Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/509

Rh FLETCHER, Benjamin, governor of New York, lived in the 17th century. Col. Fletcher, who was a soldier of fortune, was appointed governor by William and Mary, and, after soliciting troops, presents for the Indians, and war stores, arrived in New York on 29 Aug., 1692. He visited the Mo- hawk tribe, was entertained by the warriors, and learned their character and dialect. When Schuy- ler went to the relief of the Indians against the French, Fletcher joined him at Schenectady, on 17 Feb., 1693, and assisted the Indians, who gave him the name of " Great White Arrow." During his administration the sum of £600 for the defence of the frontier was granted by the assembly. Fletcher had much difficulty in bringing the different colo- nial factions to an agreement. He said he ruled " a divided, contentious, and impoverished people." He endeavored to obtain control of the Connecti- cut militia, which had been improperly granted him in his commission ; but the assembly of that colony refused to acknowledge his right, and sent Winthrop to England to lay the mat- ter before the council, who decided in fa- vor of Connec- ticut. In 1692, Col. Fletcher received a com- mission from William and Mary to assume the government of Pennsylva- nia and the annexed terri- tories, which had been urged by the enemies of Penn as ne- cessary for the safety of the colony. He arrived in Philadelphia in April, 1693, in great pomp, and the gov- ernment was immediately surrendered to him. An- noyed by the subserviency of Lloyd and Markham, Penn wrote to Fletcher cautioning him to " tread softly," as the territory and government were his. Fletcher summoned the assembly, and thus excited the opposition of the council, which protested against calling the legislature in defiance of the laws made by Penn. The assembly met, and Fletcher de- manded money to defray the expenses incurred in the expedition against the French in All)any. This demand was fortified by a letter from Queen Mary, in which she expressed her will that all the colo- nies should contribute troops and money in defence of the frontier, according to the dictates of the governor of New York. A bill of a penny a pound for the support of the government, and a poll- tax of six shillings, which yielded over £700, was passed. Fletcher appointed William Markham deputy governor, and then returned to his colony. He again met and addressed the assembly in the following year. During his stay in Pennsylvania he presided at the trial of the printer, William Bradford. Desirous of introducing printing into his colony, Fletcher took Bradford to New York, where he set up the first press, and printed the cor- poration laws. Fletcher was passionate, reckless, and avaricious, and was accused of paying little attention to the navigation laws, and of protecting piracy for his private gain. He denied this, but his association with Kidd and Tew, and the abun- dance of Arabian and East India goods in the colony, seemed to justify the suspicion. He was finally deposed, and Belloraont appointed in his stead. His zeal for the extension of the Anglican church in the colony proved an era in the religious history of New York. He built a small chapel in the fort in 1693, for which the queen sent books, plate, and other furniture. Tliis was burned in 1741, and little is known of its history. In 1697 a charter was granted for building a church on " King's farm," which was called Trinity church, and the present building of this name stands on the same ground. The seal and autograph are from a patent of city property granted to Samuel Bayard of New York in 1697.

FLETCHER, James Cooley, clergyman, b. in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1823. He was graduated at Brown in 1846. After studying theology two years at Princeton, he went to Europe to complete his theological course and perfect himself in the French language, in order to become a missionary in Hayti. He returned to the United States in 1850, and in 1851 abandoned the mission to Hayti, and went to Rio de Janeiro as chaplain missionary of the American and foreign Christian union, and of the American seamen's friend society. He re- turned to the United States in 1854, but during 1855-'6 travelled 3,000 miles in Brazil distributing Bibles as the agent of the American Sunday-school union. In 1862 he travelled 2,000 miles up the Amazon, and made a collection of rare objects in natural history for Professor Agassiz. The result of his labor was Agassiz's exploration of Brazil in 1865. In 1864-'5 Mr. Fletcher was the means of inducing the Brazilian government to join the United States in establishing a line of steamships between New York and Rio de Janeiro. He was agent of the American tract society in 1868-'9, U. S. consul at Oporto, Portugal, in 1869-'73, and missionary at Naples in 1873-'7, after which he again returned to the United States and made his home in Indianapolis. He has been a constant contributor to the periodical press, and has pub- lished, in connection with Rev. D. P. Kidder, " Brazil and the Brazilians " (Philadelphia, 1857 ; 8th ed., 1868). — His daughter, Julia Constance, author, b. about 1850, is a resident of Rome, and a favorite in the literary society of that city. Her novels, written under the pen-name of " George Fleming," include " Kismet " (Boston, 1877) ; " Mi- rage" (1878); "The Head of Medusa" (1880); " Sonnets of Gaspara Stampa " (1881) ; " Vestigia " (1884) ; and " Andromeda " (1885).

FLETCHER, John, Canadian jurist, b. in Rochester, Kent, England, in 1787 ; d. in Sher- brooke, Canada, 11 Nov., 1844. He was educated in London, studied law, was called to the bar, and had a large practice in London before removing to Canada in 1810. On arriving there he was ad- mitted to the Canadian bar, and was for years one of the most distinguished lawyers in the country. On the erection of the eastern townships of Lower Canada into the separate district of St. Francis in 1823, he was appointed its judge. He was also one of the justices of the court of Queen's bench, and of the provincial court of appeals.

FLETCHER, Thomas Clement, governor of Missouri, b. in Jefferson county. Mo., 21 Jan., 1827. He received a common-school education, was clerk of the circuit and county courts from 1849 till 1856, and was admitted to the bar in 1857. He