USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 16
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
deceased) the compliments of the court for the able and upright manner in which he had discharged his duties. Thoroughly identified with the Democratic party, especially with that larger portion opposed to the Kansas policy of General Peirce and President Buchanan, he was elected Delegate to the Charleston Convention in 1860, where he was an active supporter of Judge Douglas, with whom he was on terms of personal intimacy, and whose character and course as a statesman he ardently admired. He was Secretary of the Committee having especial charge of Judge Douglas' interests, and was one of the recognized leaders of that branch of the party. In 1862, he accepted the nomination a second time for the post of District Attor- ney, although his party was largely in the minority; he had, However, the satisfaction of receiving a large vote, running " ahead of his ticket," though not elected. But while thus engaged in politics, he did not allow his profes- sional "engagements to be intruded upon, always pursuing them with faithfulness and credit. Although solicited to become the Representative of the First District in Con- gress, where his nomination was equivalent to an election, he steadily refused the honor. Regularly elected to the State Conventions of his party for a long series of years, he so directed-the course of deliberation as finally to lead to the adoption of the."new departure " plank in the Demo- cratic platform of this State, of which he is the recognized parent and author. During the late war, he was in favor of suppressing the - Rebellion, taking an active part in the raising-of troops, and particularly among these the famous "Second Reserves," of Pennsylvania. Ile was far in ad- vance of his party in recognizing the rights of the colored man under the Constitutional Amendments, having been always opposed to the provisions of the Fugitive Slave law, steadily refusing to support it personally or professionally, and the course upheld by the Southern leaders of his party, especially in reference to the Kansas policy. Since 1862, he has neither sought nor permitted his name to be used for any office except in connection with the Constitutional Convention, now in session, and the Board of Education, in both of which bodies he is an active and earnest mem- ber, discharging the duties of the latter with a sole eye to the education of the masses, and particularly of the colored children. He it was who caused one of the public school houses to be named after a well known colored merchant, the late James Forten. As a member of the Constitutional Convention, he ranks amongst the ablest of that body, and has taken a prominent part in the debates, particularly in those on representation and the judiciary; in the former, he defended the interests of the city against the assaults of the country members, showing conclusively the im- mense importance of the commercial metropolis to the State, and that the principal part of the revenue to the lat- ter is drawn from the former. Though actively engaged in a large law practice, besides serving as a member of the
72
BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
superintend the publication of The Day newspaper, of | friends and relatives at Cape May. When he arrived at a which he is the chief proprietor, and which is regarded as one of the most sprightly of the Philadelphia penny press. As a lawyer he stands among the leaders of his profession. He is pronounced by his colleagues and opponents at the bar, who have had the best and most frequent opportunities of observing and testing his capabilities, as the " ablest criminal lawyer in Pennsylvania, and one of the best in the United States." During all his practice of many years, he has never lost a capital case. One of the most remarkable of these was where Oskins was acquitted of the murder of his wife, on the plea of insanity. It was a tremendous task to convince the jury that this man was insane, yet he accomplished it, making one of the fullest and finest argu- ments, far exceeding in scientific information and clear metaphysical reasoning, the best efforts of many of the strongest of the old bar of this city, always distinguished for learning and power. Ilis strength before a court and jury consists not in that fluency of speech and flourish of rhetoric by which some of his predecessors in criminal prac- tice won fame and fortune, but in his power as a thorough lawyer, and in his strong common sense. He quickly per. ceives the weak points of his adversaries, and is always prepared to expose them. In the examination and cross- examination of witnesses he is very shrewd. In the Oskins' case, before cited, a physician was testifying to the perfect sanity of the prisoner, when he suddenly asked him if he did not, in a certain case, some years ago, testify that Mr. was perfectly sane. The doctor answered, " Yes:" " Where is he now ? " then inquired counsel, and . the wit- ness was compelled to answer, " In a Lunatic Asylum," thus completely neutralizing his former testimony. This illustrates his readiness to avail himself of an outside fact, of which the doctor believed him ignorant. But his great success lies in his sound judgment, strong sense, and thorough knowledge of the law, and of human nature. With these he has carried many a jury, convincing them against their very will. He concentrates his facts and forces of reason and argument. Few men, at the bar, waste so few words. There is weight and point in all he says, and he never says anything after he " is done," as a legal friend often re- marks. Ilis success offers encouragement to youth, for tal- ented as he is, he owes his present position chiefly to per- sistent hard work.
