Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/669

Rh he was its president. He was one of the corporate members of the National academy of sciences, named by act of congress in 1863, and, although he soon resigned, his name was retained on the list of hon- orary members. His bibliography includes 175 titles, a full list of which, compiled by Alpheus S. Packard, accompanies the sketch of Dr. Wyman by him, which is published in the " Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences" (vol. ii., Washington, 1886). Asa Gray, Oliver Wen- dell Holmes, S. Weir Mitchell, Frederick W. Put- nam, and Burt G. Wilder published sketches of his life, and James Russell Lowell a memorial sonnet.

WYMAN, Thomas White, naval officer, b. in Roxbury, Mass., 24 March, 1793 ; d. in Florence, Italy, 24 Feb., 1854. He entered the navy as a mid- shipman, 17 Dec, 1810, was commissioned lieuten- ant, 27 April, 1816, was promoted to commander, 9 Feb., 1837, commanded the receiving-ship at Boston in 1837, and the sloop "John Adams" on the East India station, 1838-'40. He was promoted to captain, 2 March, 1842, commanded the flag- ship " Columbus," 1845-'8, on the Pacific station during the Mexican war, in which he participated in most of the operations on the Pacific coast of California and Mexico. He was commandant of Portsmouth navy-yard in 1849-'51, and was ap- fointed to the "Vermont" to cruise in the East ndies, but he went abroad on a leave of absence, and died there. — His son, Robert Harris, naval officer, b. in Portsmouth, N. H., 12 July, 1822 ; d. in Washington, D. C, 2 Dec, 1882, entered the navy as a midshipman, 11 March, 1837, attended the naval school at Philadelphia in 1842-'3, and became a passed midshipman, 29 June, 1843. He was acting master in the frigate "Brandy wine" in 1843-'6, and during the Mexican war served in the Gulf squadron, with which he participated in the siege and capture of Vera Cruz, and the expeditions that captured Tuspan and Tampico, with many prizes, in 1847. He served at the naval observa- tory at Washington in 1848-'50, was promoted to ljeutenant, 16 Jidy, 1850, and was again attached to the observatory in 1853-'4. When the civil war began he commanded the steamer " Yankee"' from July till October, 1861, the steamer "Pawnee" in the South Atlantic squadron at the capture of Port Royal in 1861, and then the Potomac flotilla, by which he kept the river open and silenced the Confederate batteries on the banks. He was pro- moted to commander, 16 July, 1862, had the steam- er " Wachusett " on the Potomac in 1862-'3, and the " Santiago de Cuba " on the blockade in 1863-'4. He was commissioned captain, 25 July, 1866, and in October, 1869, appointed chief hydrographer of the navy at Washington, where he remained eight years and acquired an enviable reputation for the excellence of his hydrographic work. He was pro- moted to commodore, 19 July, 1872, and to rear- admiral, 26 April, 1878, was commander-in-chief of the North Atlantic fleet in 1879-82, and in May, 1882, appointed a member of the light-house board, of which he became chairman, 5 June, 1882. He was stricken with apoplexy at his desk in the treasury department, and died the same night.

WYNKOOP, Henry, member of the Continen- tal congress, b. in Northampton countv, Pa., 2 March, 1737; d. in Bucks county, Pa.," 24 Oct., 1812. His ancestor, Gerardus, settled in Moreland, Philadelphia co., Pa., in 1717. Henry received a classical eduation and early espoused the patriot cause. He was a member of the Northampton coun- ty committee of observation in 1774, a deputy to the provincial conference of 15 July of that year, and of the provincial conference that met in Carpen- ter's Hall, Philadelphia, on 18 June, 1775. About the same time he became a major of one of the associated battalions. He served on the general committee of safety from July, 1776, till July, 1777, was chosen by the General assembly one of the commissioners to settle the accounts of county lieutenants, 4 Dec, 1778, and on 3 March, 1779, when Edward Biddle resigned his seat in con- gress, was chosen in his place, being re-elected, 24 Nov., 1780, and 22 Nov., 1781. He was commis- sioned a justice of the court of common pleas and the orphans' court on 18 Nov., 1780, and held office till 27 June, 1789, when he was elected to the first congress of the United States, serving till 1791. He was then appointed an associate judge of Bucks county, which post he held until his death.

WYNN, Richard, soldier, b. in eastern Vir- ginia about 1750; d. in Tennessee in 1813. He entered the Continental service early in the Revo- lutionary war, and in 1775 was a lieutenant of South Carolina rangers, participating in the battle on Sullivan's island. He was then placed in com- mand of Fort Mcintosh, Ga., promoted colonel, and transferred to the charge of the militia in Fairfield district, S. C. He fought at Hanging Rock, where he was wounded, and was actively engaged during the remainder of the war. At its close he became brigadier-general of militia, and then major-general. He afterward settled in South Carolina, was a representative in the 3d congress, and served by re-election from 1809 till 1813.

WYNNE, James, physician, b. in Utica, N. Y., in 1814; d. in Guatemala, Central America, 11 Feb., 1871. He was a lineal descendant of Sir John Wynn, of Gwydyr, Wales. He was educated at the University of the city of New York, stud- ied medicine, and was licensed to practise, settling in Baltimore, Md. Later he removed to New York city, where he devoted much attention to the sub- ject of life insurance and medical jurisprudence, contributing to the " Transactions of the American Medical Society," to the " North American Review," " Knickerbocker," and other standard magazines, and about 1867 he emigrated to Guatemala, where he engaged in coffee-culture. He published valu- able reports, including " Public Hygiene " (New York, 1847) ; " Asiatic Cholera in the United States in 1847," prepared at the request of the British government, from which he received a medal (Lon- don, 1852); and one on the "Vital Statistics of the United States," made to the Mutual life in- surance company of New York and London (New York, 1857). His other works are "Memoir of Maj. Samuel Ringgold" (Baltimore, 1847); "Lives of Eminent Literary and Scientific Men of Ameri- ca " (New York, 1850) ; " Importance of the Study of Legal Medicine " (New York, 1857) ; and " The Private Libraries of New York " (1863).

WYNNS, Thomas, soldier, b. in Hertford county, N. C., in 1764; d. there, 3 June, 1825. He was the youngest of four brothers, all of whom, except himself, were Revolutionary soldiers. In 1780 he was captured at sea in a vessel called the " Fair American," and, with several other colonists, was carried to London. He returned after the peace, settled in his native county as a planter, and in 1788 was a member of the North Carolina convention that acted on the constitution of the United States. Mr. Wynns became state senator in 1790, and held that office continuously till 1817, with the exception of his service in congress. He was chosen to that body in 1802, and held his seat by re-election in 1803-'7. He was a member of the executive council and a brigadier-general of militia. Winston, N. C, is named in his honor.