCK.
Rev. Jonathan S. Zuck, a minister of the
Methodist Episcopal church and the pro-
prietor of Pleasant View Farm and Fruit
Land in Madison township. Fremont county,
is widely and faA'orably known in south-
western Iowa and northwestern Missouri.
He was born in Carroll county, Missouri.
January 19, 1852, and is of German lineage,
his paternal grandfather, Christian Zuck^
having been a native of Germany. Having
crossed the Atlantic to America, he took
up his abode in Erie county, Pennsylvania,
and in 183 1 he removed with his wife and
children to Washtenaw county, Michigan,
then a wild and unsettled region.
Washington Lafayette Zuck, the father
of our subject, was born in Erie county,
Pennsylvania, in 1826, but was reared in
]\Iichigan, amid the wild scenes of frontier
life, for he was but five years of age when
the family went to that state. His youth
was passed on the home farm there until
1846, when he went to Carroll county, Mis-
souri, and in 185 1 he became a resident of
Atchison county, that state, being one of the
first settlers of Buchanan tow-nship. He
was actively identified with the work of de-
velopment and progress and was classed
among those whose efforts laid the founda-
tion of the present prosperity and ad\'ance-»
ment of the county. Upon the farm ^^■hich
he developed and made his home he remained
until within a short time prior to his death.
His last days, however, were spent in Ham-
burg, where he died in 1898, at the age oB
seventy-five years. He was first married
in 1848 to Miss Abigail Wolsey, a daughter
of Zephaniah Wolsey, of Tennessee. Her
death occurred in 1874. By that marriage
there w^ere twelve children, ten of whom
are now living, namely : Albert ; Jonathan
S., of this review; James, Fannie, Susan,
Abigail, Lewis, Charles, Oliver and James.
George A\'. and an infant unnamed are de-
ceased. After the death of his first wife
the father was again married, in 1876, his
second union being Avith Airs. Eleanor Jane
Brown, by whom he had seve'n children:
Mary, Eri, Arthur, Lincoln, Delia, Neville
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
^73
ami I'juniri. Washington Lafayette Ziick
was a pmmincnL and progressive farmer
and stock-raiser and acquired an estate of
seventeen hundred acres of farm land, to-
gether with other property. Me and his
wife held memhership in the Methodist
Episcopal church and his life was at all
times luMiorahle and upright, manifesting
(|ual;ties worthy of emulation.
Rev. Jonathan S. Zuck was reared on the
old homestead farm in Atchison county,
and i)ractical experience soon made him fa-
miliar with the work of field and meadow.
He attended the puhlic schools and has evei:
been a student. Possessing an observing
eye and a retentive memory, he has added
greatly to his knowledge, which has also
been supplemented by extensive reading and
studv. Much time has been given to the
study of the Bible and few men have a more
extensive knowledge of the good b<^ok. He
was married at the age of twenty-one to
Aliss Ada Egbert, a representative of a good
family, and to him she lias been a faithful
wife. She was born in Atchison county,
Missouri, and was there reared and educat-
ed. Her father, William Egbert, was a na-
tive of Kentucky, but was married in Mis-
souri to Eli/cabeth Lemon, whose ])irth oc-
curred in Sumner county, 1>nnessee. whence
her i)eople removed to Adams county, Illi^
nois. In 1854 William Egbert removed
with his wife and children to Atchison coun-
ty, where he spent his remaining days, dyi
ing at the ripe old age of eighty-four years.
Farming was his life occupation and through
that channel he ])rovi(led for his family. In
political affiliations he was a Republican,
and wa> a member of the Christian church.
His widow is now li\-ing with her daughter,
Mrs. Zuck, at the age of eighty-three years.
She has three ciiildren yet living, namely:
Christopher. Samuel and Ada, while one
son, William, died at the age of thirty years.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Zuck
resided on a farm of cjne hundred and seven
acres in Atchison county, Missouri, but in
1891 sold that property and purchased the
Pleasant \'iew Farm. — one of the best in
Madison township. i*Vemont county. It had
been well improved by John ilurkheimer
and is a tract of two hundred and ninety
acres, whereon is an attractive residence
surrounded by i)ines, evergreen and forest
trees and llowering shrubs. Through the
vista of the trees the house is seen, forming
an attractive feature of the landscape. It
stands on ixw eminence which commands a
si)lendid \iew of the surrounding country
for miles. An orchard contains twenty \a-
rieties of the best winter fruits, and all kinds
of small fruits are also raised. r)arns and
sheds afford ample shelter for grain an<l
stock ; feed lots, pastures, meadows and
richly cultivated fields are features of this
farm, winch in its neat and thrifty appear-
ance indicates the careful supervision of the
owner.
. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Zuck has
been blessed with seven children, namely:
William Ernest, who married 'Xellie Browni
and resides near his father's home; Harry
L.. a student in Indianola College, of Iowa;
Lyman L.. Mabel E., Luke Talmage, Xel-
lie and Bessie A., who are still under the pa-
rental roof.
In politics Mr. Zuck was formerly a Re-
publican, but now is a stanch Prohibitionist,
giving his earnest support to the principles
of that party. For two years he served as
a justice of the peace. Since i.*^7J he has
been a local minister in the Methodist Epis-
274
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
copal church and is most zealous in the
work of the church and Sunday-school. He
does everything in his power to promote
the cause of religion, temperance and good
murals, teaching both by precept and exam-
ple. His home is celebrated for its hospi-
tality and he is recognized as a man pi
broad humanitarian spirit, faithful in friend-
ship and loyal to every duty in all the rela-
tions of life.
FRAXXIS AI. POWELL, yi. D.
The exemplification of the text, ''Lias-
much as ve have done it unto one of the
least of these, my brethren, ye have done
it unto me," is certainly found in the life
record of Dr. F. M. Powell, the superin-
tendent of the State Listitution for Feeble
]NLnded, at Glenwood. The misanthrope
to-day has n.o place in the world. Never
before in the history of the race has man
had such a just appreciation of the ethical
relations, — of his duty to his fellow man,
— and his value in the world is reckoned
not by what he has accomplished, but by
what he has done for others. The far-
reaching influence of the labors of Dr.
Powell is incalculable, but hundreds of
homes hold him in grateful remembrance
for what he has done for their unfortunate
little ones. A man of broad humanitarian
spirit and wide sympathy, he devotes his
life to the benefit and assistance of some of
the world's unfortunate children, and has
built up an institution at Glenwood which
is indeed a credit to the state and its people.
The Doctor was born in Ohio, in 1848,
a son of William Powell, a native of Vir-
ginia, wdiose parents were James and Ellen
Powell, who were of Welsh descent.
Throue-hout his life William Powell car-
ried on agricultural pursuits, but also de-
voted his time to the intellectual and moral
improvement of the race, following school-
teaching through a considerable period,
while for fifteen years he preached the "glad
tidings of great joy," as a, minister of the
Christian church. Fie died in Virginia, at
the ripe old age of seventy-six years. His
.wife, Mrs. Melissa Powell, was born in
Ohio, and died in ^^'^isconsin when about
forty-eight years of age. She became the
mother 'of six children, the Doctor and his
sister, Mrs. Ida M. W^ard, of San Francis-
co, being- now the only surviving members
of the family.
The Doctor spent the first ten or twelve
years of his life under the parental roof
and then went to Wisconsin, where he be-
gan earning his own livelihood. He was
employed as a farm hand, in a store, and
afterward in a printing office, and at the
age of seventeen engaged in teaching in an
old log school-house in Vernon county, W^is-
consin, where many of his scholars were
older than he. At the age of nineteen he
began t'le study of medicine, which he con-
tinued, as opportunity offered, for several
years, throughout that period* being asso-
ciated with a young- medical practitioner.
He also taught at intervals for ten vears.
and thus provided for his support while
continuing his professional studies. Enter-
ing the .Starling College of Medicine, at
Columbus, Ohio, he was graduated with the
class of 1875, and immediately afterward
entered upon the practical work of his pro-
fession at Hastings, Iowa, to which he has
since devoted his energies.
In September, 1873, Dr. Powell was
united in marriage with Miss Louise M.
^=ic/^^ 7^<^
cnyu<^^ m . '0P<},.,^JA
BlOGRAl'lllCAL HISTORY
3/5
Xewton. a native of Ohio, and iinii) ihcai
lia\e been born ll\e children, lour of whom
are yet living- : Ida M.. now the wife of
E. K. JJlack. hy whom she has one dau£jh-
ler; X'elura M.. who is now a student in the
medical department of the Micliigan State
• University, at Ann Arbor; O. \\'., who is
engaged in the lumber business in the state
of Washington; and i'rcd M., n^w a prac-
tical engineer.
After his graduation Dr. i'owcU came
to Alills county, iowa, where he has since
remained. His marked skill in the line of
his chosen profession soon won him recog-
nition in a constantly increasing patronage,
and in i88_' his ability secured for him the
appointment to the position of superintend-
ent of the State Institution for Feeble
Minded Children, at (llenwood. a i)osition
which he has retained since that time. There
are no\v nearly one thousand inmates in the
institution. The almost phenomenal devel-
opment of the school is due almost entirely
to Dr. Powell and his excellent wife, who
has indeed been a heli)meet to him in his
work. Everything about the place is char-
acterized by order, neatness and cleanliness.
Amusements and recreations of various
kinds contribute to the happiness of the
children, while the utmost attention is given
to sanitarv and healthful regulations. The
institution and its work is certainly most
praiseworthy, its value incalculable and its
inlluence far reaching. The Doctor's strong-
ly symi)athetic nature, kindly and genial
manner, combined with his excellent busi-
ness ability and executive force, well qualify
him for the i)osition in which he lias l)een
the incumbent for almost two decades, and
the citizens of the state have everv reason
to feel grateful to him for what he has ac-
comph.>.lied in beiiaii of one cla.ss ot us un-
fortiniate citizens.
In his political \ie\\s uic DucLur is a
stalwart Kej)ublican, having unswervingly
sui)i)orted that party since casting his lirst
presidential vote f«jr General U. S. Grant,
in 187J. His wife holds membership in
the Christian church in (Jlenwood, and he
is a meml)er of the Masonic lodge of Glen-
wo(!d, and of Ivanhoe Commandery, K. T.,
of Council Bluffs. He also belongs to the
State Medical Society and to the Xational
Organization -of Organized Charities. Ho
is als(j active and prominent in horticultural
circles, was president of the State Horti-
cultural Society for two c<jnsecutive terms,
and his knowledge of that great branch of
science is comprehensive, accurate and prac-
tical. Still an active factor in the world's
great work, he is in t(juch with the great
universal movement of progress and help-
fulness, which is one of the signs of the
times and indicates the onward march of
truth and the right.
\MLT.T AM R. WALL. .\1. 1 ).
Many years have passed since Dr.
William R. Wall arrived in Iowa, and he
is justly numbered among lifer honored
pioneers and representative citizens. He
has been prominently identified with her
business interests as a member of the med-
ical profession, llis is an JK^norable record
of a conscientious man, who by his upright
life has won the ctMifidence of all with
whom he has come in contact. He has
rounded the psalmist's span of three score
years and ten. and. though the passing of
years has whitened his hair, he has the
\igor of a much younger man. and in spirit
276
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
and enterprise seems yet in his prime. Old
age is not necessarily a synonym of weak-
ness or inactivity, and it need not suggest,
as a matter of con.rse, want of occupation, of
helplesness. There is an old age that is a
benediction to all that comes in contact
with it, that gives out richness from its
stores of learning and experience and grows
stronger intellectually and morally as the
years pass. Such is the life of Dr. \\?A\,
an encouragement to his associates and an
example worthy of emulation to the young.
Dr. \\'all was born Febrtiar\' 28, 1826,
in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is a son of
William and Jane (Wolfe) Wall, the lat-
ter a niece of General Wolfe, ^\■ho fell at
Quebec in the French and Indian war. Her
father was a second cousin of George
Washington and was a man of brave mili-
tary spirit, who, when the country became
invoh-ed in war with England, aided the
colonists in their struggle for independ-
ence. He joined the American army^ and
the sword wh'.ch he carried throughout the
period of hostilities is now in the posses-
sion of Dr. \\'all, of this review, and w^as
carried by him in the Civil war. The fam-
ily has always been noted for its military
spirit. Through every war in which the
country has been engaged it has furnished
many representatives, who by their valor
and loyalty have upheld the flag of the
nation, battling earnestly for its principles
and its rights. The grandfather was one
of two brothers who settled in New York
at a very early day. The maternal grand-
father of the Doctor emigrated from Lon-
don to South Carolina and then to Ten-
nessee, and was there extensivelv eneaeed
in mining, in which pursuit he attained
wealth, becoming one of the leading and
substantial citizens of his adopted state,
William \\'all. the father of our subject,
resided for many years in Tennessee, his
death occurring in Knoxville when he was
thirty-five years of age. His widoAV passed
awa_y in Palestine, Indiana, at the age of
eig"ht3'-four.
Dr. ^^*all, whose name introduces this
sketch, was reared in the Hoosier state,
' and pursued his education in Indianapolis,
where he was a classmate of General Lew
Wallace and a son of Governor Xoble.
He was a young man of twenty-one years
when he first became connected with mili-
tary affairs. With the blood of Revolution-
ary ancestors in his composition, his patri-*
otic spirit was aroused at the trouble be-
tween the United States and Mexico, and
on the 1 2th of April, 1847, he enlisted for
service in the ^Mexican war under Lieu-
tenant Snyder. For two years he remained
in the army and was then mustered out at
Covington, Kentucky, in 1849. Again he
served his country when the sectional dif-
ferences between the north and the south
involved the nation in civil war. Believ-'
ing firmly in the cause of the Union, he
resolved to aid in establishing the suprem-
acy of the government at Washington, and
therefore "donned the blue," enlisting April
17, 1 86 1, as a member of the Eighth In-
diana Infantry, with which he went to the
front as a private. There his fidelity to
duty, his meritorious service and the read-
iness with which he mastered military
tactics and discipline caused his promotion.
He serA'ed three months and then went
home and helped to organize, in 1862, six
ca^-alry regiments. First he was a captain,
then a major and lieutenant colonel, and at
Nashville, Tennessee, he finallv was bre-
BIOGRAI'IIICAL HISTORY.
277
vetted a brigadier general. He coninianded
the Ninth Regiment. Indiana N'olunteer
Ca\'ah\v. at Nashville, I"^\'inklin, and then
brought the regiment home, and was with
it mustered out at hulianaixilis. at the close
of the war. The Doctor is a natural sol-
dier and commander, and it is said that
when the Spanish-American war broke out
he was as eager to go to the front as anv
of the \-oung men. lie possesses that (pial-
it}' of mind so necessary to a S( Idier of
grasping a situation at a glance and decid-
ing at once and correctly what to do.
Dr. Wall prepared for practice as a
member of the medical fratern'ty in Chica-
go and Cincinnati, and for thirty years he
has resided in Mills county. Iowa. Although
he is now seventy-four years of age, he is
still an active representative (^f the profes-
sion and has attained a wide fame as a spe-
cialist in the treatment of cancers. As his
financial resources ha\-e increased he has
made judicious investments in re;d estate
and is to-day the owner of three hundred
and fifty acres of valuable land, which
brings to him an excellent income. He votes
the Republican ticket, having been a stal-
wart advocate of the party since its organi-
zation. He is in hearty sympathy witli its
principles of protection to American indus-
tries, of a gold standard and expansion,
believing that the stars and stripes wher-
ever they have been planted should be up-
held. He is a man of kindly nature, of gen-
erous impulses, liberal in his dealings, and
at all times honorable in every relation of
life. Much might be said in terms of lauda-
tion, but to those who know Dr. Wall it is
ininecessary. He is a man of broad general
information and ripe scholarship, who has
labored earnestly in tin.' paths of his profes-
sion; and. whether his work has resulted
in pecuniary benefit or not, no trust reposed
in him has ever been slighted. A rij.e old
age, crowned witli the efforts of his former
toil and honored with the esteem of his fel-
low men. — this in brief is the record of
William R. Wall.
Deceml)er 10, 1849, "^ maui'ied Miss
KKira Scott. His second wife was a Miss
Allis, and his present wife was Louisa
Lacev.
WTLLl AM H. NORCUTT.
Among the practitioners at the bar of
Fremont ccnmty is William H. Norcutt, of
Sidney, who is now serving as the county
attorney and is well qualified for the im-
portant duties which devolve upon him. He
is numbered among Iowa's native sons, his
birth having occurred in (irinnell, Powe-
shiek county, on the 2d of October, 18C6,
His father, A. H. Xorcutt. was a native of
Massachusetts and a graduate of Vale Col-
lege. He became a successful teacher, fol-
lowing that profession for years, and in the
war of the Rebellion served as a soldier.
His father was also a soldier, in the Illinois
Cray Heard Regiment. He was a native of
Massachusetts, representing one of the old
and honored New England families, of
Scotch lineage, and died at the age of sev-
enty-eight years; and his wife passed away
at the age of ninety-one years, while the
maternal grandfather of our subject reached
the advanced age of ninety-seven, and his
wife was called to her final rest at the age
(»f sixtv-eight. A. H. Norcutt was reared
in the east, but in ante-bellum days they
removed westward to Illinois, and when the
countrv became involved in hostilities over
278
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
the question of secession he joined the
Twelfth Regiment of Ilhnois Volunteers,
loyally defending the Union on the battle-
fields of the south. When the supremacy
of the northern arms was established he
returned to his home in the Prairie state,
and afterward removed to Iowa, settling
near Grinnell. Subsequently he became a
resident of Adams county, Iowa, where he
is now living at the ripe old age of seventy
years. He married Lucy A. Boils, who was
born in Pennsylvania, and they became the
parents of ten children, of whom nine are
yet living, namely : Henry H. ; M. F. ; R.