MITHI, RICHARD S., Merchant, and President of the Union Mutual Insurance Company of Philadelphia, was born August 16th, 1789, in Philadelphia. Ifis parents were Daniel and Elizabeth Shute Smith. His grandfather, Richard Smith, of Cape May, New Jersey, with a view to the education of his children, purchased a farm at Glouces- ter Point, New Jersey, where he resided until his death, a few years subsequently. The family then returned to their
suitable age, his son Daniel entered the counting house and store of Francis Gurney, who was largely interested in the West India trade; with him he resided until he was of age, in 1776. On the Declaration of Independence, he was commissioned a Lieutenant, and was assigned to a sloop of war, which captured a British transport with three hundred troops. The sword surrendered by the officer in command of the troops is still preserved in his family as an interesting relic of his early services on behalf of his country. On his second cruise, he was not so fortunate, as the vessel was captured by a British frigate, and carried into Providence, Rhode Island, where the prisoners were confined in the hold of an old hulk, a prison ship, and treated with the utmost rigor. Here he remained in captivity nine months, suffering severely from scurvy, the marks of which he bore with him to the grave. On his re- lease he returned to Cape May, was nursed by his sister, and recovered. He then joined a regiment commanded by his old friend Colonel Gurney, in which he remained two years. On the expiration of his term of service, he married Elizabeth, daughter of William Shute, of Philadel- phia, brother of Atwood Shute, who filled, with distin- guished honor, the mayoralty of Philadelphia, and other offices from 1755 to 1757, during the administration of the Penn family. Shortly after the adoption of the Constitu- tion of- the United States, he entered into partnership with Colonel Gurney, and the firm conducted an honor- able and successful mercantile business for thirty years. As the Navy Agents for the United States Government, they superintended the building of the frigates " United States " and " Philadelphia." The partnership was dissolved when the war of 1812 was declared. Mrs. Smith, the mother of the subject of this sketch, died in 1798, in the thirty-ninth year of her age, having had thirteen children, seven of whom were living at the time of her death. At the commencement of the year 1873, three still survived her, aged respectively seventy-five, eighty-two, and eighty-three years. A daughter died in her seventy-sixth year ; two sons died in their rightieth year, and one in his eighty-ninth year. The six brothers all celebrated their golden wed- dings, and all resided in Philadelphia from their youth. Richard received his literary education in the Episcopal Academy, then under the able supervision of the Rev. James Abercrombie, D. D., about A. D. 1800. In the year 1806, when he had attained his seventeenth year, he en- tered the counting-house of Pratt & Kintzing, extensive ship owners and commission merchants, trading largely with Europe, the West Indies, and South America. Eng- land and France being then at war, there was a large de- mand for trading vessels under the American flag; and in consequence, the business of Pratt & Kintzing was very extensive. One of the earliest tests of his competency for business, especially that of mercantile life, presented itself when the ship " Mount Vernon " came in, consigned to Pratt
rin.l.
