Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/417

Rh Brooks has published "Scripture Anthology" (Phil- adelphia, 1837): "The Literary Amaranth," a col- lection of prose and poetry (1840) ; a poetical " His- tory of the Church," delivered before the Diag- nothian society of Marshall college (1841); and a "Complete History of the Mexican War," consid- ered a standard work (1849 ; new ed., 1865 ; Ger- man translation by Joseph Koch. 1849). He has also prepared a large number of Latin and Greek text-books, among which is a series of lives of emi- nent Americans, in Latin, entitled " Viri American " (New York, 1864), and editions of Ovid (Philadel- phia. 1848) and Virgil (1869).

BROOKS, Noah, author, b. in Castine, Me., 30 Oct., 1830. He was educated for an artistic career, but in 1850 began work as a journalist, in Boston. He went west in 1854, and, after unsuccessful ex- periences as a merchant in Illinois and as a farmer in Kansas, removed to California at the close of the " free-state " conflict. Here, in company with Benjamin P. Avery, afterward minister to China, he founded the "Appeal," published in Marysville, Yuba CO., but in 1862 established himself in Wash- ington, D. C, as correspondent of the Sacramento " Union." His letters, over the signature of " Cas- tine," made him widelv known in the west. From 1 July, 1865, till October, 1866, Mr.- Brooks was naval officer of the port of San Francisco, and then became managing editor of the " Alta California." He subsequently removed to New York, and after serving on the staff of the " Tribune " from 1871 till 1875, and of the " Times " from 1875 till 1884, became editor of the Newark (N. J.) " Advertiser." He has published " The Boy Emigrants " (New York, 1876); "The Fairport Nine " (1881); "Our Base-Ball Club" (1883); "Life of Abraham Lin- coln " (1889) ; and " American Statesmen " (1893).

BROOKS, Peter Chardon, merchant, b. in North Yarmouth, Me., 6 Jan., 1767; d. in Boston, Mass., 1 Jan., 1849. His father, the Rev. Edward Brooks, moved to Medford, Mass., his native town, in 1769, and here the boyhood of young Brooks was passed in farm work. In 1789 he engaged in the business of marine insurance, and accumulated a large fortune. He made it a rule never to bor- row money, never to engage in speculation of any kind, and never to take more than the legal rate of interest. He retired from business in 1803, and, until 1806, devoted himself to the settlement of all the risks in which he was interested. He then ac- cepted the presidency of the New England insur- ance company, the first chartered company of the kind in the state, and filled the office for several years. In his retirement at Medford he took spe- cial pleasure in the cultivation of trees, planting many thousands of them about his farm. He was at different times a member of both branches of the legislature, of the first Boston city council, and of the constitutional convention of 1820. While in the legislature he took a prominent part in sup- pressing lotteries, which at that time were flour- ishing in the state. Mr. Brooks gave liberally, and without parade, to many benevolent objects, and besides this, his private donations for many years exceeded his domestic expenses. He had for sons- in-law, Edward Everett, Charles Francis Adams, and Rev. N. L. Frothingham, who delivered his funeral sermon on 7 Jan., 1849. A biography of Mr. Brooks may be found in Hunt's " Lives of American Merchants " (New York, 1856).

BROOKS, Phillips, P. E. bishop, b. in Boston, Mass., 13 Dec, 1835 ; d. there. 23 Jan., 1893. He was graduated at Harvard in 1855. studied theology at the seminary in Alexandria, Va., was ordained in 1859, and became rector of the church of the Advent, Philadelphia. In 1862 he took charge of the church of the Holy Trinity in that city, and in 1869 became rector of Trinity church, Boston, which was erected for him at a cost of more than $1,000,- 000, and where he exerted a powerful influence for good, especially among young men. After declining the posi- tion of preacher and professor in Har- vard, and, in 1886, the office of assistant bishop of Pennsyl- vania, he, in April, 1891, accepted the bishopric of Massachusetts, to which he was elected at that time. Bishop Brooks was the most brilliant pulpit orator of the Protestant Episcopal church. His sermons were distinguished for the depth of their insight and the variety of their thought, the beauty and simplicity of their diction, and the earnestness of their spirituality. His method of delivery attracted wide attention, and was noted for its rapidity and fervency. A remarkable memorial meeting was held, soon after his death, in New York, and he has memorials at Harvard, and at Westminster, London. Bishop Brooks published " Lectures on Preaching," deliv- ered before the Yale divinity school (New York, 1877); "Sermons" (1878 and 1881): "The In- fluence of Jesus," Bohlen lectures delivered in Philadelphia in 1879 (1879) ; " Baptism and Con- firmation " (1880) ; " Sermons preached in English Churches" (1883); "Oldest School in America" (Boston, 1885) ; " Twenty Sermons " (New York, 1886) ; " Tolerance," two lectures delivered before the General Seminary in New York in 1887 (1887) : " The Light of the World, and other Sermons " (1890); also several Christmas and Easter Carols, and many magazine articles.

BROOKS, Preston Smith, congressman, b. in Edgefield District, S. C, 4 Aug., 1819 ; d. in Wash- ington, D. C, 27 Jan., 1857. He was graduated at the South Carolina college in 1839, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in May, 1843. In 1844 he was elected to the state legislature. Dur- ing the Mexican war he served as captain in the Palmetto regiment of South Carolina volunteers, and on his return he gave his exclusive attention to planting. He was elected a representative from South Carolina to congress, as a state-rights Demo- crat, in 1853, and was re-elected twice. On 22 May, 1856, Mr. Brooks entered the senate-chamber after that body had adjourned, approached Charles Sum- ner from behind, while the senator was still seated at his desk, and struck him repeatedly on the head with a cane, till Mr. Sumner fell insensible to the floor. Subsequently a committee of the house re- ported in favor of Mr. Brooks's expulsion ; but in the final action on the report there were 121 votes in favor and 95 opposing it, which, being less than the requisite two thirds, prevented the house from agreeing to the resolution. Afterward, during a debate in the house, words were passed between Anson Burlingame, then a member from Massa- chusetts, and Mr. Brooks, in consequence of which the former was challenged to a duel. The chal- lenge was accepted, Canada chosen as the place of meeting, and rifles as the weapons ; but Mr. Brooks failed to appear, giving as his reason that he would