C: Mrs. Henrietta AVright; William H. ;
S. B. ; Mrs. Lucinda Strain ; D. M. ; Quincy,
who died in childhood ; and Mary, a popular
and successful teacher of Adams county,
Iowa. The father of these children was a
stalwart supporter of the Republican party .
for a number of years, but in 1876 voted
for Peter Cooper and has since been a third-
party man. He and his wife hold member-
ship in the Methodist Episcopal church and
his sterling worth and high moral character
have gained him the regard and confidence
of all those with whom he is associated.
W^illiam H. Norcutt. whose name forms
the caption of this article, spent his youth
upon his father's farm, and at the age of
fifteen began earning his own livelihood by
working as a farm-hand. The public schools
afforded him his educational privileges, and,
being a close student, he acquired knowledge
sufficient to enable him to engage in teach-
ing. He afterward attended the Villisca
high school, under the tutelage of Professor
J. A. jMcLean, now of Tarkio, Missouri.
He became a student of law in the office
and under the direction of the law firm of
Brvant & Brvant, of Griswold. Iowa, and
was admitted to the bar in 1898, since which
time he has practiced in Fremont county.
He possesses a studious nature, — an element
that is ^"ery essential to the successful lawyer,
who, no matter how broad his knowledge
of the principles of jurisprudence, must
study carefully each case, weigh the evidence
and determine upon the points of the lav/
applicable thereto. He has alread}^ gained
a distinctively representative clientage and
is rapidly working his way to the front
among the leading members of the bar of
southwestern Iowa.
In politics he is a stalwart Populist, zeal-
ous in his advocacy of the principles of the
party and often speaking on campaign sub-
jects. He was recommended as the best
man for the nomination as county attorney,
and to that office was elected over L. A.
Hill, a capable lawyer and the incumbent at
the time of tlie election. Mr. Norcutt, how-
ever, received a majority of sixty votes, a
fact which indicates his personal popularity
as well as the confidence reposed in him. He
is discharging the duties of his office in a
most capable manner, showing that the trust
of his fellow townsmen was not misplaced!
Mr. Norcutt is a man of fine physique and
is a rolnist athlete. He has been actively
interested in base and foot-ball, playing in
many teams. His manner is cordial and
genial, Avinning him confidence, and wher-
ever he is known he is held in high esteem,
being a popular resident of the community.
HON. JOHN COOPER.
Hon. John Cooper is a prominent and
influential citizen and well-known early set-
tler of Fremont count3% where for more
than half a century he has made his home,
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
2/9
liaxing located lliore in 1X30. lie was Ixini
Ocl(tI)cr 13. iS_'(), ill Ala>'Ui couiily. slate
ui Kentuek}', and Ijclongs to one of the
old and prominent families of that state.
The ctiunty was noted for its hraxe men,
the nn failing ccjiu'tesy of its citizens, for its
fine horses and its good marksmanship. His
father, Thomas Cooper, was horn in Xew
Jersey and his ancestors were i)rominent in
peace and patriotic in war. J lis parents
were of Eiiii-lish hirth and he was a cousin
of I'eter Cooper, the noted financier, who
was a candidate for president of the United
States on the Greenback ticket in 1876.
When a young man Thomas Cooper went
to Ohio, where he was married to Susan
]\Ii(.ldleton, a native of that state, his par-
ents having emigrated from the Mohawk
valley in Xew York, where his ancestors
had located at an early period in the devel-
opment of that portion of the country. Some
of the representatives of the family served
in the earlv wars of the United States. For
a number of years Thomas Co<jper and his
wife resided in Mason county, Kentucky.
The}- had the following children, four sons
antl four daughters, namely : William, now
deceased ; John, of this review ; Eliza Ann,
who also has passed away; ]\Iary Ann. who
is living in Kansas City, Missouri ; James,
deceased ; Martha, who makes her home in
Virginia; George, who has passed away;
and George.
In 1835 the parents removed with the
family to Clay county, Missouri, taking up
their abode near Kansas City. That sec-
tion of the country was then undeveloped,
and Indians roamed at will over the prairies
and wild beasts and wild game could Ije
shot near the pioneers' cabins. Mr. Cooper
built a log house and upon the farm which
he de\cl(;petl both he and his wife spent
their last days. He was born in 1795 and
died at the age of tifty-cight years, while
his wife, whose birth occurred in 1796, died
at the age of tifty-seven years. Through-
out his business career the father carried
on farming, making that the means for the
support of his family. In politics he was a
Jacksonian Democrat, and in religious be-
lief both he and his wife were Baptists.
John Cooper, whose name introduces
this record, was reared in Kentucky until
fifteen years of age and ac(iuired his educa-:
tion in the public schools. In 1835 he ac-
companied his parents on their removal to
Clay county, Missouri, and amidst the wild
scenes of frontier life was reared to man-
hood, in 1850 he married Miss America
Bruce, who has been to him a faithful com-
panion and helpmeet on the journey of life
for more tlian half a century, sharing with
him in the joys and sorrows, adversity and
prosperity which checkers the life of all. She
was born in Kentucky and was reared in that
state and in Indiana. Her parents were
Singleton and_ Louisa ( Farris) Bruce, na-
tives of Kentucky, whence they removed
to Indiana and subsequently came to Fre-
mont county, Iowa, casting their lot among
the pioneer settlers here. They had six chil-
dren. When :\Ir. Cooper came to this por-
tion of the country it was included within
the boundaries of Holt county, Missouri,
and there he made choice of a location and
began the development of a farm. He has
voted both as a citizen of Missouri and Iowa
and yet has never changed his place of resi-
dence. When he took uj) his abode here
there was a log cabin upon the place, but
otherwise no improvements. He at once
began to break the prairie and to-day he is
280
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the owner of a very valuable farm of two
hundred and twenty acres, constituting one
of the best country seats in Madison town-
ship. His home overlooks the entire Nish-
nabotna valley. It is surrounded by a fine
grove of walnut and elm trees, in the
branches of which the squirrels play, while
bees also have their home in the big trees;
and though they gather the honey he does
not allow the trees to be cut down nor the
squirrels to be shot. The farm is well im-
proved, good out-buildings have been erect-^
ed, the pastures rival the blue-grass region
of Kentucky, the orchard contains fine va--
rieties of fruits, and everything upon the
place is neat and thrifty in appearance, show-
ing that the owner is very systematic in his
work and that his methods are at once prac<
tical and profitable.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cooper have been
born two children : William Bruce, who is
now' living in Hamburg; and Mrs. Hattie
Fletcher, who died, leaving four children,
three of whom are now married and have
children of their own. One of the number,
John Fletcher, with his w'ife resides on the
old Cooper homestead and assists in the
operation and management of the farm.
In former years Mr. Cooper was a strong
advocate of the Greenback party and an ar-
dent admirer of his cousin, Peter Cooper,
who was the originator of that political or-
ganization. He was nominated and elected
to the state legislature in 1873, and took his
seat in the general assembly the following
year, serving there with credit to himself
and satisfaction to his constituents. He is
now a "silver" Democrat and a warm per-
sonal friend and admirer of William Jen-^
nings Bryan. For forty-five years he has
been a Mason in good standing, having
been initiated into the order at Rockport,
Missouri. He now belongs to Riverton
Chapter, R. A. M. Mr. Cooper is six feet
in height and used to weigh two hundred
pounds. He is genial in manner and kindly
in disposition, is very hospitable and the
latch-string of his home always hangs out.
His business integrity is unquestioned and
his word is as good as any bond. He has
been identified with the county from the pio-
neer epoch of its development when he had
to go eighty miles to mill. Long since,
however, good markets have been estab-
lished nearer home, towns and villages have
sprung up and the county has become the
place of habitation for a prosperous and
progressi^•e people.
E. F. COWGER, M. D.
In the subject of this review we have one
who has attained distinction in the line of
his profession and has been an earnest and
discriminating student and holds a position
of due relative precedence among the medi-
cal fraternity of Fremont county. He is the
pioneer representative of his profession in
Riverton, where he arrived on the 17th of
September, 1873. Since that time he has
been actively engaged in the practice of
medicine and now has a large patronage.
The Doctor was born on the 30th of
August, 1843, the year in which occurred the
birth of President McKinley. He is a son
of Rev. James Cowger, who was born in
Highland county, Ohio, a grandson of
George Cowger and a great-grandson of
Gustave Cowger, wdio was of German-Rus-
sian parentage, their ancestors having been
active in the wars of Russia and Germany
I one hundred and fifty years ago. The mo-
BIOGRAPHIC AI. HISTORY
281
tlier of our siiljject l)ore ihc maiden name
(if Susan (iarver, and was a nati\e of Ohio.
Her father. Ach'ian (iar\er. was of Irish
Hneage. James Cowger and his wife Susan
came to tlie territory of Iowa in 1S.15. With
the exception of a few settlements along the
Mississippi the state was almost entirely
uninhabited. There was net a single rail-
way line within its borders or west of the
ri\er. and the wonderful work (jf progress
which has since transformed the county,
and seems almost phenomenal, was then a
labor of the future. The father took up his
abode in \'an Buren county, Iowa, near
Keosauqua, and in addition to the develop-
ment of his farm he engaged in preaching
the gospel in the ministry of the Methodist
Episcopal church, riding the circuit in the
wilds of the Hawkeye state. In 1859-60 he
accepted of a church of this denomination
in Glenwood, Alills county, this state. He
was a \ery sincere and acti\e worker in the
cause of the ministry and tlitl everything in
his power to' secure the advancement of
Christian principles among the people. He
died at the age of tiftv-four vears, and his
wife, who survived him some time, passed
away in Riverton, Iowa, at the age of sixty-
nine, having spent her last days tliere in the
home of her son, the subject of this sketch.
She was a good Christian woman, greatly
beloved for her kindness of heart. Mr. Cow'-
ger had three children, namely: E. F., of
this review; D. L., who is living near Downs,
in ]^Iitchell county, Kansas; and W. A., of
Riverton township, Fremont county, Iowa.
The Doctor was reared in Iowa, acquir-
ing his education in the public schools of thj
state. On the 25th of July, 1862. he offered
his services to the government as a defender
•of tlic Union, enlisting in Company D,
Xineteenth Iowa Infantry, with which he
was connected until hon<n"ibly discharged,
on the 6th of July. 1865. lie served under
General Blunt on the frontier of Missouri
for nine months, and in 1863 participated
in the siege of Vicksburg, after which his
regiment was attached to the Department
of the (iulf and was stationed at Browns-
\ille, Texas, for six months. Dr. Cowgei
was eventually commissioned second lieuten-
ant of the Eighty-first Cnitecl States Col-
ored Infantry and served until November,
1866, with credit and honor. During that
time he was prctmoted to the rank of first
lieutenant.
On leaving the military service of his
country Dr. Cowger returned to Abingdon,
Jefferson county, Iowa, and began the study
of medicine under the direction o-f Dr. R.
J. jVIohr, a prominent and well-known phy-
sician, who had served as a surgeon in the
Tenth Iowa Infantry. Dr. Cowger is also
a graduate of the Keokuk Medical College,
of Keokuk, Iowa, and of the Ens worth
Medical College, of Missouri.
Well
equipped for the practice of his chosen pro-
fession, he came to Riverton in 1873 ^'^^
has since Ijeen classed among the leading
[practitioners in this part of the county. He
has ever l)een a close student and is con-
stantly adding to his professional knowl-
edge by reading, study and careful thought.
On the loth of August, 1865. Dr. C(JW-
ger was itnited in marriage to Miss Susan
Cline, who was born in Fayette, Ohio, a
daughter of James Cline. who resides in
Abingdon, Iowa, at the age of ninety years.
The I3octor has five children: R. J., who i^l
a druggist by profession, but is now living
on a farm in Fremont county; Mrs. Mary E.
Mawhor, of Riverton; Anna L., who is en-
282
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
gaged in clerking in the store owned by
Kidd & Company; Ernest E., who was born
in 1878 and served in the Thirty-ninth Iowa
Infantry during the war with Spain and in
the Philippines until honorably discharged;
and Susie M., at home.
In his political views the Doctor is a
stalwart Democrat and ranks as one of the
leading members of the part}^ in this sec-
tion of the state. He has often delivered
addresses to further the interesf in the
cause and is recognized as a good stump
orator. He served as county coroner, but
has never sought or desired other official
preferment. Socially he is connected with
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Knights of Pythias fraternit}^, the Modern
Woodmen of America, the Grand Armv of
the Republic, and Masonic fraternity. The
success which attends his efforts is but a
natural sequence, for his position soon be-
came assured because he was an able physi-
cian, a man of sterling integrity and one
who devoted himself to his profession and
to the interests and welfare of those to whom
Jie ministered, as indeed he yet does. He is
a physician of great fraternal delicacy, and
no man ever observed more closely the eth-
ics of the unwritten code or showed mor^
careful- courtesy to his brother practitioners
than does Dr. Cowger.
H. C. ROBBINS.
H. C. Robbins, who is classed among
the well-known and energetic farmers of
Mills county, was born in Athens county,
Ohio, on the Qtli of November, 1843, his
parents being Joseph J. and Harriet (Goe)
Robbins. The paternal grandfather of our
subject was one of the heroes of the Revo-
lution and participated in the battle of Lex-r
ington. He was one of the original minute
men who watched for the British at the
opening engagement of the war, and on
many a battle-field displayed his loyalty to
the cause of liberty and fought for the in-
dependence of the nation. Among the an-
cestors of our subject were those who
served in the war of 1812, including Gap-
tain Nathan Robbins. Joseph J. Robbins
was born in Massachusetts in the year
1803, and became a successful business
man, following merchandising for a num-.
ber of years, ^^llen about eighteen or
twenty years of age he removed to Ohio,
becoming one of the pioneer settlers of
that state. He was employed by the month '
for a time and afterward removed to an-
other county in Ohio, where he devoted
his energies to mercantile pursuits. He
was married on the 31st of May, 1828, when
in his twenty-sixth year, to Miss Harriet
Goe, who was a native of Gonnecticut. His
death occurred in Athens county, Ohio,
December 20, 1873, and his wife passed
away in the same county, at the ripe old
age of eighty-nine years. This worthy
couple were the parents of eleven children,
five of whom are yet living.
Mr. Robbins, of this review, was edu-
cated in the village school, and after put-
ting aside his text books he was employed
in his father's store for four years. At
the time of the Givil war he enlisted, in
1862, as a member of Gompany A, Ninety-
second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under
Gaptain Elmer Golden. He was first in
camp at Marietta, Ohio, for a month, and
then went to the front, where he was on
duty every day, receiving an honorable'
discharge at Golumbus, Ohio, at the close
M . /o-o 6^
't-'Z.-t-^
\ TH? ^^'^ ^Cl^^
PUT ^^^^
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
283
of the war. Had he remained at the front
tliree weeks longer he would have been in
the ser\ice an entire three years. lie par-
ticipated in every battle and skirmish with
his company and regiment, and was one of
twenty of a hundred who returned with-
out having been injured in some way.
A }ear prior to the war Mr. Robbins
had come to Iowa. His father had pur- ;
chased some wild land in this state in i860,
and our subject made his way westward
in order to look over the location. He and
his brother Louis journeyed westw^ard with
a wagon and team, and after a year returned
to Ohio. Louis Robbins subsequently be-
came a resident of Nebraska, where his
death afterward occurred. When mustered
out of the army Mr. Robbins returned to
his Ohio home, and three months later
came to Mills county, Iowa, settling on sec-
tion 23, in Indian Creek township. His
first home was thirty-two by sixteen feet,
which was then one of the best houses in
this part of the county. Lie began the de-
velopment of the farm, and chose as a
com])anion and helpmate on life's journey
Miss Mary J. Barrett, their marriage being
consummated^on the 2d of February, 1869.
She was born in Illinois and was a daughter
of Dr. William and Mary (McCoy) Bar-
rett. Her father was a native of England
and on coming to Iowa, in 1854, he took
up a tract of wild land from the government,
continuing its cultivation for some time.
Lie was widely known as a physician, and
as he traveled over the country he would
leave word at each house where his next
visit would be, so that any one in need of
his services would know where to find him.
He wedded Alary ]\IcCoy in September,
1840, and they traveled life's journey to-
17
gether until 1873, when he was called to
his final rest. His wife, who was a native
of the Empire state, died on the 23d of
March. 1899. ^Y the marriage of Air. and
Mrs. Robbins four sons have been born,
namely : William E., who is married and
resides in Gage county, Nebraska; Joseph
J., wIkj is married and has one daughter,
and resides in the same county; Selma C. ;
Ralph E. and Frank A., who are with their
father upon the home farm.
After his marriage Mr. Robbins re-
sided for eleven years upon the old home-
stead, and in 1880 Iniilt his present fine
residence, in which he took up his abode
the following year. This is a very attract-
ive country seai; and his farm is a modern
one, improved with all the accessories and
conveniences found upon the model farm
of the twentieth century. He has always
given his attention to agricultural pursuits
and stock-raising. He was at first the
owner of six hundred and fort}'' acres, but
has added to that property until he now
has eleven hundred and forty acres. He
is also president of the bank at Hastings
and for eleven years was the vice-president.
His life has been one of marked indus-
try, and his unflagging efforts, guided by
sound business judgment, have resulted in
bringing to him the success for which every
man strives. He cast his first vote for the
nominee for governor of Ohio, and his first
presidential vote for x\braham Lincoln in
1864. He has always been a Repul)lican,
imswerving in his advocacy of the princi-
ples of the party. Socially he is connected
with the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, of Hastings, and with the Grand
Army of the Republic. He Ijelongs to the
Presbyterian church, and withholds his
2 84
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
support from no measure or movement cal-
culated to prove of public good or to the
uplifting of his fellow men. The family
is one of prominence in Iowa, its repre-
sentatives being people of sterling worth.
