The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1, Part 9

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 908

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ORTER, DAVID RITTENIIOUSE, Manufac- turer, and Governor of Pennsylvania, was born October 31st, 1788, in Montgomery county, Penn- sylvania. General Andrew Porter, his father, was a distinguished soldier of the Revolution, and subsequently the first Surveyor General of the Commonwealth, a branch of science in which he had IDGWAY, THOMAS, Merchant, was born in Monmouth county, New Jersey, May 5th, 1797. His father, John Ridgway, an elder brother of the late distinguished merchant, Jacob Ridgway, was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and after a long life of usefulness, died in 1845, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. Ile was much esteemed and beloved by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. It. may not be inappropriate to mention here that Jacob Ridgway was born in 1768, and removed from New Jersey to Philadelphia at the age of sixteen. The small capital left him by his father he rapidly increased by merchan- dising. He was most successful as a shipping merchant, and lived abroad many years for the protection of his interests in that line. While in Europe, he constantly remitted sums to be invested in real estate in Philadelphia, and on his return to this country he devoted himself exclu- sively to the management of his property. Eventually the rise in these investments made him enormously wealthy, and when he died, in 1843, he was justly accounted a millionaire. Thomas, the subject of this sketch, was edu- cated at schools in the country, and at Friends' West-town Boarding School, until the age of thirteen, when he was placed by his father in a commission house, on the wharf below Chestnut street. There he remained till 1816, when he entered into the flour and grain commission business with his brother Jacob, under the firm of J. & T. Ridgway. The senior partner retired inf 1821, when Thomas took into partnership his cousin, Benjamin Ridgway, and the business was conducted under the firm of Thomas & Ben- jamin Ridgway. In 1823, Mr. Benjamin Ridgway retired, when a co-partnership was formed with Mr. John Linzey. In 1825, this firm was in full and successful operation, when many business men, who have since become promi- been the pupil of the eminent David Rittenhouse, after whom he named this son, whom he early destined for the bar. The confinement of legal studies, however, under- mined his health, and consequently he chose the more" active pursuit of an iron manufacturer, and for that purpose removed to Huntingdon county. Here. he gave close attention to the most improved methods of reducing and refining ore. In 1821, he was elected .a member of the House of Representatives of the State, and subsequently of the State Senate. His speeches in these bodies, always brief but full of point, of practical wisdom, and sound information, soon attracted the general attention of the community. In 1838, he was elected Governor of the State, an honor he wore with such general satisfaction that again, in 1841, he was called to the chair, and this time with a majority nearly four times as large as at his first election. No stronger testimony could be given of the confidence and esteem which his course of policy had in- spired. His insight of men and measures has rarely been surpassed. His appointments of Judges (then not elected as now ) have, without exception, given entire satisfaction ; while his appreciation of the great industrial discoveries of that day surpassed that of nearly all his contemporaries. In one of his early messages, he predicted that men then living would see a continuous line of railroad from Phila- delphia to St. Louis, a prediction ridiculed at the time as chimerical in the highest degree. To his financial integ- rity and sense of justice in reference to the State debt, Pennsylvania owes much of her present high character in the European money markets; and his personal courage and decision were so fully attested at the period of the Philadelphia riots (1844), that both branches of City Coun- cils publicly thanked him. After the completion of his term, he resumed, in 1845, the manufacture of iron, direct- Inent, were just making their way into active life. In

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BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPÆDIA.