Rich I ToniKy
73
BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
& Kintzing, with a cargo of coffee, in bulk. The ship had | loaded at Port au Prince soon after the insurrection of the blacks of Santo Domingo. The work of superintending the unloading was assigned to him. It was a very arduous one, but he proved himself fully equal to it. Workmen were kept steadily employed in making the bags; and the whole cargo, transferred in these, was marked and deliv- ered to the several owners with promptness and despatch. During the whole period of his connection with Pratt & Kintzing, he acquitted himself with the same ability, and acquired habits of accuracy in the several departments of the business, which, while they augured well for his future, served him good purpose when, in after years, he was thrown upon his own resources. From a very early day, he had cherished a desire to go to sea as supercargo or agent, for the sake of seeing other countries, and he suc- ceeded in gaining that position on the ship " Eclipse," which was advertised to sail for the Baltic. The position was a highly responsible one, as many of the merchants consigned. their shipments to the supercargo, subject to their instruc- tions. Ile entered now upon the most eventful period of his life. He was just of age. His new duties were arduous, and more than usually responsible; business tact, sound judg- ment, and quickness of decision, were imperatively needed. He was placed in charge of a cargo, liable at any time to capture by Danish cruisers,-Denmark being then at war with England,-and upon his ability in the management of the trust committed to him was to turn the whole of his after life. Passing around the north of Scotland, his vessel arrived safely at Gothenberg, in Sweden. Here he landed lis cargo, and remained, being unable to find sale for it. In 1811, he was appointed Consul for the United States Government at the port of Gothenberg. In July, 1812, as Consul, he received, on the arrival of a small pilot boat from New York, the first intelligence of the declaration of war against Great Britain, and managed to withdraw thirty- tavo sail of American vessels from under British convoy lying in the roads below Gothenberg, and thus saved them from capture. Of these, six belonged to Boston, two to Philadelphia, two to New York, three to Newport, three to Wiscasset, two to Newburyport, two to Portsmouth, two to Salem, two to New Bedford, two to Bath, two to Nan- tucket and four to Duxbury. They, with their cargoes, were subsequently sold and placed under the Swedish flag, and the vessels thus safely dispatched to the United States. Others, which disregarded his advice, were captured. Being the first on the continent of Europe to receive the news, he immediately communicated the intelligence to the American Ministers in St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Co- penhagen, thus advising them of the fact, news of which did not reach England until August 7th. His arrival in the United States, on his return, took place in January, 1813. His first visit was to the friend and partner of his father, General Gurney, at whose residence he was intro- duced to Eliza Beach, a daughter of an old and valued | 10
friend of his father; he was married to her in the following November. This union, which existed for fifty-eight years, was terminated by the death of Mrs. Smith, in March, IS71, in the eighy-first year of her age. His active busi- ness habits not permitting him to remain long unemployed, he sought, by extensive correspondence with his friends in Sweden, sustained by influential friends at home, to con- duet a business which should extend to Sweden. A Swedish ship arriving in 1816, he made an arrangement with the supercargo to assume the whole responsibility of the sale of the cargo. It was deemed by his business friends a heavy risk, but he succeeded in procuring the necessary funds to the amount of $40,000. The venture proved entirely successful, and he received $3000 as his commissions. He then formed a partnership with his brother, Francis Gurney Smith, which lasted five years. At its expiration, he sailed to Gibraltar with a cargo of flour, which he sold to advantage. A partnership was formed with his brother Daniel and Joshua Haven, and subsequently Thomas Haven, under the name and title of Haven & Smith, and was continued from 1825 to 1834, when the antagonism between President Jackson and the Bank of the United States having caused a fearful revulsion in all business circles, the firm suspended in consequence of the failure of other parties. He then removed to Rock- dale, where, on a small farm owned by the firm of Haven & Smith, he raised enough of produce to enable him, with the superintendence of a grist mill, to live comfortably though plainly. In June, 1837, he was, through the influ . ence and nomination of Henry Pratt, elected President of the Union Insurance Company, of which he had been Director since 1830, and of which he has faithfully served as President for thirty-six years. On the death of Mr. Pratt, in 1838, he was found to be named in his will as one of his Executors and Trustees of his large estate, which responsible trust he has held for thirty-five years. Ilis activity in all good works in the Episcopal Church in this city and at Rockdale, is witnessed by the success which has attended his endeavors.