During the thirty-four years of his residence
in Alills county J\lr. Robbins has ever com-
manded the esteem and confidence of those
with whom he has been associated. As a
citizen he is as true and loyal to his duty
as when he enlisted under the stars and
stripes in defense of the Union.
SAMUEL B. HUTCHINGS.
Forty-five years have passed since Sam-
uel B. Hutchings came to Mills county to
cast his lot \\\\\\ its pioneers. People of
the present century can scarcely realize the
struggles and dangers which attended the
early settlers, the heroism and self-sacrifice
of lives passed upon the borders of civiliza-
tion, the hardships endured, the difficulties
overcome. These tales of the early days
read almost like a romance to those who
ha\-e known only the modern prosperity and
conveniences. - To the pioneer of the early
days, far removed from the privileges of
city or town, the struggle for existence was
a stern and hard one, and these men and
Avomen must have possessed indomitable
energies and sterling worth of character, as
well as marked physical courage, when they
thus voluntarily selected such a life and suc-
cessfully fought its battles under such cir-
cumstances as prevailed in the northwest.
As one of the honored pioneers of Mills
county and as a leading and enterprising
citizen, Samuel B. Hutchings certainly dci
serves representation in this volume. At the
present time he is serving as mayor of the
city.
A native of Indiana, he was born in the
year 184^. His father, William Hutchings,
was born in Ohio seventy-eight years ago
and is now a resident of southern Kansas.
The paternal grandfathier of our subject
was Samuel Hutchings, a native of Ohio.
He married Margaret Stout, and they re-
moved to Indiana, Avhere they spent their
remaining days. Their children were \\'\\\~
iam; John, who formerly followed merchan-
dising, but is now deceased; George W., a
resident of Indiana; Jacob J., who is living
in the same state ; Samuel, deceased ; Wil-
son R., also of Indiana; and Frank, a well-
to-do physician in Crawfordsville, that state.
One of the brothers, Wilson R. Hutchings,
was a valiant soldier in the Civil war, serv-
ing with distinction in the effort made to
perpetuate the Union. On one occasion he
was wounded in battle. The father also
attempted to enlist, but on account of phys-
ical disability the government refused his
proffered service.
William Hutchings in early life accom-
panied his parents on their removal to Indi-
ana, and in Delaware county, that state, he
was united in marriage to Miss Xancy Cecil,
also a native of Ohio. In 1855 they came to
Iowa, casting in their lot among the pioneer
settlers of Mills county, where for many
years they resided, taking an active part in
the work of transformation and develop-
ment here. The mother died at the old fam-
ily homestead in Indian Creek township.
In their family were two sons and four
daughters, namely: Samuel B.. of this re-
view; John J., wlio is living with his father
in Cowley county, Kansas ; Mrs. Phebe Gus-
tin, a resident of Pottawattamie county,
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
285
Iowa; Mrs. Esther Martin, of Cowley comi-
ty; Mrs. P»arl)ara Elizabeth Allen, of Harri-
son county. Iowa; and Mrs. X'ancv Rehccca
Campbell, who is HNinj^- in Indian Creek
township. Mills ctnmty.
In taking up the personal history of Sam-
uel B. Hutchings, we present to our readers
the life record of one who is widely known
in Mills county, for he came hither when
only seven years of age. The family located
on a farm in Indian Creek township and
experienced the usual hardships and trials
which fall to the lot of early settlers. In
those days it was no unusual sight to see
deer and elk drinking at the streams almost
as commonly as the cattle do at the present
date. The greater part of the land was still
in possession of the government and the
work of improvement seemed scarcely be-
gun ; but the labors of the pioneers laid broad
and deep the foundation for the present pros-
perity and made possible the establishment
of a commonwealth which is certainly a
credit to the nation. By earnest effort and
close application to the few school-books
which he could obtain, Mr. Hutchings ac-
quired a good education. For a few terms
he was a student in the subscription school,
his first teacher being Mrs. J. U. Cox. The
school-house was built of logs, with an im-
mense fire-place in one end of the building,
while a heavy slab board placed on pins
driven slantingly into the wall scr\cd the
pupils as a writing desk. The other fur-
nishings were primitive, the school-books
few ; l)ut therein Mr. Hutchings gained a
knowledge of the branches of learning that
fitted him for life's practical duties and. as
the years have passed, reading, experience
and observation have added to his stock of
useful knowledge until he is now a well in-
formed man. Throughout his active busi-
ness career he has been engaged in farming,
but about {\\Q years ago he removed to Hast-
ings, where he has a beautiful cottage home
and is now living in honorable retircu'ent.
In 1867 Mr. Hutchings was united in
marriage to Miss Emma A. Cary, the mar-
riage being performed by the Rev. Isaac
Kelly. The lady is a daughter of Abel Cary,
who was born in Ohio, thence removed to
Indiana and afterward came to Iowa. His
father was Ephraim Cary and the paternal
, grandmother bore the name of Abigail Wat-
I son. The year 1852 witnessed the arrival of
Mr. Cary in Mills county, where he died in
October, 1900. at the advanced age of sev-
enty-nine years. He wedded Elizabeth
Stansberry, who died in Mills county, in
1863. Her father was Jesse Stansberry.
Farming has been the usual occupation of the
Cary family. Mr. Hutchings had the fol-
lowing children: Ira I\.. who is married and
lives in Mills county; Mrs. Ida Traplett. a
resident of Montgomery county. Iowa ; Mrs.
X'ora Cary. of Mills county; (-)ra. who was a
student at the Western Normal College at
Shenandoah, Iowa, and also pursued a short-
hand and commercial coirrse in the Omaha
Commercial College, and is now employed in
an important commercial position in Omaha;
Luella, who is at home; Elizabeth, who was
a student in the Western Commercial Col-
lege at Shenandoah and is now teaching
school in Henderson. Mills county; and
I Charles Oscar, who also is with his parents.
In his political affiliations Mr. Hutchings
is a Democrat, having supported the men
and measures of the party since casting his
1 first vote for Horatio Seymour for president
of the United States in 1868. On that ticket
he was nominated and elected to the office of
286
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
mayor of Hastings, and is now a capable
and efficient officer, discharging the duties
of the position in a most prompt and btisi-
ness-hke manner. He is also a justice of the
peace. Socially he is connected with the
]\Iodern A\'oodmen of the World, and his
wife holds membership in the Methodist
church. They are people of the highest re-
spectability and of sterling worth and enjoy
the warm regard of all who know them.
Mr. Hutchings is a self-made man, with-
out any extraordinary family or peculiar ad-
vantages at the commencement of life, has
battled earnestly and energetically, and by
indomitable courage and integrity has
achieved both character and fortune. By
sheer force of will and untiring effort he has
worked his way upward, and to-day he is
not only numbered among the substantial
citizens of his adopted county, but is also
classed among- the honored residents who
have borne an important part in the work of
progress and development.
ARNOLD JOLLY, M. D.
Since 1894 Doctor Jolly has been en-
gaged in the practice of medicine and sur-
gery in Hamburg and has gained a foremost
position as a representative of his chosen pro-
fession. He was born in Birmingham, Ala-
bama, July 25. 1861, and is a member of one
'of the old and prominent families of the
south. The Jollys were originally from Vir-
ginia and were of Scotch and French lineage.
Permeated with a spirit of patriotism and
loyalty, members of the family aided the
country in its important wars, the great-
grandfatlier of our subject serving in the
Revolution, while the grandfather aided his
country in the v/ar of 181 2. They were
alike prominent in days of peace, actively
connected with important events which went
to form the early history of the Old Do-
minion.
Colonel J. J. Jolly, the father of our sub-
ject, was a distinguished statesman and a
gallant officer in the Civil war. When the
trouble between the north and the south cul-
minated in hostilities he joined the Forty-
third Alabama Lifantry and loyally sup-
ported the cause which he believed to be just
and right. He afterward became a well-
known figure in political circles and in 1881
received the nomination for governor of
Alabama. He was elected by the vote of the
people, but before the time came for him to
take the oath of office he was called to his
final rest, passing away at the age of forty-
six years. He was well fitted for leader-'
ship, being a man of strong mentality, of
sterling worth, broad-minded and public-
spirited, and his deep and sincere interest in
the welfare and progress of his state was
manifest in his loyal devotion to every cause
which he believed would prove of general
good. His widow bore the maiden name
of Sue W. Richardson and was a member of
a prominent southern family. Her brother.
Major James D. Richardson, was an eminent
and well-known statesman of Tennessee.
Unto Governor Jolly and his wife were born
the following named children : Arnold,
whose name introduces this record; McKee
G. Jolly, a manufacturer of Birmingham,
Alabama ; James R., a minister of the Gospel ;
Mrs. Van Hook, of Richmond, Virginia;
Sue R. ; Juliet, the wife of S. Perry, a whole-
sale tobacco merchant; and Jaccjueline, who
is residing in Atlanta, Georgia.
Reared amid the refining influences of a
cultured home, Dr. Jolly also received ex-
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
287
ceptionally gorxl educational privilcg'cs, piir-
suiiig- his studies in the University of Ala-
bama and in Tuscaloosa College. lie read
medicine under the direction of Dr. Kd II.
Slioll, a prominent and well-known physician
of Alabama, and after completing his prep-
aration for the calling which he makes his life
work he engaged in practice in Birmingham.
Soon he won prominence antl his skill and
ability secured him an appointment to the po-
sition of chief of the largest hospital in ths
state, its location being in his nati\'e city.
He acted in that capacity from 1887 until
1894, and at the same time was the sur-
geon for three different mining companies,
two street railway companies and two rail-
road companies. He remained in practice
in Alabama until 1894 when, on account of
ill health, he sought a change of climate and
established his home in Hamburg, iowa. It
Avas not long before he gained a large and
distinctively representative patronage. In
the line of his profession he has long since
left the ranks of the many to stand among
the successful few, for, added to his com-
prehensive knowledge of the science of medi-
cine is an abiding sympathy without which
success is never attained in the line of medi-
cal ])ractice.
Dr. Jolly was married in February, 1887,
in Marengo countw Alaljama, to Miss Eu-
phradia Johnston, a lady of culture and re-
finement, whose family is one of distinction
in the south. Her father, (jcneral George D.
Johnston, was a gallant officer in the Civil
war. representing his district in I lie state sen-
ate of Alabama, and was also in the civil
service. The Doctor and his wife now ha\e
an interesting little son. .Vrnold li.. who is
ten years of age. Dr. Jolly is a valued re[)-
resentive of the Knights of Pylhias frater-
nity, c'md belongs to both the subordinate
lodge and encampment of the Independent
' Order of Odd Fellows. He is the surgeon
for the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy and
the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs
Railroad Companies. His manner is courtly,
genial and kindly and his home partakes ol
the old-time southern hospitality. A man
I (.)f broad general culture and unfailing cour-
tesy, his companionshij) is much to l)e de-
sired and the circle of his friends is very ex-
tensive.
WTLLIAM W. VAXSAXT.
William W. Wansant, wIkj f<jllows farm-
ing and stock-raising in Fremont county,
is numbered among the worthy citizens thai
Ohio has furnished to the Hawkeye state.
His birth occurred in Hamilton county,
Ohio, November 30. 1847, l^'s parents being
William and Barbara A. (Stur) X'ansant.
The mother was born in Peniisylvania, and
the father probably in Xew York or Xew
Jersey, their marriage being celebrated in
Hamilton county. Ohio, where the father
followed the trade of stone and brick mason.
He was also a local preacher and devoted
much of his life to the work of the church.
In 1848 he removed to Burlington, Iowa,
making the journey by team, and from that
citv be went to Pontoosuc and to Dallas
City, both in Hancock county, Illinois. In
the last-named place he purchased a hotel,
which he conducted until tluring the spotted
fever epidemic, when he was tajjcen with the
disease and died, his remains being interred
at that place. He was a Royal .\rch Mason
in good standing and enjoyed the high re-
; gard of his brethren of the fraternity. His
widow afterward became the wife of G. C.
288
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Shull, and with their family they removed
to Mercer county, IlHnois. where ]Mr. Shull
engaged in farming, becoming one of the
extensive agriculturists and prominent stock
men of that part of the state. After many
years he sold his property and removed to
Kansas, where he again devoted his energies
to agricultural pursuits and to stock-raising.
Success attended his labors and he was thus
enabled to surround his family with all the
comforts that go to make life worth the liv-
ing. Both he and his wife died in the Sun-
flower state. There were two children of
the second marriage, Charles and Barton
Shull, while the children of the first mar-
riage ^\•ere as folows : Eveline, now the
wife of L. Herron; Garrett, a veteran of the
Civil war, who was for seven months in
Andersonville prison, after which he was re-
leased after the close of hostilities, but died
on his way home from the effects of the ill
treatment he received in the southern prison ;
William W., of this review; John, who died
in early manhood; and Mary J., now the
wife of James Price, of Kansas. Her first
husband was John Jerdoe. During the fa-
ther's lifetime he and his wife held member-
ship in the United Brethren church, but sub-
sequently to his death she became a member
of the Methodist church.
William W. Vansant was only about
six years of age at the time of his father's
death. About a year later his mother mar-
ried again and she and her husband made
arrangements to bind him out to an English-
man who followed farmino;. Not likine the
man or the idea of being a bound boy, he
therefore left home without telling the fam-
ily of his intention, and since that time he
has depended entirely upon his own resources
for a living. His educational privileges
were necessarily very limited. For a few
years he had a very hard time to get along
in the world, but his determined spirit en-
abled him to improve his condition ; and as
the architect of his own fortune he has
builded wisely and well. He has every rea-
son to be proud of the prominent position
which he holds among the leading citizens
of his adopted county. He followed farm
Work and was in the service of both good
and bad employers. For a number of years
he met many hardships and difficulties, but
at length was fortunate in getting a posi-
tion in the employ of Mr. Streator, an ex-
tensive farmer and cattle king of Mercer
county, Illinois, whose favor he won. Sub-
sequently he was afterward entrusted with
buying stock, showing keen discrimination
and judgment.
He was thus engaged until 1863 when he
enlisted in the one-hundred-day service in
the war of the Rebellion, as a member of
the One Hundred and Fortieth Illinois In-
fantry, with which he served for six months,^
when he received an honorable discharge.
Again enlisting, Mr. Vansant became a
member of the One Hundred and Second
Illinois Infantry, which w'as assigned to duty
in the Army of the Tennessee, and thus he
served under General Sherman, ^^^^ile with
the first regiment he met the Re1)el troops
under General Forrest. Although he was
in a number of hotly contested battles he had
no bones broken, sustaining only slight in^
juries. However, he met with internal in-
juries which troubled him for some time.
When Lee surrendered he was at Golds-
boro, North Carolina, and was at Raleigh at
the time of Johnston's surrender, after which
the command marched to Washinsfton. D. C,
and participated in the grand review in that
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
289
city. He aiierward vclcranized in the Six-
teenth Illinois Veteran Re^e^iment and was
sent to Louisville, Kentucky. On ai>ain be-
ing" mustered out he was sent to Springfield,
Illinois, where he received a second honora-
ble discharge and was paid for his services.
Returning to Mercer county, Mr. \^an-
sant again entered the employ of Mr. Streat-
or. with whom he remained for one year
and the following \ear he began teaming on
him own account, also buying and liandling
stock. In 1867 he chose as a companion
and helpmate on life's journey Miss Eliza
!\IcMullen. who was born in Mercer county,
Illinois, January 21, 1856. a daughter of
Horace and Eli/:abeth (Norman) McMul-
len, the former a native of Xew York and
the latter of Illinois. The father was a farm-
er and stock dealer and died in Illinois. The
mother held membersliip in the Methodist
church. There were l)Ut two children in the
McMullen family: George, who died in in-
fancy; and Eliza, now Mrs. Vansant.
After his marriage Air. Vansant pur-
chased a small farm in Mercer county, Illi-
nois, and there l)egan the real struggle of
life. He worked earnestly in order to pro-
\'u\q a good home iov his family. Not
afraid of labor, his unflagging industry and
perseverance have enaljled him to advance
steadily ujjward to the plane of aflluence.
His well cultivated fields brought to him
good crops, and as his financial resources in-
creased he made judicious investments in
property, l)uying and selling a number of
farms, each time becoming: the owner of one
larger than the one he had previously owned.
He continued to make his home in Illinois
until 1877, when he sold his Illinois home
and came to Iowa, here buying two hundred
and forty acres of wild prairie land in Fre-
mont county. Upon the property he has
since been located. A small house was the
only improvement on the place, but he at once
began to clear and cultivate the land and add
(jther improvements. The farm was soon
self-supporting, and not only has he given
his attention to the cultivation of the cereals
best arlapted to this climate but is an exten-
sive and successful dealer and shipper of cat-
tle and hogs. His farm is in every way de-
sirable, being equipped with all modern ac-
cessories, C(jnveniences and improvements.
His landed possessions now aggregate about
eighteen hundred acres, which are oi">erated
by him and his sons. He has some thorough-
bred stock of all kinds and is the owner ot
some of the finest bred horses in the western
countr}-. Improvemeiit and prog-ress have
formed the keynote of his labors. He is im-
proving seed Corn and is shipping his seed
to all parts of the corn belt. He is (|uick to
adopt all new methods of practical value
and at the same time has introduced many
improved lines of farm work which have fa-
cilitated his own labors and have been adopt-
ed with benefit by his fr'ieiids and neighbors.