January, 1836, Mr. Linzey retired, and the firm of Ridg- way & Budd was immediately formed. The circle of their business was greatly enlarged, and continued to increase yearly. Just after the great conflagration of the 9th of July, 1850, the firm dissolved, and the style of the house was changed to Budd & Comly, Mr. Ridgway retiring, the latter being now Collector of the Port. In July, 1851, the office of President of the Girard Life Insurance, Annuity and Trust Company" became vacant, by the death of IIon. B. W. Richards, and he was unanimously chosen by the Directors his successor. Ile still continues to pre- side over that substantial and prosperous institution, the office of which is now located at 633 and 635 Chestnut street. This insurance company was chartered in 1836, and is, therefore, with one exception, the oldest in the State. From the day this institution went into operation, it has always enjoyed, and justly so, the confidence of the public; but under the skilful and prudent management of its present President, assisted by the accomplished Actuary, John F. James, (now Wm. H. Stoever, Treas- urer, and Chas. O. Groome, Actuary, ) and an able Board of Directors, it has gained the front rank among life insur- ance companies. Mr. Ridgway, an earnest advocate for the common school system, held for several years the office of School Director, the only office he could ever be induced to accept from the public. He has been, for years, a lib- eral contributor to the various public libraries of Philadel- phia, in several of which he has taken an active interest, serving as manager, treasurer, etc. Within a few years past, he has also been one of the visitors to the convicts of the Eastern Penitentiary. During the alarming ravages of the yellow fever in 1820, and of the cholera in 1832, with a devotion to duty characteristic of the man, he remained, while others were flying in fear and dismay from the infected city, faithfully attending not only to his daily business as a merchant, but exerting himself to calm the fears of the panic-stricken, and ministering, so far as he was able, to the relief of the suffering and the destitute. In politics, he is a decided Republican, having sympa- thized with that party through all the exciting events which culminated in the war of the Rebellion. In religion, he inclines to the Hicksites branch of the Society of Friends, the members of which have always enjoyed power and wealth in Philadelphia. At the first settlement of this city, " the people called Quakers " were at the head of the com- munity, and they have retained a considerable portion of this ancient prominence up to the present time. They have given to the place many of its peculiar features; the name of " Quaker City " is a testimonial of their influence, which is as widely known as Philadelphia itself. ITis character is a marked one, and his acquaintances can never misunderstand his peculiarities. When engaged in any transaction, he unites every energy of his mind- upon the single object before him, and holds fast to it until his object is thoroughly secured.

HAMBERS, REV. JOIIN, Independent Presby- terian Clergyman, was born December 19th, 1797, in county Tyrone, Ireland. When but a few months old, his parents removed to this country, and settled in Jefferson county, Ohio. Successful in their pursuits, their son was placed at school in Baltimore in 1813, with the Rev. James Grey, D. D. Feeling himself called to the ministry of the Pres- byterian Church, he commenced his studies under the Rev. John Duncan, D. D., and was licensed to preach by the Second Presbytery of Philadelphia in the year 1825. In May of that year he received a call to the Ninth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, at that time a feeble congregation, with but seventy or eighty communicants. The determined stand which he took in favor of the tem- perance movement greatly dissatisfied some of the members of his congregation. He also opposed, with equal earnest- ness, the habit of theatre-going, and insisted that such conduct is inconsistent with true Christian life. In spite of the opposition these views encountered, he succeeded in carrying out a salutary reform in both these respects. When he appeared for ordination in that year, he declined, from conscientious motives, to subscribe to the Westmin- ster Confession of Faith. His congregation supported hin in this position, and he was ordained by the Society of Congregational Ministers of the Western District of New Haven county, Connecticut. This difficulty overcome, he commenced and maintained a successful career as a pulpit orator and a public-spirited citizen. Vehement and elo- quent, he has allowed no consideration to obscure his sense of duty, and has advocated, with unsparing vigor, all re- forms which have appeared to him salutary. As early as 1840, he organized a Youth's Temperance Society. Since the establishment of the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion, he has rendered it the most efficient service. The Bethany Mission, a useful and religious enterprise in this city, owes to him its origin and influence ; and no scheme of general beneficence for his people and the public in this city, during his residence here, has appealed to him for aid to which he has not been always ready to extend prompt and valuable assistance. As a pulpit orator, he is eloquent, pointed and vehement, and many anecdotes are mentioned of the power of his language over his auditors. The most convincing proof of this, however, is his unusual and striking success throughout his ministerial career, from its commencement, nigh half a century ago, to the present day. Ilis temperance sermons are considered among the most effective ever delivered in Philadelphia, and he has rendered great service to this and other good canses by addresses to public assemblages outside the pale of his own congregation. The ardor with which he combats vice in all its forms, and his unsparing earnestness in denouncing evil-doers, have naturally, at times, excited the hostility of . those who prefer wrong to right, and even occasionally have been misunderstood by those who sympathized in

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.