ITHROW, REV. JOHN LINDSAY, D. D., Cler- gyman, was born at Coatesville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, March 13th, 1837. His father, John Mitchell Withrow, was of Scotch descent ; and his mother, whose maiden name was Keziah McClellan, of Irish ancestry, both families hav- ing been attached to the Presbyterian Church for genera- tions past. His parents were frugal, thrifty, and in pros- perous circumstances, and were highly respected m the community in which they lived. They naturally sent their son to Princeton for education, he having entered Nassan Hall in September, 1857, and was graduated in May, 1860. In September following, he entered upon the study of
74
BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
divinity at the Theological Seminary at Princeton, from which he graduated in May, 1863. Three months before he had completed his course at the Theological Seminary, he received two calls-one from the First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, Delaware, and another from the Presbyterian Church at Abington, near Philadelphia. The call from Wilmington was unanimous, and the salary a liberal one; while the invitation from Abington was divi- ded and not at all cordial, the compensation materially less. His convictions of duty, nevertheless, led him to ac- cept the latter. Entering upon his duties in the beginning of May, 1863, he found the church building old, dilapi- dated and unsightly, the congregation very small, and divided on the war issues, the great majority being anti- war Democrats. He was nothing daunted, but went to work earnestly and patiently, showing himself on all occa- sions an uncompromising advocate of the Government war measures. As long as the struggle with the South lasted, every fast day and every day of thanksgiving for victories was strictly observed, despite the meagre audiences which invariably attended such services, But the congregation steadily grew in numbers and increased in liberality, and large additions were made to the church membership. In 1865, immediately after the close of the war, a movement towards the erection of a new church building was inau- gurated, but the labor of raising the necessary funds was left almost entirely to him. Through his personal exer- tions the new edifice was completed and paid for, the entire cost of the structure being about thirty thousand dollars. While it was in course of erection, he received unanimous calls from churches in three different cities, all of which were promptly and unhesitatingly declined. In October, 1868, however,-within a month after provision had been made for the payment of the last dollar of indebtedness on the new building, -the Arch Street Presbyterian Church, of Philadelphia, extended to him a hearty call to become its pastor. He accepted it, and entered upon his new duties in December, 1868. Among his predecessors had been such celebrated divines as Dr. Thomas HI. Skinner and Dr. Charles Wadsworth. At the time he became its pastor, he was only thirty-one years old, and it was thought by some that the experiment was a doubtful one. But success crowned his labors from the outset, The congre- gations were crowded, the revenue from pew rents soon became much larger than ever before, the contributions to various church objects were multiplied many times over those of previous years, large additions were made to the membership at each communion, and the churches and friends of the denomination throughout the city felt that for the first time in many years the church had assumed its proper position. In the second year of his pastorate, the congregation purchased a handsome parsonage, and added its free use to his salary. In the spring of 1872, with his wife, he made a European tour, his expenses being paid by the congregation. While he was absent in Europe, the | Pharmaceutical Laboratory.
degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by Lafayette College. During the first four years of his labor at the Arch Street Church, three earnest efforts were made by churches in distant cities to induce him to leave Phila- delphia; but, despite flattering inducements, they were at once positively declined. He has rare gifts as a pulpit orator, his style being characterized by unusual earnestness, boldness and finish, while personally he possesses those rare gifts of head and heart which invariably attract and rivet the affection of the best class of people. He has a natural aversion for lecturing and every other kind of labor except that to which he is devoting his life. This has led him persistently to decline taking part in committee and similar labors, but he has, nevertheless, felt constrained to serve, as at present (1873), as a Trustee of the Lincoln University, a Trustee of the Presbyterian Hospital of Phila- delphia, and a member of the Board of Education of the Presbyterian Church.
AISCH, JOHN M., Druggist and Merchant, was born at Ilanan, in Germany, on the 30th of Janu- ary, 1831. Emigrating to this country, he landed in New York in September, 1849. He found employment as a clerk in the cities of New York, Baltimore, and Washington successively, and finally came to Philadelphia in 1853. He began to con- tribute to the American Journal of Pharmacy in 1854, and in giving to the world the results of his scientific research upon pharmaceutical subjects, he acquired a fair reputation. From 1859 to 1861, he taught Practical Pharmacy and Ana- lytical Chemistry in the private Pharmaceutical school of Ed- ward Parrish. In 1861, he was appointed Professor of Materia Medica and Pharmacy in the College of Pharmacy of the City of New York, and removed thither, but resigned in March, 1863, and returned to Philadelphia. He then as- sumed the position of Chief Chemist with A. K. Smith, Sur- geon of the United States Army, and undertook the organiza- tion and management of the United States Army Laboratory located there by Surgeon-General Hammond. He held this position until after the close of the war, and by great industry and application he managed to manufacture and supply the army with a considerable portion of their medi- cinal preparations. In so doing, by his economy he had saved for the Government, according to the official labora- tory reports, up to October Ist, 1865, over three-fourths of a million of dollars. ile left the army laboratory in Janu- ary, 1866, and opened an apothecary store in Philadelphia. In the same year he was elected Professor of Pharmacy in the Philadelphia. College of Pharmacy. In the year follow- ing, he exchanged chairs with Professor Parrish in the same institution, and assumed the chair of Materia Medica and Botany. In 1870 and 1871, he was commissioned by the same college to open and conduct their Chemical and In March 1871, he was
Galaxy Pub. Co. Philada
William . A. Wallace .