He still retains possession of the first home
which he seciu^ed in the county anrl now has
a commodious and attractive residence there,
while in the rear are a large barn and ex-
tensive outbuildings, wind-mills, good farm
machinery an(,I everything fecund upon a
model country seat of the twentieth centiu'y.
An orchard is numbered among the improve-
ments of the place and the home is surnnmd-
ed bv a beautiful grove of ornamental and
forest trees. The place is located eight
miles west of Shenandoah and four miles
north of Farragut.
Mr. and Mrs. X'ansant have reared four-
teen children : I lorace \\'., a farmer resid-
290
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ing in Monroe township, Fremont county ;
Garrett and Henry, who are also agricult-
urists of the same county; Minnie, the wife
ot Grant Stickler; Hattie, now the wife of
J. Cowger; Arthur, a farmer of Fremont
county; Lizzie, the wife of C. Kidcl; Burt,
a farmer; Barbara and John, who are at
home; Le Roy, who died January 26, 1900,
at the age of fourteen years; and Grant,
Harr}^ and Myrtle, who are still with
their parents. Mr. and J\Irs. Vansant hold
membership in the Christian church, con-
tribute liberally to its support and take
a very active interest in its work. He
belongs to the Odd Fellows order, in the
local lodge of which he has filled all the
chairs, and is also a member of Farragut
Post, G. A. R. On questions of state and
national importance he is a Democrat, but ar
local elections, where no issue is involved,
he supports the men \Vhom he believes wall
conduct a business-like administration. His
has been an eventful life of varie I experi-
ence, and from the hand of an adver.'^e fate
he has wrested a handsome fortune. His ca-
reer excites the admiration of all, for few
men situated so unfavorably have advanced
to so prominent a position in financial circles.
A\'ithout educational advantages or the as-
sistance of friends, and in spite of obstacles
and difficulties, his laborious efi:'orts have
enabled him to reach the goal of prosperity,
and in Fremont county he is numbered
among the most honored and esteemed as
well as wealthv citizens.
FRANK ROBBIXS.
A country can Iia\-e but one chief ruler,
be he king, emperor or president; com-
paratively few men can attain to the high-
est offices in civil or military life; but com-
merce, agriculture and the industrial walks
of life offer a broad and almost limitless
field in which one may exercise his powers
unrestrained and gain prominence as a rep-
resentative of the calling which he makes
his life work. Drawing the lessons which
we do from the life of Mr. Robbins, we
learn that the qualifications necessary for
success are a high ambition and a resolute,
honorable purpose to reach the exalted
standard that has been set up. From the
age of seventeen the gentleman whose name
begins this re^'iew has depended upon his
own resources.
He was born in Athens countv, Ohio,
October 6, 1854, and is descended from
good old Revolutionary stock. His pater-
nal grandfather was one of the minute men
who watched for the coming of the British
at Lexington. He participated in the first
engagement of the war that brought inde-
pendence to the nation and on many occa-
sions loyally fought for the cause of lib-
erty. The family was also represented in .
the war of 181 2 by Captain Nathan Rob-
bins. The father of our subject was Jo-
seph J. Robbins, a native of Massachusetts,
born in the year 1803. When about eight-
een or twenty years of age he cast his lot
with the pioneers of Ohio and was em-
ployed by the month for a time, but after-
ward successfully engaged in merchandis-
ing in -\thens county, that state. He was
married on the 31st of ]\Iay, 1828, to Miss
Harriet Coe, who was born in Connecticut
and died in Athens county, Ohio, after
passing the eighty-ninth milestone on life's
journey. The father of our subject also
died in the same county, on the 20th of
December, 1873. and is survived by five
of his eleven children.
(&f^^^/{
^)<y\^<3
AMJAAJ O
vin/?jj, ,
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
291
Among the nunil;cr is l-rank Kohbins,
Avhii inirsucd liis education in the schools
of Athens county, Ohio. At the age of
seventeen he entered upon an independent
business career, being- cniijloyed as a sales-
man in a dry-goods sU)ve fnr snme time.
On attaining his majority he came to Mills
county, iowa, and has since l)ccn identified
with its agricultural and stock-raising in-
terests. He secured six hundred acres of
land anil has developed therefrom a splen-
did farm. All of the buildings upon the
place stand as monuments to his thrift and
enterprise. His first home was a little
frame building, sixteen by twenty- four feet,
and in that he resided until al)out 1893,
when he erected his present fme residence,
and completed his arrangements for a home
bv his marriage to ]\Iiss Minnie Brower.
The wedding ceremony was performed on
the 1st of March, 1894. The lady was
born in ]\Iadison county, Iowa, and is a
daughter of William P. and Wealthy
(Terry) Brower. Her paternal grandfa-
ther was Abraham Brower, of Pennsylvai
nia. Her father was l;orn in St. Joseph
county. ^Michigan, and when nine years of
age came to Iowa with an uncle, livnig first
in ^Madison county. In 1856 he came to
]\Iills county, where he still makes his home,
being located a few miles north of Mal-
vern. His wife also survives. Mr. and
]\Irs. Robbins became the parents of five
children, of whom three are now living:
Gladys J., a lovely little daughter of two
summers, who was born on the farm where
they now live on the ist of July, 1898, and
Clifford H. and Clinton C. (twins), born
December 11, 1900.
Since coming to Iowa 'Wv. Robbins has
largely carried un the stock bu>iness, and
as the years have passed and his financial
resources ha\e increased he has made judi-
cious investments in property until his land-
ed possessions now aggregate thirteen hun-.
dred acres, two miles east of Malvern.
This is probably one of the finest valley
farms in southwestern Iowa. Well-tilled
fields, verdant meadows, rich pasture lands,
fine modern Iniildings and good stock are
the prominent features of the place, and
everything upon the farm indicates the su-
pervision of the progressive and wide-
awake owner. He also has a ranch of five
thousand acres in Phillips county, Kansas,
which is largely stacked with cattle, which
he brings to his Mills county farm and
here fattens for the market. His stock finds
a ready sale in the city, for he raises good
grades and always has the cattle in excel-*
lent condition for sale.
In his political views Mr. Robbins has
been a stalwart Republican since casting his
first presidential vote for Rutherford B.
Hayes, and his wife is a member of the
Presbyterian church. Endowed by nature
with a strong character, Mr. Robbins has
developed and strengthened his latent pow-
ers and has become a successful business
man, occupying a \ery enviable position
among the representatixe stockmen in hia
portion of the state. His name is synony-
mous with integrity in commercial trans-
actions and his record should serve to en-
courage those to whom fate has not vouch-
safed a fortune, and who must depend upon
their own efforts for advancement in life.
leaxdp:r stiles.
An honored retirement, which should
e\er follow a long and useful business career,
has been vouc'hsafed to Leander Stiles,whose
292
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
earnest efforts in the active affairs of life
brought to him the handsome competence
which now enables him to live in quiet, en-
joying the fruits of former toil. He was
born upon his father's farm in Athens coun-
ty, Ohio, March lo, 1833, his parents be^
ing George and Mary J. (Little) Stiles, both
of whom were natives of New Jersey, in
which state they were married. In 1829 the>
emigrated westward, taking up their abode
in Ohio, where the father entered land from
the government and improved a farm. He
lived a quiet, unassuming and honest life
and died in 1839. Both he and his wife were
worthy members of the Christian church and
he served as a deacon therein. His integrity
was above question and he won th'at good
name which is rather to be chosen than great
riches. In politics he was a Democrat, but
ne\er aspired to public office. His wife sur-
vived him for about a year and passed away
in 1840. They were the parents of seven
children, namely: Sarah, now the wife of
T. J. Dunfey; Mary A., now Mrs. Mc-
Laughlin; IMunyon, now deceased; Smith,
who entered the army and \tent to the ]\'Iexi-
can war, but never returned ; E. G., who died
in Iowa, leaving a wife and two sons ; Han-
nah, the wife of G. Cooper; and Leander,
of this review.
Mr. Stiles of this record was only six
years of age when his parents died, and he
therefore knew nothing of the parental in-
dulgence and kindness which most children
enjoy. He is truly a self-made man, for
when left an orphan he was bound out to a
farmer, with whom he remained until twen-
ty years of age, receiving no compensation
for his services. He acquired a limited ed-
ucation in the common schools, but his priv-
ileges were very meagre. Although he had
no capital when he started out in life for
himself, it was with a light heart that he
left the farmer by whom he had been reared,
for he knew that ever after his labors would
bring him in a financial return. Therefore
with a pair of strong hands and a resolute
will as capital he entered upon the struggle
for a livelihood, with all to make and noth-
ing to lose. His first work wa^s as a farm
hand. He was employed for two weeks
and received three and a half dollars. \\'\\\\
that small amount he started for Illinois,
making the journey by steamboat. He paid
his passage by aiding in unloading the boat,
and when he arrived at Peoria, Illinois, he
had more money than he possessed when he
started upon the trip. Making his way to
Henry county, he there attended school
through one winter and was employed as a
farm hand throughout the remainder of the
year. He continued to work in that way
until the 5th of October, 1861, when he was
married to Miss j\Iary Whan, who was born
in Mercer county, Illinois, in September,
1 841, a daughter of Samuel and Agnes (Gor-
man) Whan, both of whom were natives of
Ireland, whence they came to America, locat-
ing first in Pennsylvania. Subsequentl}' they
removed to Illinois and both died in ]\Ier-
cer county, where her father was known as
an extensive and prominent farmer, his
stead}' habits and unflagging industry bring-
ing to him success. Both he and his wife
held membership in the Presbyterian church.
Unto them were born the following named
children : George, now decea.sed ; Robert,
who died in the Cnion army during the Civil
war; Frank, who also died in the military
service of his country; Mrs. Stiles; Samuel,
who died in Kansas; Winslow P., Alonzo
and Lorena, all of whom are deceased;
BIOGRAI'IIICAL HISTORY
!93
and Otis, wlm is lixing on the old liome-
sten,d.
At llie time of his marriage Mr. Stiles
had saved money enough to purchase a team,
and with this to do his farm work lie rcnte<l
a i)lace for two years. With the capital he
liad then acquired he purchased a small tract
of land, to which he afterward added, con-
ducting" the farm until i8Si. when he came
to Fremont county, Iowa, and jjurchased
three hundred and twenty acres of partially
improved land. 1 le then carried on general
farming and stock raising, feeding cattle
and hogs. Prosperity attended his efforts
and he became one of the substantial citi-
zens of the community, operating his land
continuously and successfully until 1895,
when he purchased seven and a half acres ad-
joining the corporation limits of Randolph.
Thereon he erected a commodious, two-story
frame residence, a good barn and outbuild-
ings and planted an orchard, otherwise im-
proving the place. He is now living retired
from acti\-e farm work, his place being ojjer-
ated by his sons. They work under his su-
pervisicMi, but he is relieved of all the more
arduous duties that form the lot of the ag-
riculturist.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Stiles has
been blessed with se\en children: Alonzo,
a mechanic; lulgar, who was formerly a
druggist in Randolph but has sold his store;
Harvey, a farmer of Nebraska ; Scott and
Ralph, who are operating the old homestead ;
Lillie and Daisy, who are attending school.
The ])arents hold membership in the Method-
ist church, and of the Alasonic fraternity
Mr. Stiles is a member, acting as treasurer
of the organization in Randolph. His life,
faithful to every duty and true to every
manly principle, commands for him tlie con^
fidence of all with whom he has been as-
sociated. In i)olitics he is a Democrat, and
in Illinois he filled a number of offices of
public trust. He has never sought office in
this county, but has been cliairman of the
DeuKJcratic county central committee and
commiteeman of his township. He is recog-
nized as one of the leaders of his party and
his wise coimsel has proven an effective
agent in promoting the growth and success
of Democracy here. Tlie career of Mr.
Stiles is one of which he has every reason to
be proud. Deprived of almost all the ad-
vantages and privileges which boys enjoy
in youth, he started upon his business career
without a single dollar, and all that he has
acquired has come to him through his earnest
effort. His home and possessions are a
monument to his perseverance, his labor and
his diligence.
WILLIAM II. MATTHEWS.
Among the honored pio;";eer settlers of
Fremont county is William H. Matthews,
who has passed the psalmist's span of three-
score years and ten and receives the venera-
tion and respect which should ever be ac-
corded those who in the evening of life can
look back over a well-spent past. He wai>
born in Ross county. Ohio. December 7,
1825. his parents being Andrew and Mary
(]\lurray) Matthews, both of whom were
natives of Pennsylvania, but their marriage
was celebrated in Ohio. David Matthews,
the grandfather, was Ixirn on the green isle
of Erin, and after his marriage he emigrated
from L^eland to the new world, locating in
Pennsylvania at an early day. There he
spent a number of years and subset piently
became one of the pioneer settlers of Ohio.
294
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
He lived among the Indians, who were then
numerous in that state, and in Ross county
he entered from the government a tract of
wild land, which he afterward transformed
into a fine farm, becoming one of the pros-
perous agriculturists and prominent citizens
of the community. He w'as a stone mason
by trade and followed that pursuit in early
life, but afterward gave his attention to the
tilling of the soil. His labors were crowned
with a high degree of success and he aided
Jiis children to gain homes for themselves.
He was a meml^er of the Covenanter church
and died in that faith in Ross county. His
children were John, Thomas, Andrew,
David and Mrs. Peggy Devoss.
Andrew Matthews, the father of our sub-
ject, was reared to manhood in Ross county,
Ohio, and there spent the greater part of his
life, continuing to make it the place of his
abode until called to his final rest, in 1864.
He, too, w^as a stone-mason by trade, but
during the greater part of his active busi-
ness career carried on farming, and his last
days were spent in retirement from business
at the old homestead. He first gave his po-
litical support to the Whig party and on its
dissolution he joined the ranks of the new
Republican party. He filled several town",
ship offices but never aspired to political pre-
ferment, continuing to devote his attention
to the quiet and honorable work of the. farm.
In business transactions his name was a
synonym for integrity and fair dealing, and
among the consistent and faithful members
of the Presbyterian church near their home
he and his wife were numbered. She sur-
vived him some time, and passing away on
the old homestead in 1875. Her father was
a native of Germany, and on emigrating to
the new world located in Pennsylvania,
where he followed farming. His children
were John, Ritchey, Robert, William, Mrs.
Mary Matthews and Mrs. Jane Roane. The
parents of these children were also Presby-
terians in religious faith. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Matthews were born six children : Isa-
bel, now the wife of J. Robbins ; David, de-
ceased; William H., of this review; Robert,
who is living in Ohio; Mrs. Margaret j.
Prizer; and James I., deceased, who was a
school-teacher and a noted musician.
William H. Matthews was reared and
married in Ross county, Ohio, the latter im-
portant event in his life occurring in Septem-
ber, 1844. The lady of his choice was Miss
Louisa Taylor, who was born in Ross coun-
ty, January 13, 1822, a daughter of David
and Abigail (McClure) Taylor, the former
a native of Kentucky, while the latter was
born in Pennsylvania. Her grandfather
Taylor w'as one of the early settlers of Ken-
tucky and was of Scotch descent. He be-
came a well known and prominent residenr
of the blue grass state, where he followed
farming and was widely known for his sterl-
ing integrity and trustworthiness. David
Taylor was a leading and influential agricult-
urist of Ross county, Ohio. At length he
sold his country homestead and removed to
Chillicothe, Ohio, where he spent his last
days in retirement from labor, his death oc-
curring in 1857, while his wife died in 1852.
They were loyal members of the Presbyte-
rain church. Their children were : Lucinda,
the wife of W. McClellan; Margaret, the
wife of R. Pearson; Mary A., the wife of T.
Taylor; Jane, the wife of E. Taylor; Eliza-
beth, who remained single; Morrison, who
died at the age of twenty-five years; Abigail,
the wife of W. Cool; Sarah, who died at
the age of seventeen years; Louisa, the wife
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
!95
of Air. Alalihews; David, a physician, who
died in llhnois; W. J., who died from
wounds received in the war of the RebeHion,
and left a wife and li\e children; and J(jhn
]M., who also served in the Union army divr-
ing the Civil war.
After their marriage jNIr. and Mrs.
]\Iatlhews located upon his father's farm,
and there, in connection with the develop-
ment and improvement of his fields, he fol-
lowed carpentering. Subsequently they
lived for a few years elsewhere, but after-
ward returned to the old homestead, and
J\lr. Matthew^s erected a home on a plat of
ground given him by his father, there re-
maining until 1 864, when he traded his home
for one hundred and sixty acres of land in
Fremont county. This quarter-section has
since been his place of residence. When
he took possession seventy acres had been
broken and a small cabin built, while a fence
had also been constructed around the tract.
It was in the fall of 1864 that Mr. and Mrs.
Matthews came to low^a, and through the
thirty-seven years which have since come
and gone he has been a well known repre-
sentative of the farming and stock-raising
interests of this portion of the state. His
place is now very valuable, for the fields
have been highly cultivated and excellent
modern improvements have been added.
Mr. ^Matthews lias also purchased another
improved farm which he rents. Since com-
ing to the county he has also worked at
his trade to some extent, taking contracts
for the erection of various bnildine-s, includ-
ing school-houses and residences.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Matthews
has been blessed with eight children : David,
who, w'hen only eighteen years of age, en-
listed in the Eighty-first Towa Kegiment
and died at Chattanooga; Frank, a farmer
of Walnut township; Mary A., who became
the wife of W. \'ancuren and after his death
married John Porter; Abigail, who died in
childhood; Isa D. 1j., now the wife of L.
Gammon; Sophia J-, n<jw the wife of Will-
iam Strunk ; William A., a farmer; and
Margaret, the wife i)\ J. j. McMullen. In hi.i
political views Mr. Matthews is a stalwart
Republican, unswerving in his advocacy of
the principles of the party, for whose inter-
ests he has labored untiringly in many ways.
