Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/34

14 in conveying wounded men over the mountain-passes of western Virginia.

CROIX, Jean Baptiste De La, R. C. bishop, b. of a noble family in Grenoble, France, in 1653; d. in Quebec, 28 Dec, 1727. He was first almoner to Louis XIV., and came to Canada in 1685 as successor to Laval, the first bishop of Quebec. He founded three hospitals, and distributed more than a million livres among the poor.

CROLY, David Goodman, journalist, b. in New York city. 3 Nov., 1829 ; d. in New York, 29 April, 1889, He was graduated at New York university in 1854, was subsequently a professor of phonography, and a reporter for the New York "Kvcning Post" and "Herald" from 1855 till 1858. He owned and edited the Rockford, Ill., "Daily News" from 1858 till 1859, and became city editor of the New York " World " when it was founded in 1860, then its managing editor until 1872. His active work as a newspaper editor terminated in 1878, when, in consequence of ill health, he resigned the editorship of the New York " Graphic," which he had held since 1872. Mr. Croly predicted finan- cial catastrophes, and foretold in the spring of 1872 the panic of the autumn of 1873, naming the bank- ing-house (Jay Cooke & Co.) that first failed, and also indicated the railroad (the Northern Pacific) that would first go down. Mr. Croly contributed many articles to periodicals, and published lives of Seymour and Blair, with a "History of Recon- struction " (New York, 1868), and a " Primer of Positivism" (1876).— His wife, Jane Cunning- ham, b. in Market Harborough, England, 19 Dec, 1831, is known by her writings under the pen- name of " Jenny June." Her father came to the United States when she was ten years old. Until that time she was educated at her native place, afterward by her father and brother at Poughkeep- sie and New York. In 1857 she was married, and in 1860 became editor of Demorest's " Quarterly Mir- ror of Fashion," and when that periodical and the New York " Weekly Illustrated News " were in- corporated into " Demorest's Illustrated Monthly " she became the editor of the new journal. Mrs. Croly has been also editorially connected with the New York " World," " Graphic," daily " Times," and "Noah's Sunday Times," and was dramatic critic and assistant editor of the " Messenger " for five years, 1861-'6. She mvented the system of duplicate correspondence, and has practised it for thirty years. Mrs. Croly's pen-name of "Jenny June " was derived from a little poem by Benja- min F. Taylor, sent to her, when she was about twelve years old, by her pastor, in Poughkeepsie, with the name underlined, because, he said, " You are the Juniest little girl I know." Mrs. Croly called the first Woman's Congress in New York, in 1856, and also the second, in 1869, and in 1868 founded the Sorosis, and was its president until 1870, and again from 1876 till 1886. She is vice- president of the Association for the advancement of the medical education of women. She has pub- lished "Talks on Women's Topics" (1869) ; "For Bet- ter or Worse " (1875) ; a " Cookery-Book for Young Housekeepers " ; and " Knitters and Crochet," " Letters and Monograms " (New York, 1885-'6).

CROMPTON, William, inventor, b. in Preston, England, 10 Sept., 1806; d. in Windsor, Conn., 1 May, 1891. He was brought up as a hand-loom cotton-weaver, and at an early age learned the trade of a machinist. While superintendent of a cotton-mill in Ramsbottom he made many experiments on cotton-looms. He went to Taunton, Mass., in 1836, and devised a loom for the manufacture of fancy cotton goods, receiving a patent on 23 Nov., 1837.

In this loom one part of the warp was depressed while the other was lifted, instead of allowing one part to remain stationary, thus securing more room for the passage of the shuttle. Another feature of it was the chain, which, with its peculiar apparatus, operated the warp. Mr. Crompton went to England in 1838, and, after patenting his loom there, returned with his family to this country in 1839, and in 1840 adapted his loom to the weaving of fancy woollens. At least three fourths of all the woollen goods now made in the United States are woven on the Crompton loom, or on looms embodying its principles. Mr. Crompton retired from active business in 1849, on account of failing health. &mdash; His son, George, inventor, b. in Holcomb, England, 23 March, 1829; d. in Worcester, Mass., 29 Dec., 1886, came to the United States in 1839, and joined his father's business. In 1851 he engaged in the manufacture of fancy looms in Worcester, Mass., where the Crompton loom-works have since been established. He soon directed his attention to improvements in his father's loom, and since 1854 has taken out more than fifty patents, including those for the harness mechanism, picker movement, let-off and stop motions, shuttle and shuttle-boxes, shipping mechanism, and devices for finding the pick when broken or exhausted. He has also received eight patents for textile fabrics. At the Centennial exhibition in 1876 he received an award &ldquo;for the best looms for fancy weaving on shawls, cassimeres, and satinets.&rdquo; By Mr. Crompton's improvements in his father's looms there is an increased production of sixty per cent., with a saving of fifty per cent. in labor and more than that in the cost of repairs.

CROMWELL, Henry Bowman, merchant, b. in 1828 ; d. in Brooklyn, N. Y., 2 April. 1864. He engaged in trade at an early age. and became a member of the firm of Cromwell, Haight & Co. be- fore he was twenty years old. In 1850 he became a partner in the firm of John Haight & Co., in Hud- dersfield, England, and resided there until 1854, when he returned to his native city, and soon en- gaged in the shipping business, managing a line of screw propellers in connection with the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, his business increasing until he had connection with nearly all the important do- mestic seacoast ports. During the few years pre- vious to 1861 he had in successful operation steam lines from New ^York to Savannah, Charleston, Wil- mington, Norfolk, Alexandria, and Washington, Portland, and Baltimore ; also from Baltimore to Charleston and Savannah. When the civil war be- gan he sold nearly all his vessels to the government, and immediately proceeded with the construction of two fine steamers, the " George Washington " and " Oliver Cromwell," which subsequently sailed between New York and New Orleans. Although Mr. Cromwell's commercial interests were so large- ly connected with the south, he firmly upheld the cause of the government during the war.

CRONYN,"Benjamin, Canadian P. E. bishop, b. in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1802; d. in London, Ontario, 22 Sept., 1871. He was graduated at Trin- ity college, Dublin, i)i 1821, in 1825 was ordained a deacon of the Episcopal church, and afterward officiated for a short time as curate in the diocese of Chester, England. Returning to Ireland, he served for six years as curate under the late arch- bishop of Tuam. In 1832 he emigrated to Cana- da and became rector of St. Paul's church, Lon- don, which charge he kept until 1857, when he was elected bishop of the new diocese of Huron.

CROOK, George, soldier, b. near Dayton, Ohio, 8 Sept., 1828; d. in Chicago, Ill., 21 March, 1890.