Christian work; but the rule and object of his actions cannot miss a correct interpretation from those who study his life; and none will question the truth of what he once said of himself in a Thanksgiving Sermon, in the following words : " For myself, I can say my single end and purpose is to devote all the energies of my nature, both mind and body, to the advancement of the kingdom of the Prince of Peace in the salvation of men. This, and this alone, is my specific business in the world; and I am bound, as a minister of the Gospel, to know nothing among men but Christ and Him crucified. As ambassador for Christ, we must adhere strictly to the rules of His embassage, other- wise the whole government of God's world would be thrown into confusion." The force of this strong sense of personal allegiance to the demands of duty is strikingly exemplified in his career. To it he has bent the energies of a long life; and to fulfil it perfectly, he has spared no labor. As a scholar he ranks high, and the degree of Doctor of Divinity has been conferred upon him by one of our institutions of learning.

ATTERSON, GENERAL ROBERT, of Phila- delphia, was born in the county of Tyrone, Ire- land, in 1792. He is the; son of: Francis Patterson, a respectable farmer, who, having taken part in the Irish Rebellion 'of 1798, deemed it prudent to emigrate to the United States. He located in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where. he pur- sued his occupation of agriculturist. ' His son received a good English education, and being inclined to a mercantile career, was placed in the counting house of Edward Thompson, at that period one of the leading merchants of Philadelphia. From his earliest youth, he was fond of military matters. It was, therefore, an event not unex- pected by his relatives and friends, when the war of 1812 broke out, that he should ask employment in the military service of his country. . At the commencement of the war, when only nineteen years of age, he was commissioned Lieutenant of Infantry in the Regular Army, and subse- quently was promoted to a Captaincy. Though so young, he.was already regarded as a brave and competent officer, and possessed the entire confidence of his superiors in com- mand, and of his companions in the field. When peace was declared in 1815, he returned to mercantile pursuits ; but continued, however, to take a deep interest in military affairs, and mainly contributed to the efficient military organization of the volunteer service which the city of Philadelphia for many years possessed. Passing through the subordinate grades, he became the Major-General of the First Division in 1828, which rank he held for more than forty years. In the violent political disturbances which took place in December, 1838, in obedience to a requisi- tion from the Governor of Pennsylvania, he repaired to in which he was engaged. While thus employed, he was,

Harrisburg with his division; and, by his prompt, ener- getic and soldierly deportment, allayed the unhappy excite- ment which then prevailed at the Capital, and which, but for his forbearance and good conduct, might have pro. duced the most disastrous consequences to the Common- wealth. In 1844, he rendered important military service in suppressing the disgraceful riots of that period, when a mad fanaticism seemed, for a time, to take possession of no inconsiderable portion of the people. When the war with Mexico broke out, in 1846, he was selected by the United States Government for a high command. The regular army was composed of but a few thousand men, yet, on the call for volunteers, thousands of additional troops ranged themselves under the flag of their country. At the first call, only one regiment was asked for from Pennsylvania, but Governor Shunk transmitted to the War Department offers sufficient to fill nine regiments. Finally, two regi- ments were accepted from this State. General Patterson was appointed Major-General in the army, and was selected by the Government at Washington to command the troops destined for Vera Cruz, thence to march upon the City of Mexico, Subsequently, however, General Scott was sent out for this purpose, and he became the second in com- mand. . When he first repaired to the field, General Taylor assigned him to the duty of disciplining the new recruits that were assembled on the Rio Grande; and when that was well done, he took command of the expedition against Tampico, marching to that place via Santander, Sota La Morena, and Victoria, over four hundred miles. His division bore its full share in the siege and capture of Vera Cruz, and also of the hard fighting at Cerro Gordo. To assume the command at this latter locality, he was obliged to be lifted from a sick bed into the saddle, and for his conduct on that occasion, received the commendations of the General-in-Chief. By the subsequent reduction of the army, he was relieved from command, and made a brief visit home, returning, however, to Mexico in time to take part in the closing scenes of the campaign. When General Scott was relieved from command, he took his place as Military Chief of the army, his headquarters being in the City of Mexico. . When peace was declared, he withdrew the troops from that country, and on his return to the United States once more resumed the occupations of civil life. Still retaining his command as Major-General of the First Division of Pennsylvania Volunteers, when the great war of the Rebellion broke out, he was called again into actual service. On the 15th of April, 1861, the President of the United States issued a requisition for 75,000 men for three months, of which the quota assigned to Pennsyl- vania was sixteen regiments. On the 16th of the same month, the Governor of Pennsylvania assigned to him the command of the troops. He immediately commenced the organization of the men for service in the field, relinquish- ing, at great pecuniary loss, the large commercial business