He has served as justice of the peace and in
other township offices. During the Rebel-
lion he was a strong advocate of the ad-
ministration and participated in the chase
after Morgan, when the latter made his fa-
mous raid through Indiana and Ohio. Of
the jNIethodist Episcopal church he is an
earnest and faithful member and formerly
took a very active part in church and 3i-in-
day-school work, serving as an exhorter and
class-leader. Fie and his wife have now
traveled life's journey together for more
than fifty-six years. They are well preserved
people and now in the evening of their
days can enjoy the fruits of a successful
career. Through the years of their resi-
dence in Iowa they have won the unquali-
fied regard and confidence of those with
whom they have been associated, for their
lives have ever been in harmony with up-
right principles.
DAVID M. STORY.
David Miron Story, who is engaged in
general farming near Sidney, Iowa,has from
pioneer days been identified with the settle-
ment, grow'th and development of Fremont
county. FTe came here at an early period in
29^^
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
its history and as the 3''ears have passed has
borne his part in the work of pubhc prog-
ress and improvement. He was born in
New York, January 21, 1831, and his par-
ents, Da\'id and Ahiiira (Fairbanks) Story,
were also natives of the Empire state and
were descended from old English families
that were founded in New England in co-
lonial days. Among the ancestors w^ere sev-
eral who participated in the war of the Rev-
olution, including four men of the Fairbanks
family.
David Story, the father of our subject,
was reared on a farm in the Empire state
and learned the hatter's trade, which he fol-
lowed for a number of years in order to pro-
vide for himself and family. He was for
some time a resident of Genesee county,
New York, where he died in 1835. He was
a conservative and worthy member of the
Methodist church. He had two sons, D. M.,
of this review, and L. D. F. Story. The
latter came to Fremont county in 1856, and,
braving the hardships of pioneer life, he pur-
chased land and improved a farm, making
his home in this locality throughout his re-
maining days. He died February 26, 1884,
leaving seven children. After the death of
her first husband Mrs. Story became the
wife of J. W. Stephens, a native of Vermont,
who removed to New York, where he mar-
ried Mrs. Story. With his wife and her
family he soon afterv/ard remo\-ed to Wa-
bash county, Indiana, where he entered land
from the government and improved a farm,
which was situated near the present site of
the town of Manchester. The village was
not founded, however, at that time, but was
subsecju'ently platted and the town was there
developed. The family remained upon the
farm for many years and the mother died
there in 1850. In 1856 Mr. Stephens sold
the homestead and removed to Fremont
county, where he purchased a tract of wild
land, spending his remaining days thereon,
his death occurring in 1863. He lived an
honest, upright and useful life and never
aspired to public office, although he served
for a number of years as justice of the peace
while living in Indiana. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
, Stephens were born five children: Joseph, a
prominent farmer and ex-treasurer of Fre-
mont county; Jacob H., a farmer and also
an expert in the line of bee culture, who
became a lecturer on phrenology, in which
science he was well versed, died at the old
homestead, leaving five children ; Margaret
R., wdio resides in Kansas, and is the widow
of C. Beauchamp, who died in 1863, while
serving 'liis country in the Union army,
and left two children; Martha, the wife of
F. Coffin, a minister of the Quaker church,
residing in Kansas ; and Lucy, the wife of
E. Richards, and living in Fremont county.
The parents were worthy Christian people,
holding membership in the United Brethren
church.
D. M. Story was only four years of age
at the time of his father's death. He ac-
companied his mother and stepfather on
their removal to Indiana and assisted in the
cultivation of the home farm until seventeen
years of age, when he entered upon an' ap-
prenticeship to the cabinet-maker's and car-
penter's trades. When his term had expired
he served as a journeyman for a while, after
which he turned his attention to merchandis-
ing in Ma'nchester, Indiana, where he con-
tinued in business until 1857, when he dis-
posed of his stock of goods and came to
Fremont county, Iowa. Soon afterward he
purchased a tract of wild land in Sidney
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
297
t<)\\nshi[) and iinprtiNcd ;i farm, upun wliich
his famil\- rcnaiiied for iw i.'nt\-t\\() years
Durini4' that time he earried mi merehaiKhs-
iiig' in Ri\-erl(in and hiter in Sichiey, being
a representrilix e of ennimereial interests in
this eounty for sex'enteen vears. 1 le w as rdso
extensively engaj^ed in tra(Hng and i)nr-
chased se\'eral tracts of unim])ro\ed land,
Avhich he im])ro\ed and afterward snld.
In 1882 he disposed of the h<:)mestead
farm and removed his family to Sidney,
where he established a general mercantile
store, conducting the same with success until
1893. when he disposed of the place and re-
moved to his farm near Farragut. That
property he also sold at a later date and
again spent one year in Sidney, after which
he took up his abode upon the farm which
is now his home. He had owned the prop-
erty for some time and had transformed
it from a tract of wild prairie into richly
cultivated fieUls. On taking up liis abode
here he remodeled and enlarged the house,
which occupies an excellent building site,
commanding a magnificent N'iew of the sur-
rounding country, of the well-tilled fields
of his own place and of the many excellent
improvements there to be seen. The home
is conveniently located four miles north of
Ri\-erton and there Mr. Story carries on
general farming and stock-raising. He for-
merly fed cattle and hogs on an extensive
scale, but has now relinquished that branch
of his business in order to give his entire
attention to his farm.
Mr. Story was united in marriage to
Miss Amelia Hogmire, who was born in
Washington county. Maryland, September
-7' 1835, a daughter of Daniel and Amelia
(Grosh) Hogmire, both of whom were na-
tives of Maryland and were of German de-
scent. In 1848 they removed to Wabash
county, Indiana, and the father, who was a
shoemaker by trade, there carried on ag-
ricultural pursuits, devoting his life lo the
work of the farm until 1874. when he waa
called to his final rest. His wife passed away
April 10, 1855, in the faith of the Lutheran
church, of wdiich she was a member. Mr.
Hogmire held membership in the Christian
church. They had eleven children, as fol-
lows: Ann M., the wife of A. Simpson;
Frederick, who is living in Indiana; David,
Samuel, Catherine, I.sabel and Rebecca, all
of whom died in childhood ; Amelia, the
wife of Mr. Story; Prudence; Philena, who
died at the age of fifteen years; and Alary,
who died in childhood.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Story has
been blessed with l"i\e children, namely:
Thomas B., who resides in Sidney; Charles
F., who died at the age of seven years : Clar-
ence F.. who is with his parents on the old
homestead; Miron Oliver, a merchant of
Riverton; and Jacob \\'.. who is at home.
In religious belief Mr. and Mrs. Story are
JMethodists, holding membership in the
church and doing everything in their power
for the advancement and adoption of its
cause. At the time of the Civil war Mr.
Story served as first sergeant and lieutenant
in the state guard from 1861 until 1865.
Fle has ever been a strong and influential
Republican and has creditably filled many
township ofiices. He served as township
trustee, as the president of the board of
health and as a member of the school board.
He is enterprising and public spirited, a good
neiii-hlxn- and faithful friend, and is char-
itable to the poor and need)'.
298
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
iL£as.-Liii
WILLIAM LEEKA.
The subject of this review is one whose
history touches the pioneer epoch in the
annals of Iowa, whose clays have been a
component part of that indissoluble chain
which linked the early, formative period
with the latter-day progress and prosperi-
ty. Fifty-two years ha\'e passed since he
came to the county and cast his lot with
the pioneer settlers who lived on the prai-
ries that were still largely in possession of
the government, while the timber tracts
stood in their primitive strength and the
work of progress and development was
scarcely begun. J\Ir. Leeka is to-day one
of the most prominent, successful and ex-
tensive land-owners and agriculturists of
Green township, Fremont country, his home
being on section 30.
He was born in Clinton county, Ohio,
June 14, 1830, and is a representative of
one of the old families of Germany. His
grandfather. Christian Leeka, was a native
of Germany and served as a soldier in the
British army during the war of the Revo-
lution, and when peace was declared he
took the oath of allegiance to the United
States and located in Virginia, where he
married Miss Elizabeth Armantrout, who
also was of German lineage. They removed
to Ohio, becoming early settlers of that state,
and there they made their home throughout
their remaining days as residents of Clin-
ton county. They lived on military land
and were in comfortable circumstances.
They had six children, four sons and two
daughters, all of whom married and lo-
cated in Clinton county. One uncle and
aunt afterward removed to Indiana, where
they reared families and became successful
residents of the community. The grand-t
father of our subject died when about sevi
enty years of age, but his widow reached
the very advanced age of one hundred
years. Both sleep in Clinton county, the
grandfather having been buried in tha
Sharp cemetery. Mr. Leeka has visited
his grave, thus paying a tribute to the mem-
ory of his honored ancestor.
John Leeka, the father of our subject,
was born in Rockingham county, Virginia,
February 22, 1802, and when he had
reached man's estate he wedded ]\Iiss Sarah
Carter, who was born in Greene county,
Tennessee, December 5, 1805, a daughter
of David and Nancy (Antrim) Carter, al-
so of Tennessee. On both the paternal and
maternal side they were of Irish lineage.
Mr. and ]Mrs. Carter had eight children who
reached years of maturity, namely : God-
frey, a farmer of Clinton county, Ohio,
who was accidentally shot in a deer hunt;
Hugh, who died in Pike county, Illinois,
about 1845, soon after locating there; Mrs.
Leeka; and Hannah, Nancy, IMary Ann,
Rachael and Elizabeth. The parents of
William Leeka were married in 1827, and
they had but two children. David, the one
besides our subject, was born February 9,
1829, and is still living, with his brother.
He was injured in a gristmill in 1875 and
this has affected his mind. He has a family
of six children.
In the spring of 1839 the parents re-
moved from Clinton county, Ohio, to Van
Buren county, Iowa, making the journey
«
down the Ohio river and up the Mississippi
and Des Moines rivers, bringing with them
some household goods and one horse. The
father purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land from a squatter, to whom he
WILLIAM LEEKA
TKF ffFVT TORIT
PUB! 10 \ IPRART
A* . V. y . « » . I AN B
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
299
paid six hundred dollars, and later, at a
public sale, he purchased this (|uarter sec-
tion for two hundred dollars. Afterward
he bought one hundred and twenty acres
of land of a settler, thus becoming the owner
of twt) hundred and eighty acres, divided
into two parts. He was a prcjsperous farm-
er, being numbered among the well-to-do
men of his day. The country was then
new and the settlers were widely scattered.
The Indians still living in the state made
their way down the river in canoes. The
father served as a school ilirector, but he
did not seek political honors. He and his
wife were earnest Christian people and held
membership in the church of the Latter
Day Saints. In 1846 they sold their prop-
erty in eastern Iowa, at a small profit, and
removed to Holt county, Missouri, in 1847,
the father having rented a farm there for
a year.
In November, 1848, he came with his
family to Fremont county, where he pur-
chased one hundred and sixty acres of land
from the government, at one dollar and a
quarter per acre. The first winter was
passed in an old log house south of the
present homestead, and during that season
the father, with the assistance of his sons,
cut and hauled the hewed logs which were
used in building their house in the spring.
It was sixteen by eighteen feet and a story
and a half in height, and wdien it was com-
pleted the family took up their abode there-
in. Subsequently the father purchased an
additional tract of two hundred and forty
acres, for one dollar and a quarter an acre,
so that the home farm comprised four huui
dred acres. The mother died June 30,
1880, when about eighty-two years of agCy
and the father died on the loth of January,
18
1892, forty-two days before his ninetieth
birthday. They retained their mental and
physical faculties unimpaired to the last,
and they now rest in the Thurman ceme-
tery.
Mr. Leeka and his brother were reared
to farm life, and at the age of nineteen
years he began in the milling business with
his father and brother. They built a water-
power mill on the farm on Plum creek, in
1849, ^nd did the custom grinding for a
large section. Many of the patrons came
frcjm a long distance on horseback or with
ox teams. The mill was a burr-stone mill,
and in addition, in 1857, a sawmill was
erected, containing a circular saw of fifty-
two inches. The two mills were operated
until 1878. when the gristmill was discon-
tinued, .but the sawmill was in use until
1890. The old frame residence which was
so long the abode of the family is now
used as a granary, and has been a silent
witness of the progress of the county since
1859. The ruins of the log house were torn
down in 1899.
On the jSth of August, 1873, Mr.
Leeka was united in marriage to Miss Ra-
chel S. Seward, of Van Buren county,
Iowa, a daughter of B. P. and Nancy (Car-
ter) Seward, the mother being a sister of
Mr. Leeka's mother. Six children have
been born unto them, and all are yet living:
Roy Bismarck, who is a graduate of the
Lincoln Normal School, of Nebraska, and
now owns and operates a gristmill in Thur-
man; ]\Iadison, who is married and follows
farming near Thurman; Clarence Oliver, al-
so a graduate of the Lincoln Normal School,
who now has charge of a gristmill in Okla-
homa; Lorena, a student in the Drake Uni-
versitv, at Des Moines; Sadie, attending
300
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
school in Thiirman ; and Jay D., the yoiing"-
est of the family, also a student in the schools
of Thurman.
]\Ir. Leeka is independent in his political
affiliations, but was one of the original sup-
porters of the Republican party in Fremont
county. He was the first township clerk of
Scott township and was a county commis-
sioner for three consecutive years. He
served as a justice of the peace for two
years. He and his wife hold membership
in the reorganized church of the Latter Day
Saints of Jesus Christ, in which he has been
an elder. In October, 1892, Mr. Leeka be-
gan the erection of his fine home, which
was completed in the spring of 1893, and
in April he took up his abode therein, re-
moving from the old frame house into his
elegant residence, which is attractive in arch-
itecture, neat and tasteful in adornment,
both on the exterior and in the interior. It
is forty-six by forty feet and the ceilings
are ten and eight and a half feet. The build-
ing is two stories in height, with a dormi-
tory. It is a very substantial frame and is
located on a fine elevation, against a bluff
which has been walled up sixteen or eighteen
feet with brick. There are two large cel-
lars in the bluff, and every convenience of
modern times is found in the home. The
building faces south and east, and is one of
the finest and best farm houses in Iowa. In
addition to his home farm Mr. Leeka owns
extensive landed interests in Iowa, Texas
and Oklahoma, having thirty-two hundred
acres in this state, \vhich is in Fremont coun-
ty. He also owns fourteen hundred and
fifty acres in Kansas, and three hundred and
twenty acres in Oklahoma. The work of the
farm is now carried on by tenants, which
enables him to enjoy the fruits of his former
toil. He inherited four hundred acres of
land from his father, but other than this he
has acquired his possessions entirely through
his own efforts. His business efforts have
been commendable and irreproachable, and
his example should serve as a source of inspi-
ration to others. He is one of the wealthy
farmers of Fremont county and stands high
in the estimation of his fellow men, justly
meriting the warm regard in which he is
held.
M. F. COOLLY.
If those who claim that fortune has fa-
vored certain individuals above others will
but investigate the cause of success and fail-
ure, it will be found that the former is large-
ly due to the improvement of opportunity,
the latter to neglect of it. Fortunate environ-
ments encompass nearly e^'ery man at some
stage in his career, but the strong man and
the successful man is he who realizes that
the proper moment has come, that the pres-
ent and not the future holds his opportunity.
The man who makes use of the Now and
not the To Be is the one who passes on the
highw^ay of life others who have started out
ahead of him and reaches the goal of pros-
perity far in advance of them. It is this
quality in Mr. Cooley that has made him
a leader in the business world and won him
a name with industrial interests that is wide-
ly known.
Mr. Cooley came to Fremont count}- in
1865, during his boyhood. He is numbered
among the native sons of the Hawkeye state,
his birth having occurred in Centerville, iu
Appanoose county, on the 3d of December,
1 85 1, his father, A. W. Cooley, being one
of the honored pioneer settlers and promi-
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
301
nent business men of that locality. In the
}'ear 1865 he came \villi liis family to Fre-
mont county, where he enj^aijed in clealinj;^
in grain and stock, carrying on business with
good success until his death, which occurred
in 1892, when he was sixty-one years of
age. I le was a native of Indiana and was
of English descent. His father, S. E.
Cooley, however, was an Indiana farmer,
and upon the old family homestead in the
Hoosier state the father of our subject was
reared until he had attained the age of eight
een years, when he became a resident of Ap-
panoose county, Iowa, his home being near
Centerville. In that locality he married Abi-
gail Cox, a representative of a well-known
and influential family. She was to him a
most excellent wife, to her children a de-
voted mother, and to her neighbors a kind
and loyal friend. She w-as loved by all for
her goodness of heart, and at her death,
Avhich occurretl in 1891, many mourned
lier loss. Unto Air. and Mrs. A. W. Cooley
were born seven children, four of whom are
3-et living, namely: M. P., of this review;
J. E., who is living in Belgrade, Nebraska,
\vhere he is engaged in the lumber business;
^\'. I., who is connected with mining in-
terests in Colorado; and W. S., who is in-
terested in mining and also in a Spanish
ranch in California. One son, S. A., and
two daughters, Sarah E. and Alira, have
passed away, Saraih having been six years
of age at the time of her death, while Alira
attained the age of sixteen years. The fa-
ther of these children was a Republican in
his political faith and gave an unwaverint;
support to the principles of the ])arty. He
held membership in the Methodist church,
took an active part in its w'ork antl did all
in his power to promote the moral interest^'
of the community, lie enjoyed the con-
fidence and respect of all with whom he was
associated, and through thirty-five years the
name of Cooley has been honorablv connect-
ed w ith the history of Fremont county.
