Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/628

592 " The Mechanics of Fluids " (1884) ; " Trigonome- try, Analytical, Plane, and Spherical " (1885) ; and " Thermodynamics " (1887).

WOOD, Edmund Burke, Canadian jurist, b. near Fort Erie, Ont., 13 Feb., 1820 ; d. in Winni- peg, Manitoba, 7 Oct.-, 1882. He was graduated at Oberlin in 1848, studied law, and in 1853 was ad- mitted to the Canadian bar as an attorney. In 1854 he was called to the bar of Ontario, and en- tered into partnership with Peter Ball Long. In 1863 he was elected to parliament as a supporter of the Macdonald-Dorion government. He sat in the house until 1867, when the union of the colonies took place. At the first general election afterward he presented himself for a seat in the Ontario house of assembly. In those days dual representation was allowed, and he was elected to a seat in both the legislative assembly of Ontario and the house of commons of Canada. In July, 1867, Mr. Wood entered the Ontario coalition ministry of John Sand- field Macdonald as provincial treasurer. He be- came an expert financial minister, and his budget speeches rank among the best that were delivered in the Ontario legislature. In December, 1871, he resigned his office, but he continued to sit in the as- sembly as a private member. In 1872 he was made a queen's counsel, and in the following year was elected a bencher of the Law society. In 1873 Mr. Wood resigned his seat in the Ontario legislature, And, announcing his candidature for the house of commons, was returned by acclamation. He held his seat until 11 March, 1874, when the Macken- zie- Dorion administration appointed him chief jus- tice of Manitoba. As a member of the house of commons he took part in the attack on Sir John A. Macdonald and his cabinet in the Pacific scan- dal question. While treasurer of Ontario he in- troduced the scheme for the settlement of the municipal loan fund of Upper Canada, and brought to a conclusion the financial arbitration between •Ontario and Quebec provinces consequent on con- federation, drafting the award with his own hand. In 1871 his popularity and political standing suf- fered somewhat in consequence of the charge that he had betrayed his leader during the time that the fortunes of his government were hanging in the balance. He possessed a voice of singularly •deep notes, and Thomas D'Arcy McGee gave him the name of " Big Thunder." As chief justice he instituted many important reforms in the legal Erocedure of the courts of Manitoba. In the cele- rated case of The Queen vs. Ambrose Lepine for the murder of Thomas Scott at Fort Garry, during the Red river rebellion, Judge Wood's decision was con- firmed by the law officers of the crown in England. In 1882 an attempt was made in the house of com- mons at Ottawa to impeach him on the grounds •of " misconduct, corruption, injustice, conspiracy, partiality, and arbitrariness," and a petition was sent to parliament in which these charges were preferred. The judge returned an answer of 128 pages octavo, in which he denied the accusations, explained the transactions to which the petitioners referred, and assailed the character of his oppo- nents. Parliament appointed a special commission to deal with the question, but, as the chief justice died late in the autumn, the matter was dropped.

WOOD, Eleazer Derby, soldier, b. in New York city in 1783 ; d. near Fort Erie, Upper Cana- da, 17 Sept., 1814. He was graduated at the U. S. military academy, 30 Oct., 1806. appointed 2d lieu- tenant in the corps of engineers, and assisted in the construction of Castle Williams, Governor's island, N. Y.. and Fort Norfolk, Va. In the war with Great Britain he conducted the defence of Fort Meigs during its siege, was engaged in the sortie of 5 May, 1813, and was in command of the artillery at the battle of the Thames, 5 Oct. fol- lowing. He was appointed acting adjutant-gen- eral to Gen. William Henry Harrison in October, , was transferred to the Northern army in, and engaged in all the events of that cam- paign, including the capture of Fort Erie on 3 July and the battles of Chippewa and Niagara, and was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for bravery at the last-named action. After the battle of Niagara the American army fell back to Fort Erie. Col. Wood, in command of the 21st infantry, partici- pated in the repulse of the assault on this fort, 15 Aug., 1814, and was killed in a sortie a few days afterward. Wood county, Ohio, which contains the site of Fort Meigs, and Fort Wood on Bedlow's island, New York harbor, were named in his honor. Gen. Jacob Brown erected a handsome monu- ment to his memory at West Point.

WOOD, Fernando, mayor of New York city, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 14 June, 1812 ; d. in Washington, D. C, 14 Feb., 1881. He was of Quaker descent, and went to New York city in 1820, where he early entered business and became a shipping-merchant. From the time that he attained his majority he was active in public matters, and attracted notice by his writing and speaking. In 1839 he was chairman of the chief young men's political organization in New York city, and a year later he was elected as a Democrat to congress, serving from 31 May, 1841, till 3 March, 1843. On the expiration of his term he returned to his business, which occupied his attention until his retirement in 1850. He was then nominated by the Democratic party for the mayoralty of New York city, but was defeated by a combination of the Whig and Know-Nothing parties. He was a successful candidate in 1854, at a time when the city government was in a state of demoralization, and he at once devised a municipal system to secure good government. Various reforms were introduced and were received with such satisfaction that he was re-elected by the better element of both parties in 1856. During the winter of 1856-'7 a bill was passed by the state legislature depriving the mayor of all control of the police, and abolishing the municipal force. Acting by advice of the counsel of the corporation and of Charles O'Conor, he refused to recognize the change, and endeavored to maintain the municipal police, for which the authority had been in existence for 200 years. The metropolitan police was organized, and a collision between the two forces occurred, resulting in a serious riot. (See Matsell, George.) Ultimately the municipal police went out of existence, and at the ensuing election Mr. Wood was defeated. He was again elected in 1859, and in January, 1861, when the question of secession was foremost, recommended that New York secede and become a free city. Mr. Wood then returned to congress and served from 7 Dec, 1863, till 3 March, 1865. After a year in Europe he was re-elected to congress and served from 4 March, 1867, till 3 March, 1877. — His brother, Benjamin, journalist, b. in Shelbyville, Ky., 13 Oct., 1820, received a common-school education, and early became self-supporting. In the capacity of a supercargo, he went to the West Indies and Central America. Subsequently he engaged in business in New York city, and in 1860 he purchased the " Daily News " and became its editor. He supported Stephen A. Douglas in his canvass for the presidency in 1860, becoming chairman of the committee of editors that met in the Astor house. Mr. Wood was elect-