Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/182

162 member of the Massachusetts house of representatives in 1788-'90, served in the lower house at Washington in 1798-'5, and was elected to the U. S. senate, in which body he sat from 2 Dec, 1799, until June, 1800, when he resigned, on being appointed secretary of war by President Adams. This office he held until 81 Dec, 1800, when he was named secretary of the treasury, which place he filled until the inauguration of President Jefferson. He then re- turned to the prac- tice of the law, ap- pearing every win- ter at Washington in important cases before the U. S. su- preme court. He was a close rea- soner and an able logician, and in pleading chose to rely more on the strength of his ar- guments than on ad captandum appeals to the jury; yet he could be, pathetic and impressive in addressing himself to the feelings and the moral sense. He began life a decided federalist, but gradually separated from the party, support- ing President Jefferson's war policy, and in 1812 going with the republicans in advocating a con- test with England. But he never considered himself a member of the latter organization, and, on being nominated as the republican candidate for governor of Massachusetts, in 1816, a few weeks before his death, he published an address to the electors, declaring that he differed radi- cally with that party. His name was not with- drawn,' however, and he was defeated by a ma- jority for his opponent of 2,000 out of 47,000 votes. In 1815 he was offered a special embassy to Spain by President Madison, but declined it. In 1813 he received the degree of LL. D. from Harvard. He was the first president of the first society formed in Massachusetts for the promo- tion of temperance, in which question he took great interest. He died of scarlet fever, in the prime of life, while visiting Athens, N. Y., to at- tend the wedding of his son. He was the author of the reply of the senate to the address of Presi- dent Adams on the death of Washington, and pub- lished a " Letter on Freemasonry " ; " Progress of Science," a poem (1780); and "Speeches and Po- litical Papers," besides political pamphlets. — His son, Franklin, lawver, b. in Charlestown, Mass., 5 Nov., 179:] ; d. in Beverly, Mass., 14 Aug., 1857, was graduated at Harvard in 1812, and in 1857 re- ceived from that college the degree of LL. D. He studied for the bar, and soon attained a good posi- tion in his profession. He filled many public oilices, and was elected to both branches of the state legislature. In 1836 he was a member of a select committee on the revised statutes. He served as U. S. district attorney from 1841 till 1845, and was reappointed by President Taylor in 1849. His reputation for professional learning and logical acuteness was greatly increased by his able defence of the Knapps, w4io were tried for the murder of Capt. White, of Salem, in 1830, Daniel Webster being employed for the prosecution.

DEXTER, Simon Newton, manufacturer, b. in Providence, R. I., 11 May, 1785; d. in Whitesboro, N. Y., 18 Nov., 1862. He was a son of Andrew Dexter, the first manufacturer of cotton goods in the United States, and a nephew of Samuel Dex- ter, of Boston, secretary of the treasury under President John Adams. He matriculated at Brown university, but soon left that institution to engage in business in Boston. In 1815 he removed to Whitesboro, N. Y., and in 1817 built a section of the Erie canal. In 1824-'9 he performed a similar service in the construction of the Chesapeake and Delaware canal. On returning to Whitesboro he became agent of the Oriskany Manufactui'ing com- pany, and in 1832 assumed charge of the Dexter company. He was also largely interested in manu- factures elsewhere in the state of New York and in Elgin, 111. He served as a trustee of Hamilton college, and for several years supported a profes- sorship, giving the college in all about $32,000. He was president of tiie Whitestown bank (1833-'53), canal commissioner in 1840, and manager of the State lunatic asvlum from 1849 till 1862.

DEXTER, Timothy, merchant, b. in Malden, Mass., 22 Jan., 1743; d. in Newburyport, 26 Oct., 1806. He learned the trade of leather-dressing, and in 1764 began business on his own account in Charlestown, Mass. He made much money by his trade, and also by the purchase of the depreciated continental money, which was greatly increased in value after Hamilton's funding system went into operation. Being now wealthy, Dexter assumed the title of &ldquo;Lord,&rdquo; but failed to obtain social recognition in Boston or Salem, and removed to Newburyport, where he purchased two large mansions, one of which he sold at a profit, and the other he fitted up as his palace in a bizarre style, prompted by his capricious taste. He raised minarets on the roof of his mansion, surrounded with a profusion of gilt balls, and in his garden erected rows of columns, fifteen feet high, on which he placed colossal images of Jefferson, Adams, and others, carved in wood, Washington occupying the place of honor on a Roman arch that stood in front of the door. One peculiarity of his whim was that he continually changed the names of his great men, and the Gen. Morgan of yesterday might become the Bonaparte of to-day or the Nelson of tomorrow. Dexter placed himself among the great, whom he delighted to honor, and labelled his column &ldquo;I am the greatest man in the East.&rdquo; There were upward of forty of the figures, including four lions, two couchant and two passant, the whole costing about $15,000. He kept a poet laureate, named Jonathan Plummer. Though his inordinate vanity and shrewdness alone saved him from complete mental imbecility, he yet had powerful passions, and the artist that lettered his images, having opposed his wishes, narrowly escaped death from a pistol fired by his patron. He had seen, at the houses of Hancock and Russell, cases of well-bound books, and he forthwith bought the best-bound books he could find, irrespective of contents; and, having heard that the nobles in England had a great passion for paintings, he employed a young gentleman of taste to purchase pictures for him in Europe, but, on his return, Dexter selected all the daubs and declined to take the others. He had a coat of arms painted on his coach, with baronial supporters, and was never happier than when the boys ran after his coach and cream-colored horses, crying &ldquo;Huzza for Dexter's horses!&rdquo; But when their admiring cries no longer followed him, his love for cream-colored horses died away. Though he was the same imitative creature in his commercial speculations that he was in other respects, he was almost invariably successful. Certain mischievous merchants' clerks at one time induced