Mr. Cooley, whose name introduces this
review, was reared upon the old homestead
farm and attended the public schools, also
l)r(jadening his knowledge through practical
experience, reading and observation. His
business training was received under the di-
rection of his father in connecti(^n with the
grain and stock trade. In early manhood
he spent ten years in the far west in the
mines and upon a ranch. He visited Mon-
tana, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada and
Texas and became familiar with all phases
of life in that portion of the country. It
was a valuable experience, teaching him to
become independent and self-reliant. In that
way he gained a start in life, and ui^jn his
return to Fremont county, about 1877, he
engaged in farming and cattle raising. He
was also connected with the drug trade for
some years and was actively interested in
the organization and estal)lishment of the
Hamburg Banking Company.' He became
one of its leading stockholders and the vice-
president, and has since been connected with
the institution, the success of which is due
in no small degree to his efforts, for he has
a wide acquaintance and all know him to be
a reliable and substantial business man. The
pu])lic has therefore given him its patronage,
and the business of the bank has constantly
increased in \olume and importance until
the concern has become a very paying one.
On the 5th of March, 1877, Mr. Cooley
was united in marriage to Miss Alice Mann,
a lady of intelligence and good family, who
at that time was living in Atchison county.
302
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
IVlissoiiri. She was born in Nemaha conn-
|ty. Nebraska, and was reared and educated
in Missouri and Iowa. Her parents were
A. C. and Sarah (Workman) Mann, early
settlers of that state, comi'ng to Fremont
county in 1845. ^'"to Mr. and Mrs. Cooley
have been born four children : Maud S. and
Grace Mary, who are at home; Milton, who
died at the age of four years ; and a daugh-
ter who died in infancy.
Socially Mr. Cooley is connected with a
number of organizations. He is a very
prominent Mason, belonging to the blue
lodge and chapter of Rockport, Missouri,
to the council of Maryville, Missouri, to
Brule Commandery. K. T., of Red Oak,
Iowa, and to Moilah Temple, of St. Joseph,
Missouri. In his political affiliations he is
a stalwart Democrat, earnest in his advo-
cacy of party principles, and for six years
he has ser\'ed as a member of the citv cou'n-
cil in Hamburg.
He has been a delegate to
many conventions, including county, con-
gressional and state, and does all in his power
to promote the growth and insure the suc-
cess of his party. He is a man of fine
physicjue, five feet, ten and a half inches in
height and weighing two hundred pounds.
Mentally, also, he is a strong man, of ex-
cellent judgment, fair in his views and high-
ly honorable in all his relations with his fel-
low men. His manner is frank, genial and
cordial. He enjoys out-door sports, es-
pecially hunting, and as opportunity offers
indulges his taste in that direction.
^IRS. MARY A. BAGLEY.
Mrs. Mary A. Bagley is the widow, of
P. AI. Bagley. From a very early period
in the development of Fremont county the
name of Bagley has figured conspicuously
on the pages of its history, especially in the
work of reclaiming the wild lands for pur-
poses of civilization. Mrs. Bagley has al-
ways resided in the Mississippi valley.
She is a native of Hancock countv, Illi-
nois, born April 5, 1846, her parents being
Nathan and Ruby (Abbott) Biddlecome.
Her parents were residents of Ohio but
were married in Illinois. Her father's par-
ents were Kentucky people of German line-
age, and on leaving New England took up
their abode in the Buckeye state, where they
followed farming. Nathan Biddlecome was
eighteen years of age when he accompanied
his parents to Ohio, where he remained un-
til after he had attained his majority. He
also went with his parents to Missouri and
later returned with them to Illinois, where
he was married. Subsequently he removed
to Iowa, settling in Cedar county, where he
remained until 1850, when, attracted to Cali-
fornia by the discovery of gold, he started
across the plains with his family. They
had traveled as far as Council Bluffs when
smallpox broke out among them a'nd as soon
as able he returned to Cedar county, contin-
uing at his old home there for three years.
On the expiration of that period he started
for Nebraska, but after reaching ]\Iissouri
made a location in that state and did not
resume his journey to Nebraska until two
years had passed. However, he arrived in
the latter state i'n 1854 and cast in his lot
with the pioneers of Brownville, remain-
ing there until 1857, when he removed to
Pawnee count}^ and located a land claim,
upon which he made some improvements.
In 1 86 1, however, he sold that property
and came to Fremont county, where again
he lived among frontier people and experi-
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
303
enced all the har(lsliii)s of pioneer life. I'ur-
chasinj^" a tract of iinimi)ro\e(l land, he heg^an
the arduous task of transforniiui:' it into
cultivated fields, and his lahors were at
length attended with i)rosi)erity. He he-
came one of the leading, inlluential and suc-
cessful farmers of his community and re-
maineil upon llie old homestead until after
the death of his wife, when he sold the prop-
erty, having since lived among his chil-
dren, spending much of his time in the home
of his daughter, ]\[rs. Piagley. He has been
actively associated with the development and
progress of this portion of the state and has
lived to see its wild lands transformed into'
beautiful homes and farms, while the county
has bect^me settled with a prosperous and
contented people. Land \alucs liave ccintin-
ually increased and labor now brings a good
return. Mr. Biddlecome has long been an
•earnest and faithful member of the Chris-
tian church, and its teachings have found
exemplification in his honorable career. His
wife died Januar}- 13, 1897. m"nrned bv a
large circle of friends. She was a daughter
of Rufus Abbott, who was of sturdy Xew .
England ancestry. His people were natives
of Connecticut and followed farming. The
children of the Biddlecome family were:
Rebecca, X'athan. Ashley. Jane. Joseph and
George. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Bid-
dlecome were born five children : Mrs. Claris-
sa Kelley; Mrs. Bagley : Minerva, the wife
of Ira Ames; Margaret, wife of F. \\'heeler.
and Elizabeth, the wife of J. Xcwcll.
Mrs. Bagley, who.se name introduces this
record, was born in Illinois and accompanied
her parents on their various removals, com-
ing with the family to Fremont county in
i8r.i. She assisted her mother in the house
^vork' and other sucli duties until 1864, when
she ga\e her hand in marriage to P. M.
Bagley. He was born near Cleveland. Ohio,
on Christmas day of 1835, and died on the
old homestead in Fremont county. February
-3' ''^99- Reared in Ohio, he was descend-
ed from an honored New England family,
his people having l)een valued pioneer settlers
of Cuyahoga county, Ohio. They emigrat-
ed westward when the Buckeye state was an
almost unbnjken wilderness and Cleveland
was a village composetl of a few houses.
The Indians were yet numerous and roamed
at will over the country. The parents of
Mr. Basrlev were Russia and Rebecca (Xew-
ell) Bagley. the former a native of \'er-
mont and the latter of Connecticut. Be-
fore his. marriage the former removed to
Ohio and the latter went to that state with
her parents. His father and the family after
ward became residents of Ohio and all set-
tled in Cuyahoga county, where land wa.s
entered from the government and farms im-
proved. All of the representatives of the
family of the older generations died in Ohio.
Russia Bagley served in the war of 1812,
and throughout his life carried on agrictilt-
ural pursuits. His brothers were: George,
a physician, who died in the Buckeye state;
Xathaniel, deceased farmer of Putnam coun-
ty. Ohio; Parley, who lived in Minnesota;
and his sister was Ruth, now deceased. Tlie
parents were memliers of the Methodist
church. The children of the Xewell fam-
ily were: Polly, who became Mrs. Edgel ;
Rebecca, who became the mother of 1'. M.
•Bagley; Mrs. Adelia Colby: John, who died
in Buchanan county, Iowa: Mrs. bJnu'ra
Baker, of Fremont county: and George, a
farmer and broom manufacturer.
Russia Bagley, the father-in-law of Mrs.
Badev of this review, was the second of the
304
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
family of children to which he belono-ed.
After his marriage he located upon a farm
in Ohio, but subsequently exchanged that
property for four hundred acres i'n' Fremont
county. He had not seen the land at the
time of the purchase and found it was not
very valuable, but it has since been drained
and thereby has been made very productive.
In 1859 he took up his abode upon the place,
his home being a short distance west of
Randolph, and with characteristic energy he
began cultivating and improving the fields,
meeting with a fair degree of prosperity.
He afterward purchased land on Deer creek
and improved a second farm, upon which he
spent his remaining days, his death there oc-
curring November 17, 1885, when he had
attained the very advanced age of ninety-
two years. He was well preserved and a
few days before his demise walked to the
polls and voted the Republican ticket. He
served as a justice of the peace and enjoyed
the esteem of all his fellow townsmen b)'
reason of his honor and integrity. His wife
survived him and passed away at the home
of her daughter, Mrs,. Clark. December 26,
1894, at the age of eighty-seven years. They
were earnest Christian people, holding mem-
bership in the Methodist church. ]\Ir. Bag-
ley was twice married, his first union being
with a Miss Toman, by whom he had six
children : Mrs. Helen Marble ; ~Mrs. Elemath
Link, who died in Indiana; Mrs. Margaret
Robe; William and Joseph, who died in
Ohio; and Lucina, now of Missouri. By
his second marriage Russia Bagley also had
eight children: P. M., now deceased; Mary,
who became the wife of O. A. Clark and
died in Fremont county; Amy, deceased,
was the wife of William Rube; A. G., a
prominent farmer of Fremont county; and
Fanny, the wife of Mr. David Shultz, also
an agriculturist in Mills county. Christina
died in infancy, also an infant son and
Elvaretta.
AVith his father and the family P. ]\L
Bagley came to Fremont county in 1859,
and from his father he secured some land,
which he improved, thus making a start in
business life on a small scale. After his
marriage, in 1864, he located upon his land,
and for thirty-five years he and his wife
fought the battle of life together, beginning
when the country was new and hard labor
lay before all who wished to make homes
in this section of the country. Prosperity,
however, attended their efforts, and with one
exception they became the largest tax-payers^
in the county. For many years Mr. Bagley
was a rather frail man. but his wife was
strong and well, and proved to him a most
able assistant and companion, becoming his
confidential adviser in all matters of busi-
ness.
As he acquired some capital he purchased
stock, believing that stock-raising would
prove a profitable industry, as the broad
and unclaimed prairies of Iowa offered ex-
cellent pasturage. Ultimately he became one
of the most extensive stock-raisers and deal-
ers in this portion of the country, was recog-
nized as an excellent judge of stock and
seldom erred even in the slightest deg'ree in
making his purchases. His ability as a finan-
cier was widely known and his executive
force enabled him to carry forward to suc-
cessful completion whatever he undertook.
Not only did he realize a handsome profit
from the products of the soil and from his
stock interests but also in later years through
lending money. He was conservative, es-
pecially in discussing his business affairs
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
305
with friends, relying upon his own judg-
ment, whicli was rarely if ever at fault. He
found, too, that his wife's advice and coun-
sel were very valuable, and business affairs
were discussed l)etween them with mutual
profit and satisfaction. When the business
depression of 1S95 occurred and there was
little market for land, Mr. Bagley purchased
extensively and thus became the i^ssessor
of some of the finest farms (jf the county,
owning over two thousand acres at the time
of his death. All arc now extremely valu-
able and the Bagley estate is extensive. Add-
ing continually to his ])roperty, our subject
thus Ijecame the second highest tax-payer in
the county.
Xo children were l)orn unto our subject
and his wife, but the kindness of their hearts
prompted them to give a home to Miss ]\IaTy
Dilts, a little orphan girl, born May 18,
1875. She became a member of their house-
hold when six years of age and has ever
received from them the kindest care and
consideration, and in return Mr. and ]vlrs.
Bagiey have ever had from her the love and
attention of an own daughter.
In his political views Mr. Bagley was
an influential Republican, and, though he
never sought office, he was always well in-
formed on the issues and (iuestions of the
day. He was strictlv a business man, enter-
prising, industrious and at all times reliable.
His career was as the day, with its morn-
ing of hope, its noontide of activity, its even-
ing of rest, ending in the grateful quiet of
night. ,\s the result of his own lal>ors he
was enabled to enjoy the comforts and lux-
uries of life and to pro\ide amply for his
■wife, and when called to his final rest ho
passed away respected by all who had known
him. Mrs. Bagiey still controls the old
homestead and the estate, and is a lady of
superior business ability. Her long asso-
ciation with her husband in his work well
qualified her for the responsibilities which
now devolve upon her. She was reared in
the Christian church, with which she has
always affiliated, yet her support is not with-
held from other denominations. Her friends
are many and the circle is constantly increas-
ing by reason of her many excelle.vt finali-
ties of head and heart, which gain for her
the respect, confidence and good will of all
with whom she is associated.
MRS. HARRlF/r M. Kia.LCXiCi.
The owner and proprietor of one of the
farms in Benton township, Fremont county,
Iowa. isMrs. Harriet M. Kellogg, the sub-
ject of this sketch. She is the witlow of
one of the early settlers of this townsiiip,
Samuel T- M- Kellogg, who was born in
Xewington, Hartford ctnnity. Connecticut,
and died at Percival, Fremont county, bnva,
January 29, 1883. in the sixty-first year of
his age. Samuel J. M. Kellogg came to
Iowa in 1857 and settled at Gaston, now
Percival, where he bought eleven hundred
acres of land in Benton township, I-'remont
C(ninty. Until the time of his death he en-
oaQed in farming, although he did not till
but one hundred and sixty acres himself,
having suitable tenants upon different farms.
Mr. Kellogg was a Repul)lican in his po-
litical belief. He was a memb'er of the Con-
QTCoational church and was a man who was
interested in religious work.
On :\Iarch 23, 1858, occurred the mar-
riage of Samuel KelloQg to Miss Harriet
M. Rogers, who was born in ^^'aterford,
3o6
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Connecticut, although she ^vas reared in New
London, that state. She was the daughter
of Dr. James Rogers and Ehzabeth (Lati-
mer) Rogers, names known ah throug'h New
England. They reared three daughters and
two sons. One of the sons died at the age
of twenty-two years. The survivors are one
son, two daughters and ]\Irs. Kellogg. Dr.
Rogers died in New London. Connecticut,
January i, 1851. where he had been a sue-'
cessful physician for many years. He was
closely identified with the impro^•ement of
New Lpndon and was respected in all that
locality. His lamented death was caused by
accident, when he was but sixty-three years
old. He was a lineal descendant of the
martyr John Rogers, while the mother of
]\Irs. Kellogg was one of the Latimers, a
daughter of Pickett and Eunice (Douglass)
Latimer. Mr. Latimer was connected with
the West India trade and was a relative of
the well-kr.own family of Saltonstall. His
father was a man of wealth, and his fine
l^rick mansion on the outskirts of New Lon-
don was burned by Benedict Arnold and the
British soldiers. September 6, 1781, when
New London was laid in ashes. The people
of New London had taken their most val-
able possessions there for safe keeping.
Every article was burned. The aged mother
of Mrs. Kellogg died in Hartford, Connec-
ticut, in 1878.
Mrs. Kellogg- has two sons. Samuel L. is
a farmer in Percival, where he resides upon
a fine farm with wife and four children.
Roger W. resides on the farm of eighty
acres upon which his mother settled after her
husband's death. ]\Irs. Kellogg was educat-
ed at MoUi-.t Holyoke College, at South Had-
ley, Massachusetts. Her sons have attended
college, Samuel L. in Oskaloosa and Tabor,
and Roger W. in Tabor and Simpson Col-
leges. The family is well represented
throughout the county.
JUDGE L. W. TUBBS.
The name of Tubbs is so inseparably
interwoven with the history of Mills county
th.at this volume would be incomplete with-
out the record of him whose name heads
this review. For years he was one of the
leading citizens and most extensive land-
owners in this section of the state. Not
only has he been prominent in business af-
fairs, but also his influence and aid were
ever freely given in support of all worth}'-
measures and movements which were cal-
culated to prove of public benefit. Li his
business career he energetically prosecuted
his labors and his life stands in exemplifi-
cation of what may be accomplished through
determined purpose when guided by sound
judgment.
Judge Tubbs was a native of the Empire
state, his birth having occurred in Bing-
hamton. New York, on the 4th of January,
1826. His father, Nathaniel Tubbs, was at
one time a member of congress from the
Albany district of New York. The family
is of English lineage and was founded in
America previous to the Revolutionary
war. The paternal grandfather of our sub-
ject served as a soldier in the war for inde-
pendence. Nathaniel was born at Worces-i
ter. New York, on the 14th of June, 1797,
followed the occupation of farming through-
out his life, and died in Ohio. Mary (Han-
ford) Tubbs, the mother of the Judge, was
born in Norwalk, Connecticut, August 15,
1800, and died at Malvern, Mills county,
Iowa, oh the 19th of April, 1892.
C;Uy:uM7
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
307
The Judge spent the first eleven years
of his Hfe in Xcw ^'ork and then accom-
panied his parents un tlieir removal to the
Western Reserve, in Ohin. Much of his
youth was spent ui)iin a farm, where he as-
sisted in the labors of tield and meadow,
his character dexeloping naturally and
strongly amid the untrammeled life (jf the
country. His education was ac(iuired in
the citv schools of Sandusky, and at the i
age of thirteen he was apprenticed to learn
the miller's trade. Six years later he went
to Michigan, where he engaged in the mill-
ing business until 1849, ^vhen, attracted by
the discovery of gold in California, he made
liis way to the Pacific slope, acting as the
captain of a company of miners who jour-
neyed westward in search of fortune.
