Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/255

Rh VANASSE VERTEFEUILLE, Fabien, Canadian journalist, b. in St. Davids, Quebec, 6 Nov., 1849. He was educated at Nicolet seminary, ad- mitted to the bar in Montreal in 1875, was presi- dent of L'Institut legal of Montreal in 1873, and vice-president of the club Cartier in 1877-'9. He is editor of "L'Opinion publique" and of "Le Monde " in Montreal, and was president of the Quebec press association in 1885. He was elected for Yamaska to the Canadian parliament, 7 July, 1879, and was re-elected in 1882 and in 1887. He is a Conservative.

VAN BRUNT, Gershom Jaques, naval officer, b. in Monmouth county, N. J., 28 Aug., 1798; d. in Dedham, Mass., 17 Dec, 1863. He entered the service as a midshipman on 1 Jan., 1818, served in Com. David Porter s Mosquito fleet against pirates in the West Indies, was made a lieutenant on 3 March, 1827, and rose to be a commander on 29 May, 1846, and commanded the brig " Etna " in the Gulf during the Mexican war, during which he participated in the expedition against Tuspan and the second expedition against Tobasco. He served as a commissioner to survey the boundary-line of California in 1848-'50, and was promoted a captain on 14 Sept., 1855. He commanded the " Minne- sota," and took an active part in the reduction of the forts at Cape Hatteras and in operations in the

North Carolina sounds and the blockade of Hamp- ton Roads, where he saved his ship from the Con- federate ram " Merrimac." He was commissioned as commodore on 16 July, 1862, and was retired because of his age on 28 April, 1863. — His son, Henry, architect, b. in Boston, Mass., 5 Sept., 1832, was graduated at Harvard in 1854, and studied architecture. For two years during the civil war he served in the navy on the staff of the admiral commanding the North Atlantic squadron. He has practised his profession in Boston, Mass., and of late years in Kansas City, Mo., while retaining his office in the former city. Mr. Van Brunt has occasionally written on subjects connected with his art for the " Atlantic Monthly " and other periodi- cals. He was the architect, in conjunction with William R. Ware, of Memorial hall (see illustra- tion), the Harvard library, the Medical school, and the buildings of the Episcopal theological school at Cambridge, Mass. ; of the Conservatory of music, Stone hall, and the sanitarium of Wellesley college ; of the First church of Boston, St. Stephen's church at Lynn, St. John's memorial church at Cambridge, Grace church at New Bedford, and many other ecclesiastical buildings ; .of public libraries in Cam- bridge and Dedham, Mass., and East Saginaw, Mich., as well as the library of Michigan univer- sity at Ann Arbor. He is at present a member of the firm of Van Brunt and Howe, architects of many mercantile buildings in the west and of sta- tion buildings for the Union Pacific railroad. VAN BUNSCHOOTEN, Elias, clergyman, b. in New Hackensack, Dutchess co., N. Y., 26 Oct., 1738; d. in Sussex county, N. J., 10 Jan., 1815. He was graduated at Princeton in 1768, studied for the ministry of the Reformed Dutch church, was licensed to preach in 1773, and settled first in Schaghticoke, N. Y. On 29 Aug., 1785, he was in- stalled as pastor at Minisink, N. Y., taking charge also of two other churches. In 1787 a fourth church was organized at a place called the Clove in Sussex county, N. J., where he resided in 1792. He gave $17,000 for the education of candidates for the ministry in Rutgers college and the New Brunswick theological seminary.

VAN BUREN, James Lyman, soldier, b. in Dunkirk, N. Y., 21 June, 1837 ; d. in New York city, 13 April, 1866. He was graduated at the New York free academy in 1856, studied law, and travelled in Europe, returning shortly before the beginning of the civil war. He entered the Na- tional army as a lieutenant of New York volun- teers, was detailed to learn the signal code, and acted as signal officer on Gen. John G. Foster's staff at Roanoke island and at New Berne. After the taking of New Berne he served as judge- advocate of the department on the staff of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, and subsequently as military secretary to Gov. Edward Stanly. He rejoined Gen. Burnside after the battle of Antietam, and was with him while he commanded the Army of the Potomac, and afterward in the East Tennes- see campaign. In 1864 he served with credit in Gen. Grant's campaign against Richmond, receiv- ing the brevet of lieutenant-colonel for his bravery, and subsequently that of colonel for his services in the Knoxville campaign. In the assault on the works at Petersburg he gained the brevet rank of brigadier-general.

VAN BUREN, John Dash, merchant, b. in New York city, 18 March, 1811: d. in Newburg, N. Y., 1 Dec, 1885. He was graduated at Columbia in 1829, studied and practised law, afterward engaged in mercantile pursuits, and became the head of the importing-house of Benjamin Aymar and Co.. New York city, retiring about 1850." He aided Sec Salmon P. Chase in drafting tax and other financial bills, was a member of the legislature in 1863, and acted as Gov. John T. Hoffman's private secretary in 1868-72. Mr. Van Buren was a frequent writer for the press on questions of financial legislation, and a strong advocate of a metallic currency. — His son, John Dash, civil engineer, b. in New York city, 8 Aug., 1838, studied at the Lawrence scientific school of Harvard, and in Rensselaer polytechnic institute, where he was graduated in 1860. After serving for a year as assistant engineer of the Croton aqueduct in New York city, he entered the engineer corps of the U. S. navy, took part in the operations on James river, and was for four years assistant professor of natural philosophy and of engineering in the U. S. naval academy, being promoted first assistant engineer on 1 Jan., 1865. He resigned his commission on 22 Sept., 1868, was admitted to the bar in 1869, and practised law for a short time in New York city, then returned to the profession of engineering, was in charge for construction in the department of docks in New York city, was appointed, on a commission to investigate canals in 1875, and in 1876-7 was state engineer and surveyor. Besides papers in the " Journal of the Franklin Institute" and the "Transactions" of the American society of civil engineers, he has published "Investigation of Formulas for Iron Parts of Steam Machinery " (New York, 1869).