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.

by order of the Secretary of War, placed in command of the country was smarting under the humiliation of the dis- aster at Bull Run), has been vindicated by time, and is now admitted by the ablest military critics to have been all that could possibly be required of a faithful and competent officer. When the facts and orders of this campaign were presented to President Lincoln, the latter said, " General Patterson, I have never found fault with or censured you ; I have never been able to see that you could have done anything else than you did do. Your hands were tied; you obeyed orders, and did your duty, and I am satisfied with your conduct." As this part of his career has been the subject of misapprehension and misrepresentation, justice requires this statement. Ile has, of late years, published a narrative of his Campaign in the Valley of the Shenandoah, which gives full details on this subject. At the close of his term of service, he received an honorable discharge, and retired to private life. Although he has entered his 82d year, he is full of strength and vigor; and directs his extensive mercantile and manufacturing business with his accustomed skill and enterprise. He is noted as well for military knowledge, and success as an enterprising merchant, as also for his correct deportment as a citizen, and for the elegant and liberal hospitality he dispenses to an extended circle of friends, which his long career in public and private life has gathered around him. He is a member of the Tenth Presbyterian (Rev. Dr. Boardman's) Church; and has been for a long series of years President of the Hibernia Society of Philadelphia. the " Department of Washington," which embraced the States of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and the Dis- trict of Columbia, his headquarters being at Philadelphia. Here he organized an army, and regarding the route via Annapolis as the only tenable one, through which to com- municate with the Seat of Government, he caused that place to be seized and held by our troops, and afterwards suc- ceeded in re-opening communication with the Capital. He subsequently ordered the First Regiment of Pennsyl- vania Artillery, with Sherman's Battery, all under the command of his son-the late General Frank E. Patterson -to open the route through Baltimore, which had been closed since the attack on the Massachusetts Regiment. At this most perilous juncture he comprehended the wants of the Government, and took the responsibility (April 25th, 1861,) of making a requisition on the Governor of Pennsyl- vania, to direct the organization, in that State, of twenty- five regiments of volunteers, in addition to those called for by the Secretary of War. The Governor promptly re- sponded; but the Secretary of War-even when the term of the " three months' men " was half exhausted-declined to receive any more regiments. Governor Curtin, however, subsequently induced the Legislature to organize the twenty-five regiments. This was the origin of that fine body of soldiers, known as the " Pennsylvania Reserves," who were gladly accepted by the Secretary of War after the disastrous battle of Bull Run, and who, hastening to Washington, were mainly instrumental in preventing the Capital from falling into the hands of the rebels. General Patterson personally took command June 3d, 1861, at Chambersburgh, Pennsylvania. His troops consisted chiefly USHIONG, HENRY, Banker and Manufacturer, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, March 25th, 1826. He is the second son of Philip Bushong, of Lebanon county. He was educated at the Litiz Academy, where he re- mained till the age of twelve years, when he began to work. He entered his father's distillery, in 1846, obtaining an interest in the business, in which he remained till 1863, when he abandoned it on account of the law con- trolling the manufacture of liquors, which made it impossible for an honest man to carry it on, with profit to himself. Hle then embarked in the banking business, establishing, in partnership with his brother Jacob, the house of Bushong Bros., of Reading, so widely known throughout the State and elsewhere. This bank was commenced on a small scale, and more as a matter of pastime than profit ; but, the manner adopted by the firm of transacting their business, was such as to rapidly increase it so that when the panic of 1873 overspread the country, they had in their possession $2,100,000, or more than all the other banks in the city combined, while the increase in their deposits was $300,000. Their system has liberalized the banking business in that section of the State, and changed the old aristocratie plan of Pennsylvanians, who had promptly responded to the call of President Lincoln. Here he organized his forces, and proposed, as the first measure, an attack on the insurgents at Maryland Heights, near Harper's Ferry. This recom- mendation, though approved at first by General Scott, yet on the eve of its being attempted, was countermanded by that officer, with directions to await reinforcements. Some while after, and as soon as permitted, he advanced with less than 11,000 men, and although delayed for a time by contradictory orders from Washington, he compelled Gen- eral Johnston, by a flank movement, to evacuate Harper's Ferry, and then gallantly encountering the enemy under General T. J. (" Stonewall ") Jackson, just beyond Falling Waters, routed them, after a sharp conflict, in which they lost sixty killed and a large number wounded, and drove them several miles. Subsequent operations of the Union forces, upon much grander scales, have caused this brilliant little affair to be forgotten. At the time, however, being the first instance that any number of our troops had been under fire, their gallant behaviour in resisting an attack led by so able a commander as " Stonewall " Jackson, was a matter of very general congratulation and natural pride. Ilis subsequent strategy, though severely censured (when Ito a new and popular method, much to the benefit and