The strength of his character was soon
manifest, and his ability for leadership was
quickly recognized in the community, where
men of sterling worth by right take their
place at the head of affairs. He entered
political life there, and in 1851 was elected
a member of the first legislature of Cali-
fornia. In the summer of that year he was.
employed by the governor of the state to
locate a road from the headwaters of the
Sacramento to the Willamette valley of
Oregon, an enterprise which claimed his
attention until the spring of 1852. He
spent the succeeding winter in the Sand- '
M'ich islands, which, almost a half century
later, were to become the property of the
United States.
On his return Judge Tubbs again took
ii|) liis abode in Michigan and engaged in
the milling business until the spring of
1856. when he came to Iowa, locating on
the present site of the town of Malvern.
Here, too he took leadership, and in 1858
was elected by a popular vote tt the office
of udgc of the pr<»bate court for Mills coun-
ty, a position which he filled with marked
al)ility and fidelity until the office was alx)l-
ished. He was one of the first two men ever
elected on the I\ei)ublican ticket in Mills
C(»unty. Throughout the years that have
since passed he has had considerable influ-
ence in public affairs, yet has never been an
aspirant for office, preferring to devote his
time and energies to his business interests,
which C(jnstantly grew in volume and im-
portance. In May, i86r, imbued with the
martial spirit of the time, he organized the
first cavalry company ever formed in the
state and was elected its captain. The or-
ganization was formed for state protection
and was known as the Mills County min-
ute men. A peculiar fact connected there-
with is that this company has never been
mustered out.
In 1869 Judge Tubbs sold his Malvern
farm and located in Emerson. However,
he continued his active connection with ag-
ricultural interests, and under his super-
vision laroe tracts of land were cultivated
and improved. He became one of the most
extensive land-owners in this section of the
state, his property comprising thirty-two
hundred acres in Mills county. He also
had much valuable town property and
twelve hundred and eighty acres of land in
Texas. As his financial resources increased
he made judicious investments in real es-
tate and derived therefrom a handsome in*
come as the land increased in value and
productiveness, owing to the continued
erowth of the countv and to the cultivation
which was bestowed upon the fields. He
also dealt largelv in stix-k. and in the vari-
ous branches of his business gained that
308
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
prosperity which always rewards persever-
ing effort when guided by keen business
discrimination.
On the 1st of October, 1853, in Kala-
mazoo, Michigan, Judge Tubbs was united
in marriage to Miss Sybil J. Wheeler, who
w'as born October 13, 1836, and is a daugh-
ter of William Wheeler. By the marriage
of Judge and Mrs. Tubbs eight children
were born, of whom six are now living,"
namely: William L., Mary D., Hattie M.,
Volna v., Bertha E. and Ray B. The fam-
ily is one of prominence in the community,
enjoying the high regard of many friends
who delight in the generous hospitality of
the Tubbs home. Socially the Judge wag
connected with the Masonic lodge of Em-.
erson and served as its first master. He
joined the craft in Michigan in 1853, and
in his life exemplified its benevolent teach-
ings. He was a man of true worth, hon-
orable in all his life's relations, straighti
forward in business and faithful in friend-
ship. He was entirely free from ostentaT
tion and commanded the respect and con-
fidence of. all, enjoying- the warm friend^t
ship of a large majority of the best citizens
of Mills county. His death took place
February 28, 1901, at his home in Emer-
son, which gave occasion to the public to
renew in their memories his many excellent
cjualities and exemplary character.
ALBERT G. MALCOM.
The name of Malcom has long figured
on the pages of the history of Fremont coun-
ty, for the family to which our subject be-
longs was established in this locality when ii
was a wild western district, situated on the
borders of civilization. His birth occurred
February 2, i860, on the old family home-
stead where he yet resides, and he was reared
to the honest toil of the farm.
His parents, McCoy and Sarah ( Jones)
Malcom, were married in Indiana, of which
state the father was a .native, while the
mother was born in Ohio. They began their
domestic life upon a farm in the Hoosier
state and there resided until 1856, when
they came to Fremont county, settling on
land which 'Mv. Malcom entered from the
government, thus securing a tract of eighty
acres on section 28, Prairie township, in the
Nishnabotna valley. At that time there were
but few permanent settlers in the county and-
the country was wild and unimproved. Broad
stretches of land were still unclaimed ; wild
game was plentiful ; and various kinds of
wild beasts roamed through the forests or
over the prairie at will. Mr. Malcom was
an excellent shot and his trusty rifle secured
to the family much venison and other meat.
He built a cabin upon his claim, fenced his
farm with rails, and with characteristic en-
ergy began to plow and plant his fields from
which he soon gathered rich harvests. When
he first came to the county, in order to get
some corn for meal, he rented a piece of
land across the river from his home and
there raised a crop. The following winter
he and his "thirteen-year-old son took an ox
team and went to the field for a load of
corn. The place was situated about four or
five miles from the house. They had com-
pleted the task of gathering the corn when
a blizzard set in. They started for home
and crossed the river on the ice. but the
storm raged so violently and the snow be-
came so JDlindinp- that the oxen refused to
proceed. So Mr. Malcom unhitched them
and let them seek shelter as they wished.
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
309
\vliile he and his son started for tlic house;
but the boy soon became exhausted. Pro-
tecting him as well as he could, Mr. Malcom
then had io leave him in order to go for
help. The neighbors came to his assistance
and they started to carry the boy home ; but
lie was so badly frozen lliat he died on the
way, andMr. Malcom also suffered so great-
ly from that storm that he was unable to
work for a year following, and ne\er fully
recovered ! Such were some of the trials
which the earlv settlers had to encounter in
opening up this region to ci\-ilization. In
those early days people had to go long dis-
tances to mill, mostly to Council Bluffs, but
Mr. !Malcom found a liome market through
selling his products to emigrants. Soon the
country began to be settled and he lived to
see the vast prairies transformed into beau-
tiful homes and farms, the wdiite houses
standing in the midst of green fields and
forming a very attractive landscape.
In politics he was a Democrat, but never
aspired to office. Of the Christian clmrch
he was a worthy and consistent member and
died in that faith April 26, 1893, ^^^ the
age of seventy-five years. His wife yet sur-
vives him and is now residing in Sidney.
Two of her brothers, William and John
Jones, came to Iowa, but both returned to
Indiana. Mrs. Malcom preserved her health
and strength to a remarkable degree, car-
ing for her home until her death, February
14, iQor. She spent the evening of life
among friends and children and looked back
over the past without regret and forward
to the future without fear, for her life had
been in harmony with her religious belief,
as a member of llic Christian church. Siio
had seven children: Sarah, now the wife of
'SI. Smith: Robert, whose death is referred
t(j above; James, who died, leaving a w'ife
and fonr children; John and Isaac, wdio are
farmers of Fremont county; Albert G., of
this review ; and (Jeorge, also an agriculturist
of Fremont county.
r.orn and reared on the old family home-
stead, where he yet lives, the place is en-
deared to Albert (j. Malcom through the as-
sociatio'"": of his lioyhood, as well as those
of later years, lie remained under the ])a-
rental roof, caring for his parents in the
evening of life. In 1880 he was married to
Miss Martha Iliskey, and lirought his bride
to the old home. For a vear he carried on
farming there and then removed to another
farm, which was their place of residence
for se\"en years; but on the expiration of
that period they returned to the old home-
stead, where they have since remained. For
twenty years Mr. Malcom has engaged in
general farming and to some extent has
raised ar-d dealt in stock. He also operated
a corn-sheller for fifteen years and has been
content to carry forward the work inaug-
urated l)y his father, whereby he has devel-
oped a very fine farm that yields io him
an excellent return for his lal)ors'.
Mrs. ^lalcom is a lady of intelligence
and culture and also represents one of the
early families of Fremont county. She was
born in [\Iadison county, bnva, December
17, 1861, and is a daughter of Jacob and
Arniinda (Cornwell) Hiskey. lioth of whom
were natives of Ohio, in which state their
marriaee occurred. They afterward came
to Iowa and the father, who had previ<:>usly
followed carpentering, turned his attention
to the farm, entering land from the govern-
ment, lie improxed the place and made it
Ins home for a numl)er of years, after which
he removed to Nebraska, where he died July
310
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
lo, 1869. He was a consistent and worthy
member of the United Brethren church, and
in his pohtical views he was a stalwart Re-
pubhcan, but was never an aspirant for the
honors of office. His wife passed away in
Nebraska, February 7, 1892. Her mother
was Lydia Shafer Cornweh, of Ohio, who
had three children : Mrs. Hiskey, and Isaac
and James, both of Ohio. The chikh-en of
the Hiskey family are : Franklin, Albert and
Allen, all of whom are living in Nebraska;
Mrs. ^lartha A. Malcom : ^Vilbret, who is
living in Nebraska; Caroline, now the wife
of B. Stockton; and Margaret, the wife of
F. Huffman.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Tvlalcom
has been blessed with five children, namely :
Ethel, born August 17, 1882; Walter, born
January 10, 1884; Orville, born April 11,
1886; Cora, born September 28, 1889; and
Clyde, born August 17, 1896. Mr. and Mrs.
Malcom are well-known' people of the com-
munity in which they reside and have gained
many friends by reason of their excellent
qualities. He belongs to the IModern Wood-
men at Sidney, but gives little time to out-
side interests, his attention bei'ng devoted
untiringly to his farm work, whereby he is
enabled to surround his family with all the
comforts and many of the luxuries of life.
INIrs. ^lalcom is a member of the Royal
Neighbors, of Farragut, Iowa.
DANIEL T. RHODE.
Among the agriculturists and stock-deal-
ers of Green township who successfully carry
on the business to which they g\\t their
attention' is numbered Mr. Rhode, whose
name introduces this record. He was born
in ^\'arren countv, Indiana. December 18,
1838. His father, John Rhode, was a na-
tive of Ohio, born in the western part of
that state in 181 7. When a boy he went
to Indiana and afterward to Arkansas, where
he remained for four 3'-ears, after which he
returned to the old home in the Hoosier
state. He was of German lineage, for the
great-grandfather of our subject came to the
new world from Germany.
The grandparents of our subject -were
Jonathan and Harriet (Rosencrans) Rhode.
The latter died in Arkansas about 1842. and
the grandfather subsecjuently returned to In-
diana, where his death occurred about 1845,
having reached an advanced age when called
to the home beyond. They reared five sons
and two daughters, who have families. Two
uncles and two aunts of our subject lived
and died in Indiana, while John, Daniel and
Joe Rhode all came to Iowa, John and Jo-
seph having arrived in the state in 1851,
wdiile Daniel preceded them, having removed
from Arkansas to Iowa i'n 1847. He was
among the early settlers in the vicinit}^ of
Hamburg- and before 1851 he came to Fre-
mont county and filed claims to a large
tract of land, thus becoming the owner of
eighteen hundred acres. He was one of the
wealthy men in the county, for his time.
He entered nearly all of the land at one dol-
lar and a quarter per acre and took an active
part in reclaiming the primitive prairie for
purposes of civilization, his impro^'ement of
his property promoting the general prosper-
ity as well as his individual success. On
coming from Arkansas he drove one hun-
dred head of steers to Iowa, where he sold
them to the Mormons who were en route to
Utah. The purchase price was about eight
dollars per head and he sold them at from
eighty to one hundred dollars per yoke, thus
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
J' *
realizing- a liandsoiiie profit. The Rhode
brothers were prominently kni)\vn in Vvc-
mont ecninty as leading business men and
the name has been inse[)arably connected
with the history of this portion of the state.
The mother of (nir subject bore tlic maiden
name of Polly Cobb and was born in Law-
rence county, Indiana, in which state she
gave her hand in marriage to John Rhode.
Our subject was their first child and at
the time of his birth the father was but
twenty-one years of age. In their family
were four children, the second being Eliza-
beth, the wife of Josiah Eggleston, wdio is
living at Puget Sound. Washington, and has
three children. Hannah is the wife of Mr.
Buffington, a farmer of Nebraska, living
in the Xiobrara river country. Her first
husband was Mr. Tarpening and she has
three children. The fourth member of the
Rhode family was a son who died in infancy.
The mother died in Indiana, about 1825,
and the father was again married, in Law-
rence county, that state, his second union
being with Miss Martha Scott, by whom he
h.ad eight cliildren. five sons and three
daughters. The eldest, Joseph, died at the
age of fifteen years, and with the excep-
tion of two others all were married.
Great clianges have come since John
Rhode and his brother Joseph traveled to
Iowa in the true emigrant style, with two
large covered wagons, each drawn by four
yoke of oxen, and two two-horse wagons,
while each of the brothers also had five
cows. As they crossed Illinois in the spring
their wagons often got stuck in the mud, at
which times they would double the teams
and thus extricate the wagons. They were
two montlis in making the journey and ar-
rived in Fremont county in July or August,
J he two brothers located near liieir brother
Daniel, and the father of our subject paid
six hundred <lollars to John Hughes f(jr his
timber claim. He secured timl^er land, which
everybody considered the most desirable, the
prairies being regarded as comparatively
worthless, as there was not timber to fence
them. Then, too, on the prairies it was so
cold and bleak that the settlers feared that
they might freeze to death. Several of the
pioneers did die upon those broad open
stretches of couivtry. About six years be-
fore his death John Rhode buried his sec-
ond wile. He passed away about liSyG,
upon the farm where he located in 185J, liv-
ing then in a log cabin. About 1857, how-
ever, he had erected the present large frame
house. .Vt one time he was the owner of
eight hundred acres of land and at his death
he was still in possession of three hundred
acres having given the remainder to his
children, to whom he either donated land
or money.
Daniel T. Rhode, whose name begins
this record, was reared upon his father's
farm. He was thirteen years of age when
he came to Iowa, and here he remained un-
til the 1st of Alay, 1859. He was of the
number who started for Pike's Peak, on the
discovery of gold there, but after spending
one summer in that country he returned
home. While en route he saw a number of
buffaloes and killed three in one place. He
remained with his parents until the spring
of 1862, when he returned Pike's Peak,
Colorado, remaining for eighteen months,
during which time he worked on the stage
route, building log houses and barns. He
then went to Idaho, where he engaged in
mining gold for three months, and then re-
turned with ten thousand dollars of the
312
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
precious metal. In one day he secured gold
to the value of fifteen hundred and twelve
•dollars, having in one pan eighty-two dollars.
This fortunate find came to him just at the
right moment, for he and his partner were
almost destitute of funds when they discov-
ered the mine, in what was known as Stink-
ing Water Gulch. They accidentally dis-
covered the gold by digging at the side of a
boulder, and Air. Rhode still has in his pos-'
session nuggets which he found and which
are worth from fifty to one hundred and
twenty-seven dollars.
When twenty-nine years of age, on the
2 1 St of March, 1868, Mr. Rhode was united
in marriage to Miss Sarah C. Taliaferro,
who was born in Missouri, a daughter of
James and Catherine (Holland) Taliaferro,
the former a native of Missouri and of
P'rench ancestry, while tlie latter was a na-
tive of Ohio. Unto our subject and his wife
have been born eleven children, three of
whom died in childhood. The others are :
Dora, the wife of Charles Delaney, by whom
she has two children ; Clara May, who is the
M'ife of George Plank, and has two children,
both of whom are now in Oregon; Wilbert,
who died at the age of twenty-six years;
Alonzo, who is a farmer of this neighbor-
hood and has a w4fe and one son; Maggie,
the wife of Alonzo Kempton, also a resi-
dent farmer of Green township; Curtis, a
young man of twenty-one, now in Oregon;
Albert, who died at the age of fourteen
years; Pearl, Richard and Daniel, aged re-
spectively, seventeen, fourteen and nine
years ; and Ruby, who died at the age of four
years.
]\Ir. Rhode is six feet in height and
weighs two hundred and fifty-three pounds,
and we seldom meet a man of greater
strength or endurance. Of strong domestic
_ tastes, his greatest enjoyment comes to him
through his associations of home. He is
to-day the owner of four hundred and eiglity
acres of land, of which one hundred and fifty
is timber. He also has ten acres and a
good residence in Tabor. He has recently
purchased two thousand acres in Kansas,
upon which he has placed his son Alo'nizo.
He carries on general farming and in addi-
tion successfully follows stock-raising, keep-
ing on hand twenty-four horses, while an-
ually he feeds and sells one hundred head
of shorthorn cattle. He has the most of
Jiis land seeded down and has grown from
six to se^'en thousand bushels of corn in a
year. His fine timber is largely black wal-
nut. Fine modern improvements may be
seen on his place, including his mammoth
barn, which is forty by seventy-two feet,
with sixteen-foot posts. It is all built of
hewed frame timbers from his woods and
has an eig'ht-foot basement. Everything
about the place is neat and thrifty and up
to date.
In his political views Mr. Rhode is a
Republican, having supported the party since
casting his first presidential ballot for Abra-
ham Lincoln. He has served as school di-
rector and road commissioner, but has never
been an aspirant for office, preferring to de-
vote his time and energies to his business
affairs, in which he has met with creditable
success.
WILLIAM C. FUGITT.
William C. Fugitt, who since pioneer
days has been a resident of Fremont coun-
ty, was born on the old family homestead
in Madison township, July 26, 1854. His
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
313
father, Townseiitl 1*". l'^ii;iu. was one of the
])roniinent early settlers of this portion of
the state, coming- here in I.S4S. when tiiis
])art of Jowa was first opened up to ci\ih-
;^ation. lie was horn in Platte county. Mis-
souri, in 1824, and his father, Hiram l'"u-
gitt, was one of the ])ioneer settlers of the
Platte i)urchase, where he estahlished his
home about 1822. He was horn in Ken-
tucky and was of French extraction. His
wife, Martha, was also a native of that
state and represented a good family there.
They were married in Missouri, and the
grandmother of our suhject died in Clay
county, while Hiram Fugitt passed to his
final rest in 1873. ^^ ^'''^ '^.^'^ <^t' seyenty-
seyen years, while Hying on the old home-
stead.
