Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/233

Rh signed this office in 1836 to become governor of his state, and served till 1839. He was U. S. sub-treasurer at Boston in 1840-'l, and in the former year, with his two oldest sons, established " Hill's Sew Hampshire Patriot," which they published and edited till 1847. He also issued the " Farmer's Monthly Visitor" for the last fifteen years of his life. His biography, with a collection of his speeches and miscellaneous writings, was published (Con- cord, N. H., 1835). — His son, John McClary, jour- nalist, b. in Concord, N. H., 5 Nov., 1821, aided his father in the publication of " Hill's New Hamp- shire Patriot " till 1847, when it was merged in the " New Hampshire Patriot," with which journal he was also connected till 1853. and again in 1868-'73. In 1884 he was the unsuccessful Democratic candi- date for governor of New Hampshire.

HILL, John, congressman, b. in Catskill, N. Y., 10 June, 1821 ; d. in Boonton, N. J., 24 July, 1884. He was educated at private schools, and at an early age was clerk in the bank of which his father was cashier. In 1845 he became paymaster of the New Jersey iron company at Boonton, N. J., and afterward engaged in business there. He was post- master of the town in 1849-'53, justice of the peace in 1856-'61, and was elected to the New Jersey as- sembly in 1861, 1862, and 1866, serving as speaker during his last term. He was active in raising troops during the civil war, and at its close was elected to congress as a Republican, serving from 1867 till 1873, and again from 1881 till 1883. Mr. Hill was an active member of the house committee on post-offices and post-roads, and was earnest in promoting postal reform. When he first entered congress he introduced a bill to abolish the frank- ing privilege, and he was also the author of the bill providing for the issue of postal-cards. In December, 1881, he introduced a bill reducing letter postage to two cents a half an ounce, which was finally passed on 2 March, 1883^ owing largely to his persistent efforts. Mr. Hill received many resolutions of thanks from various public bodies for his interest in the matter. He was an elder of the Presbyterian church at Boonton, and was ac- tive in religious affairs.

HILL, Joshua, statesman, b. in Abbeville dis- trict, S. C, 10 Jan., 1812; d. in Madison, Ga., 6 March, 1891. He was admitted to the bar of Geor- gia, early beginning to practise at Madison. He was afterward chosen to congress as an American, and served from 1857 till 23 Jan., 1861, when he resigned his seat, in obedience to the wishes of the Georgia convention, though he was strongly op- posed to secession. He had a few days previously made a conciliatory speech, which had been well received. During the civil war he remained quietly on his plantation, and took no part in public affairs, save that he was a candidate for governor of his state in 1863, and was defeated by Joseph E. Brown. He took part in the proceedings of the Constitu- tional convention called in pursuance of President Johnson's proclamation in 1866, and was an un- successful candidate for the U. S. senate in the same year. He then removed to Washington, but in 1868, after the organization of a state govern- ment in Georgia, under the reconstruction acts of congress, he was elected U. S. senator from that state, and served till 1873. In 1872 he took an active part in the discussion with Charles Sumner on the civil rights bill.

HILL, Mark Langdon, congressman, b. in Biddeford, Me., 30 June 1772 ; d. in Phippsburg, Me., 26 Nov., 1842. He received a common-school education, and early entered public life. After serving several times in each house of the Massa- chusetts legislature he became judge of the court of common pleas in 1810, was a member of con- gress from Massachusetts in 1819-'21, and from Maine in 1821-'3. He was afterward postmaster at Phippsburg, and collector of the port of Bath. Judge Hill was an overseer of Bowdoin from its foundation in 1795 till 1821, and a trustee from that time till his death.

HILL, Nathaniel Parker, senator, b. in Mont- gomery, N. Y., 18 Feb., 1832. He entered Brown in 1853 as a student, became tutor in chemistry in 1858, and was professor of chemistry applied to the arts from 1859 till 1864. In the latter year he visited Colorado to examine an extensive tract of mining and agricultural lands in the interest of Providence and Boston capitalists. The imperfect methods of treating ores at that time led him into a thorough investigation of the subject, and he spent a part of 1865-'6 in Swansea, Wales, and Freiberg, Germany. Having become satisfied that the refractory ores of Colorado could be treated successfully and economically, in 1867 he organized the Boston and Colorado smelting company, and has been its manager to the present time (1887). Through the success of that enterprise he has acquired a fortune, and, by showing that the gold and silver could be profitably extracted from the ores, he gave a great impetus to the development of the mining industry of Colorado, which at the time of the erection of his works had been nearly abandoned. He was a member of the territorial counsel in 1872-'3, and in 1879 was elected to the U. S. senate as a Republican, serving until 1885. He was an active member of that body, and in the first years of his term secured the passage of many bills of a local character affecting the interests of his state. Later he devoted himself earnestly to the task of obtaining legislation for a postal tele- graph service. During his term he was the chief advocate of silver coinage, and his speeches and magazine articles on bi-metalism attracted atten- tion both in this country and Europe. His influ- ence has been felt in a marked degree on the interests of Colorado, and much of its present prosperity is due to his exertions.

HILL, Nicholas, lawyer, b. in Montgomery county, N. Y, 16 Oct., 1806 ; d. 1 May, 1859. His father was a Revolutionary soldier who, on leaving the army, had become a clergyman. The son received a good education, studied law, and began practice at Amsterdam, N. Y. He was appointed state law reporter in 1841. and became one of the best special pleaders in the state, taking part in over three fourths of the cases on the docket of the court of appeals during his active practice. He prepared with Sidney Cowen " Notes to Phillips on Evidence," and published " New York Reports, 1841-4" (7 vols., Albany and New York, 1842-5).

HILL, Richard, merchant, b. in Maryland ; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 4 Sept., 1729. In early life he followed the sea, and up to 1704 was known as "Capt. Hill." He was in Philadelphia during William Penn's second visit to this country, where he formed the proprietor's acquaintance and came to enjoy his personal friendship. He finally settled as a merchant in Philadelphia, and was admitted to the governor's council in February, 1704, retaining the place up to the time of his death. In 1707 he was unanimously elected alderman of the city, and in 1709 was chosen mayor, to which office he was many times re-elected. He was elected to the assembly in 1710, and served in this body continuously until 1721, being three times speaker. In 1720, as one of the six oldest councillors, he was appointed a master in the court