75
DIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA.
clected to the vacant editorial chair of the American Jour- nal of Pharmacy. He has been Permanent Secretary to the American Pharmaceutical Association from 1865, and has been honored by election to honorary or corres- ponding membership by many of the Pharmaceutical socie- ties of the United States and Europe. The Maryland Col- lege of Pharmacy conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor in Pharmacy. Thus he has risen to the highest rank in his profession by native merit of the mind and diligent research. He has the satisfaction of knowing that he has contributed much to the advancement of his beloved profession and for the good of his fellow men.
*
gallant contests. Although thus earnestly devoted to the principles of the party with which he has been so long and so prominently identified, he has, by his sterling traits of character and profound knowledge of jurisprudence, se- cured the esteem of the best men of all parties. On all questions of law, his opinion is listened to in the Senate with the utmost attention, and his influence has been pow- crfully exerted in the modification and formation of some of the most important statutes of the Commonwealth. In the discussion of such questions, he uniformly rises above the consideration of mere partisan or local interests, and throws the weight of his influence in favor of those measures which, in his judgment, will result most beneficially for the general welfare of the State. He has always been, there- fore, opposed to special legislative enactments based upon suggestion's of mere expediency, and aimed to meet a pres- ent emergency, at the sacrifice of a general principle. Such a course, undeviatingly pursued during the whole period of his public life, has won for him not merely the apprecia- tion of political friends, but the well-earned reputation of an honest and faithful public servant throughout the Com- monwealth. In private life, his affability and unostentation have secured him the warm friendship of a wide circle, embracing some of the most prominent names in this and neighboring "States,
ALLACE, HION. WILLIAM A., Lawyer and Politician, was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, November 28th, 1827, of Scotch- Irish parentage. Having obtained a preliminary education in Clearfield Academy, he commenced the study of law with his father in 1847, and was admitted to the bar when only twenty years of age. Early in his practice, the land law statute attracted his'special attention, and he obtained a thorough knowledge of :the titles in that portion of the State. This soon brought him a large and lucrative practice, and for' fifteen years . he labored with an unusual degree of success. In 1862; he entered upon political life, and was elected State Senator ASSATT, ALEXANDER JOHNSTON, General Manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1840. Ilis father, Robert Cassatt, is descended from a family of French origin, who emigrated to this country at an early day, settled in Bergen county, New Jersey, and ultimately removed to York county, Penn- sylvania, where they located themselves in that part of it now known as Adams county. His mother was Catharine Johnston, daughter of Alexander Johnston, Jr., of the Chester county family of that name. He commenced his education in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he early ac- quired a remarkable facility in speaking the French and panied his parents to Europe, where his studies were con- tinued in the best institutions of learning. Upon his return to the United States, he entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at Troy, New York, where he graduated with great credit, and, going South, was for a short time em- ployed on one of the Georgia railroads. His engagement then was broken up by the outbreak of the civil war, and he was obliged to return North. An opportunity soon presented itself for him to obtain a position in the office of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Altoona. He ac- cepted it at once, and since that time has continued to reside there and give his attention to the interests of this leading road. Ilis abilities were quickly noted by the able men who are at the head of it, and he was rapidly pro- by the Democratic party. During his terms of office in Harrisburg, he commanded the respect and confidence of his brother Senators, by his integrity and . enlightened patriotism. He originated the resolution for the revision of the Civil Code, -- advocated zealously the education of orphan children of soldiers by the State,-strenuously op- posed the proposition for the increase of the rate of interest; also the changes in the law of evidence, by which a party should have the right to testify in his own case, and advo- cated with equal earnestness the passage of a free railroad law. He has been re-elected three times, and in 1865 was chosen Chairman of the Democratic Committee, which po- sition he has held almost ever since, and in which he has German languages. While still quite young, he accom- displayed all the qualities necessary for an' enlightened party leader. Ile was elected Speaker of the State Senate in 1871 ; a delegate to the Baltimore Convention in 1872, and the nominee of the Democratic members of the State Senate for United States Senator in 1869. These distinc tions abundantly testify to the esteem entertained for him throughout the party of which he is a conspicuous member. He married, before he was twenty one, a daughter of the Hon. Richard Shaw, of Clearfield, and is the father of a large family of children. To his efforts it was mainly due that a, systematic organization of the Democratic party was effected in 1866, and that in the following year the State was carried by Judge Sharswood for the Supreme Court. and also that in October, 1868, it made one of its most
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.