Townsend F. Fugitt was reared in Clay
county, Missouri, amid the wild scenes ot
the frontier. Indians still liyed in the neigh-
borhood and all kinds of wild game could
be found. In 18-J.8 ]\Ir. Fugitt came to
Fremont county and secured a claim of goy-
ernment land. He married Eliza McKis-
sick, a young woman who had l)een the
housekeeper for his brother Jacob, one of the
first settlers of the county, Hying at McKis-
sick's Groye. She was born in Missouri
and was a daughter of William and Eliza
McKissick. With characteristic energy
Townsend Fugitt gaxe his attention to the
cultiyation and improyement of his land,
and deyeloped one of the l)est farms in the
township. Upon it he erected a fine resi-
dence, sitbstantial barns and made many
other improyements. His blue-grass pas-
tures riyaled those of Kentucky, and eyery-
thing about his place was neat, thrifty and
attractiye in appearance. He became the
owner of four hundred acres of land, and
in addition to the cultiyation of the fields
engaged extensiyely and successfully in .the
raising of iKjrses and cattle. He took (juite
an active interest in pul)lic affairs and was
a wide-awake, enterprising citizen who with-
held his supi)ort from no measure which he
belieyed would proye of general good. His
l)olitical sui)port was given at different times
U) the Democracy and to the Greenback
party, and for years he was very active in
political circles, doing all in his power to
secure the adoption of the principles in
which he belieyed. He was one of the early
I iMasons of the county and his life exempli-
fied the beneficent spirit of the fraternity.
In personal appearance he was striking, be-
ing six feet in height and weighing two
hundred and fifteen pounds. His manner
was always cordial, genial and unaffected,
and the latch-string of his home always
hung out, hospitality being extended to the
weary and the hungry as well as to the im-
I mediate friends of the family. Flis life
was permeated by his Christian belief as a
member of the Cumberland Presbyterian
church and his word was ever as good as his
bond. Both he and his wife were loved by
all who knew them.
This worthy couple were the parents of
nine children, four sons and five daughters,
of whom five are yet living, namely: Will-
iam C. ; Sally, the w-ife of John McClellan,
of Shenandoah, Iowa; Ed H., of Hamburg;
and Eftie and John, who reside in Proken
! Bow, Nebraska. Those who have passed
away are Henr}- Clay, who died at the age
of sixteen years; ?\lrs. Xancy Xelson, who
died in Shenandoah, Iowa: Martha, who
died on the old homestead ; and ^Irs. Betty
Finnell, whose death ocurred in Atchison
county. Missouri. The mother passed away
3'4
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
at the age of forty-eight years and the fa-
ther died at the age of sixty-four.
W'ilham C. Fiigitt spent the days of his
childhood and youth on the old family home-
stead and in early boyhood took his pl.ace
in the fields to assist in their cultivation.
The habits of industry which he then formed
have been a salient feature in his success in
later life. He acquired his education in the
public schools and continued at home until
twenty-three years of age, when he began
farming on his own account on a tract of
wild land in the eastern part of Madison
township. There he opened up a fine farm
of two hundred and forty acres, while he
still owns. At the age of twenty-six he se-
cured a companion and helpmate on life's
journey by his marriage to Miss Martha
Ackerman, who was born, reared and ed-
ucated in Fremont county, a daughter of
Mr. and ]\Irs. S. Ackerman, of Madison
township. Four children were born of their
union, of whom two, are yet living: Ernest,
now nineteen years of age. and Pearl, the
wife of J. S. Johnson, of Fremont county.
One daughter, Goldy Ethelyn, died at the
age of twelve years. The mother of these
children was called to her final rest on the
19th of ^lay, 1893, at the age of thirty-tw^o
years. She was a consistent member of the
Cumberland Presbyterian: church and had
a large circle of warm friends who deeply
mourned her loss. On the ist of November,
1894, Mr. Fugitt was united in marriage
to Florence Mary Harris, whose birth oc-
curred ]\Iay 6, 1870. She was born in
Maine, but was 'reared and educated in Fre-
mont county, and is a daughter of A. F.
Harris, who came cO this county in 1872.
In the east he engaged in merchandising.
He married Ellen E. Poor, also a native of
the Pine Tree state, a'nd unto them were
born seven children, but only two are now
living — Thomas H. and Airs. Fugitt. The
father is a member of the Christian church,
the mother of the Unitarian church. By
the second marriage of !Mr. Fugitt there
are two children — Ellen Alay and Oliver
Townsend.
]\Ir. Fugitt owns and operates a fine farm
of sixty-two acres adjoinijig Riverton. His
home is built in a modern style of architect-
ure, furnished in good taste and stands in
the midst of a well-kept lawn. He also owns
his farm of two hundred and forty acres in
Madison township, and this is well improved
with substantial buildings, and everything
about the place is kept in good condition.
In his political views he is a Democrat,
strongly supporting- Br3-an. For a number
of years he has served on the school board,
and the cause of education, temperance and
religion find in him a warm friend. For a;
number of 3'ears he served as an elder in the
Cumberland Presbyterian church and is
deeply interested in all that pertains to the
welfare of his community and to the uplift-
ing of man. Both he and his wife are. hon-
ored and respected l^y all who know them.
CHARLES MAGEL.
Charles ]\Iagel is a self-made man who,
without any extraordinary family or pe-
cuniary advantages at the commencement 01
life, has battled earnestly and energetically,
and by indomitable courage and integrity
has achieved both character and fortune. By
sheer force of will and untiring effort he
has worked his \\2.\ upward and is now one
of the substantial farmers and stock-dealers
of Fremont county. He claims Iowa as the
CHARLES MAGEL
TBI ^^^ ^^*'
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
315
state of his nativity, lii.s l)irtli having oc-
curred in Des Moines count)-, March 16,
1846. His parents. Sibert and Mary ( Lee)
!Magel, were l)oth nati\es of ("lermany and
in early hfe came to the United States. Tlie
father located in Iowa in 1833 and tiie par-
ents were married in this state. Both were
descendants of intUicntial families, repre-
senting important farming interests in Ger-
many.
On reaching Iowa the father found a
wild, open country, only a few settlements
having been made, the work of improvement
and cultivation being scarcely begun. Like
many pioneers, he had very limited capital,
Init was hopeful and not afraid to work, and
his energv and financial ability enabled him
to advance steadily on the road to prosperity.
He secured a claim and when he could not
find profitable labor in the service of others
he gave his time to the cultivation of his
land, making good imi)rovements upon it
as the years passed. He completed the ar-
rangements for a home by his marriage, and
both he and his wife labored earnestly and
underwent many deprivations and hard-
ships incident to pioneer life in order to
gain a good start in the world. At that
time Burlington contained but a few cheap
houses and was too small to be called even
a village ; Imt the steamers made a landing
there. W'licn the government survey w^as
completed and the land was placed upon
the market, Mr. Magel attended the sale
and [)urchased his claim. He had not been
able to save enough to make the entire pay-
ment, but found a friend who lent him the
money, for which he paid fifty per cent in-
terest until his indebtedness was discharged.
His fu'st farm was located about six miles
from Burlington and he made it a highlv
19
improved property. As claims were estab-
lished he placed his crops on sale and suc-
cess followed his efforts. Alxjut 1850 he
moved within three miles of Burlington.
He made many substantial improvements
upon the homestead and there reared his
children, spending his remaining days up<:)U
the old farm, where he passed away on the
9th of August. 1897. His wife preceded
him to the home beyond, dying on the 5th
of December, 1896. Both had been reared
in the Lutheran church and held member-
sliip tlierein throughout their lives.
Mr. Magel was known as a very promi-
nent and infiuential citizen of Des Moines
county, proving a very important factor in
the work of improvement and upbuilding
there. After placing his home farm in good
condition he purchased land and improved
other farms, which he sold, becoming quite
an extensive real-estate dealer. He also
aided materially in the development of
Burlington, building houses and dealino; in
property in that city. At the time of his
death he owned some very valuable real
estate there. He lent money and all of his
efforts in a business wav were crowned with
success. He was an excellent financier, en-
ergetic, determined and persevering, and
those qualities enabled him to advance stead-
ily on the progressive path of prosperity.
He was an intelligent, broad-minded man,
of sterling integrity and honor, and among
all by whom he was known he commanded
uniform confidence and respect. He had no
near relatives in this country, but his wife
had I wo brothers, Conrad and William
Lee. both of whom were farmers and are
now deceased.
Sibert and Mary (Lee) Magel wtvt the
parents of ten children : Elizabeth, the dC'
3i6
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
ceased wife of W. Hillgartner ; \\'illiam and
Henry, who are living in Des Moines coun-
ty ; Charles, of this review ; Conrad, a prom-
inent farmer of Fremont county; Peter,
who makes his home near Burlington;
Mary, the wife of J. Schafer, of Burlington;
Margaret, wife of H. Steyh, of the same
city; Theodore S., who became a promi-
nent citizen of Fremont county, where he
followed farming until he was accidentall};
killed by a horse February 2^^, 1895, leav-
ing" a wife and five interesting children; and
Benjamin, of Des JNIoines county. The
familv is an influential one, the members
being leading citizens of the various com-
munities in which they reside.
Charles Magel remained under the pa-
rental roof throughout the period of his
minority, and practical training at farm
work well fitted him for agricultural pur-
suit when he entered upon his business ca-
reer. In 1869 he and his brother Conrad
made a prospecting tour to Fremont coun-
ty in order to look after some land which
his father had entered. They returned by
wa}' of Nebraska, and in the spring of 1870
again came to Fremont county and began
the improvement of the father's land. They
broke the wild prairie, erected a house and
employed a man and his wife to care for
the home and assist in the work of the fields.
They got a good start at farming and stock-
raising and soon took their place among
the substantial agriculturists of this portion
of the state. In 1880 Charles Magel was
married and by mutual agreement a division
of the property was then made. Our sub-
ject obtained possession of the improved por-
tion of the land and Conrad purchased a
claim adjoining, upon which were some
poor improvements. Both became substan
tial residents and their homes are still with-
in sight of each other. They have reared
large families and have well improved farms
in the valley of the Nishnabotna river.
]\Ir. Magel of this review owns nearly
one thousand acres of land, all under a high
state of cultivation, while well kept fences
divide it into fields for the raising of grain
or into meadows and grazing pastures. His
residence is a modern, two-story house,
built in a modern style of architecture and
supplied with all the late conveniences.
There is also a large barn and outbuildings
and the home is surrounded by a beautiful
grove of ornamental and forest trees. A
large orchard yields its fruits in season, the
fields are well tilled and in the pastures are
found excellent grades of cattle and hogs.
The farm is convenientl}^ located five miles
east of Sidney, and Mr. Magel is success-
, fully carrying on farming and stock-raismg.
He also lends money to his neighbors and
friends, on good security, and has become
one of the leading and prominent business
men of his section of the state. He is wide-
ly and favorably known, commanding the
confidence and respect of those with whom
he is associated. An excellent business man
and financier, he has labored not only for
his own advancement but is also enterpris-
ing and public-spirited and gives his support
to many measures for the general good.
The lady who bears the name of ]\Irs.
Magel was in her maidenhood Miss Lizzie
Schultize, who was born in Des Moines,
Iowa, September 19, 1858, a daughter of
William and Margaret (Kitzer) Schultize,
both of wdiom were natives of Germany
and became early settlers of Iowa. Her fa-
ther purchased land and improved a farm,
and later, attracted by the discovery of gold
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
317
in California, he crossed the plains to the honored pioneer family and is one of the
Pacific coast, where he enga.^ed in niinino- most prominent and inlluenlial business men
for fi\c years. RetinMiing then to the Mis- of the town, beinj^ the senior member of
sissippi valley, he resumed farming-, which
he carried on until 1864, when death ended
his labors. His wife still survives and re-
sides on the old homestead. Both were
■worthy ~and exemplary members of the Lu-
theran church. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Schul-
tize were born four children : Henry, who
is living in Fremont county; Lizzie, now
Mrs. Magel; John, of Des Moines county,
and i\Lary, the wife of William Diehl. After
the death of her first husband i\Irs. Schultize
became the wife of X. Helt, also a native
of the fatherland, and they had seven chil-
dren : Kate; Anna, the deceased wife of
William Brown; Christina, the wife of L
Avery; Emma, the wife of H. Kingsolver;
George, a farmer: Julia, the wife of K.
Baumgardner; antl William, who is yet at
home.
The marriage of ]^Ir. and Airs. Alagel
has been blessed with six interesting chil-
dren : William C, George, Lee, Lulu, Grover,
and Freddie, all still with their parents.
Mr. and Airs. Alagel are earnest members
of the Methodist church. He was reared
in the faith of the Democracy but is now a
Republican. He, however, does not seek
oftnce, preferring to give his attention to his
farm work, which has brought to him an
excellent financial return, so that he is now
mmibered among those who ma}- well be
proud of their success, as it has come to
him through his own labors, his keen en-
terprise and his perseverance.
SEYMORE T. RHODE.
The history of Randolph would be in-
ihe firm of S. T. Rhode & Company. His
birth occurred on the 23d of June, 1852,
in the county which is still his home, his
parents being Joseph and Elizabeth (Gray)
Rhode, both of whom were natives of War-
ren county, Indiana, in which place they
were reared and married. The paternal
grandfather, Jonathan Rhode, was born in
Ohio and was of German descent, his fa-
ther having come from Germany to America.
He located first in South Carolina, where
he served under General Marion in the com-
missary department in the Revolution. He
was a farmer, operating his plantation by the
aid of the slaves that he owned, but be-
coming disgusted with the slave traffic he
disposed of his interests in the south and
went to Ohio.
Jonathan Rhode, the grandfather of our
subject, was reared to agricultural pursuits
in the Buckeye state, and at an early period
in the development of Indiana he became a
resident of that state, where he carried on
farming. He married and became the fa-
ther of seven children, namely: Daniel A.;
Elsa, the wife of William Cobb; and John,
both of whom were agriculturists; Joseph,
the father of our subject; Hannah, the wife
of R. McCord; Caleli, and Seymour. The
parents were both members of the Society
of iM-icnds. and the kindly spirit so char-
acteristic of that sect was exemplified in
their lives.
Joseph Rhode, the father of our sub-
ject, was married in Indiana and there began
farmino- and subseciuentlv he and his fam-
ilv accompanied his father's family on their
complete without the mention of Seymore | removal to northwest Arkansas, in 1840. A
T. Rhode, who is a representative of an ' few years later, however, they returned to
3i8
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Indiana and in 1851 they came to Fremont
county, Iowa, where Joseph Rhode entered
land from the government, developing and
improving the farm upon which he remained
throughout the remainder of his days. He
became an extensive agriculturist and stock-
raiser and dealer, being one of the leaders
in this line of business in the community.
In politics he was a stalwart Republican
and was recognized as one of the leaders of
the party in his portion of the state, his in-
iluence being used with telling effect in sup-
port of the principles in which he believed.
He took a deep interest in the war, but ill
health prevented him from going to the
front. His fellow townsmen, recognizing
his worth and ability, frequently called him
to public office and he was chosen to repre-
sent Fremont county in the state legislature.
He also served as a member of the county
board for a number of years and filled many
minor offices, exercising his official prerog-
atives in support of every measure which he
believed would contribute to the general
good. He was instrumental in securing the
passage of the act for an assessment upon
vacant lands owned by speculators. Of
strong mentality, he viewed each question
that came up for consideration, not only
from the standpoint of to-day but of the
future as well, desiring that all his official
acts should prove of not only immediate
good, but of continued benefit. He was lib-
eral, charitable, enterprising and public-spir-
ited, and his life — in purpose and in act —
commanded the confidence and genuine re-
gard of all with whom he was associated.
He died January 17, 1886, and the com-
munity thereby lost one of its most valued
citizens, his neighbors a faithful friend and
his family a considerate father. His wife
had passed away many years before, her
death occurring in 1863. She was a daugh-
ter of John Gray, who settled in Lawrence
count3^ Indiana, in the pioneer days. His
father was killed at the battle of King's
Mountain in the Revolutionary war. The
Gray family is of Scotch-Irish descent, and
John Gray died in Lawrence county, leaving
ten children, namely : William, Jacob, Lidia,
Dorothea, Wesley, Ephraim, James, Mrs.
Elizabeth Rhode and Hamilton.
Unto Joseph and Elizabeth (Gray)
Rhode were born ten children : Mary, who
became the wife of L. O. Baker and died
in 1880; Harriet, the wife of S. P. McCor-
mick; Dorothea S., who became Mrs. Reed
and died in 1882; John, who died in child-
hood'; Mrs. Martha F. Loveland ; Seymore
T., of this review; Mrs. Esther R. Hurst;
Sarah, who is the widow of Dr. William
Matthews, and is living in Colorado; Charles
H., of Cass county, Iowa; and Elizabeth A.^
of California. After the death of his first
wife Joseph Rhode, the father of our sub-
ject, married Mrs. West, a widow^ and a
daughter of Deacon Kinney, of Ohio. Their
children were Edith, who became the wife
of A. A. Failing, and Mrs. Lucy Stevens.
Their mother having passed away, Mr.
Rhode married Mrs. Snow, a widow and a
daughter of D. M. Paul, of Thurman, Iowa.
Two children graced this marriage, Guy and
Ray, who are living on the old homestead
with their mother.
Seymore T. Rhode has spent his entire
life in Fremont county. He remained un-
der the parental roof throughout the period
of his minority and acquired a common-
school education. He afterward rented a
farm for two years and then purchased a
half interest in a drug store at Tabor, con-
BIOGKAPlllCAL HISTORY.
319
diictinj^' the enterp 