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPÆDIA.

satisfaction of the community. It has given a strong | at Vicksburg were invaluable. For forty days and nights, impetus to the rapid and substantial development of the wealth, and to the steady growth, of the city and its sur- roundings. As the authors of these desirable results, the brothers are deservedly popular, their large establishment being in the most flourishing condition, with every prospect of remaining so. In 1868, he engaged heavily in the manu- facture of pig-iron-as a member of the firm of Bushong & Co .- and, in 1871, became extensively interested in a paper mill, investing a large amount of capital in that enterprise. His business liberality and heavy investments in commer- cial and industrial establishments, have rendered him one of the most prominent among the representative men of the State. He was married, in 1844, to Miss IIeiffer, of Reading, by whom he has one daughter. He is one of the originators and promoters, and is the President, of the Berks County Railroad. he bombarded this stronghold, co-operating with General Grant, and contributing to its surrender, July 4, 1863, on which day he was created Rear-Admiral. In the same year, he cleared the Yazoo river of torpedoes, and blockaded eleven Confederate steamers on White river. In 1864, he rendered valuable, though fruitless, assistance to General Banks' memorable Red river expedition, and extricated his fleet, April, 1864, when the water had fallen, by damming the river at the falls. IIe was next ordered to command the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and January 15th, 1865, captured Fort Fisher, being aided by 8500 troops led by Major- General Terry. Ile was commissioned Vice- Admiral, July 25th, 1866, and appointed Superintendent of the Naval Academy. On the death of Admiral Farragut, August 14th, 1870, he was promoted to the highest rank- Admiral of the Navy.

ORTER, DAVID D., Admiral of the United States Navy, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1814, and is a son of the late Commodore Porter. While a child, he accompanied his father in his cruise against the West India pirates, in 1823-'25. IIe received his warrant as Mid- shipman, February 20, 1829; as Passed-Midshipman, June 4th, 1836, and was commissioned Lieutenant, February, 1841. Ile spent nine years on the Mediterranean Station, and about five on the Coast Survey. Subsequently he was attached to the Naval Observatory at Washington, and later to the Home Squadron. During the Mexican War, he was present at the attacks on Vera Cruz, Tuspan, Tobasco, and participated in the land fights at Tamultec and Chiffon. Afterwards, until the close of 1849, he served on the Coast Survey. From IS51 to 1853, he commanded the Pacific Mail Steamer " Georgia ; " and in 1853, while in command of the steamer " Crescent City," and during the excitement between Spain and the United States relative to the " Black Warrior," he ran under the shotted guns of " Moro Castle " at Havana, and landed the United States mail at that city. In 1855-'57, he commanded the Store-ship " Supply," and from 1858 to 1860, was attached to the Navy Yard at Kittery, Maine. He was made Commander, April 22d, 1861, and ordered to command the steam sloop " Powhatan," in which he proceeded to the relief of Fort Pickens. Hle next commanded the Mortar Fleet, and co-operated with Flag- Officer Farragut in his operations below New Orleans. Having reduced Forts Jackson and St. Philip by bombard- ment, the commanders of which surrendered to him, he advanced up the Mississippi, and harassed the enemy at all points. In October, 1862, he was appointed to command the Gun Boat Flotilla of 125 vessels, improvised from river steamers, and had to train its 1300 men. In January, 1863, the fleet captured Arkansas Port, and in the following May destroyed the rebel batteries at Grand Gulf. His services

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The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1, Part 9

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n Publication date: 1874 Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 908

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 908