Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/722

688 Dermer made a second voyage. The London company had now incurred the resentment of King James, and Gorges and his party formed a new corporation on 3 Nov., 1620, under the name of the "Council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering, and governing of New England in America," which was the foundation of all the grants made in New England. This corporation consisted of forty patentees, most of whom were persons of distinction, including thirteen peers. Gorges was styled the "father of colonization in America." He took grants with John Mason of the district called La- conia, and attempted settlements. In 1635 the council resigned its charter to the king ; but Gorges obtained a new charter in 1639, which constituted him lord-proprietary of the province of Maine, with extraordinary governmental powers, which were to be transmissible with the property to his heirs and assigns. Pie prepared to visit New England, but the company became embarrassed for funds, and was obliged to sell the ship and pinnace which had been built. Sir Ferdinando had also become interested in the Puritan colony of New Plymouth. Through the influence of his father and of Lord Edward Gorges, Robert, the youngest son of Sir Ferdinando. was commissioned lieutenant-governor of New England. He had just returned from the Venetian wars, and was a share-holder in the grand patent. He also had a personal grant of a tract of land on the northeast side of Massachusetts bay, which had been made to him in consideration of his father's services to the company. He came to Plymouth in 1623, bringing with him an Episcopal clergyman, William Morell. He attempted to form a settlement at Wessagusset, which ended in a dispute with Weston, who had begun the colony there, and returned to look after it. Robert Gorges, having power to " restrain interlopers." began proceedings against him. He returned to England in less than a year, and his people dispersed — some to England, some to Virginia. In 1631 a grant of land was made to several persons, including Ferdinando Gorges, a grandson of Sir Ferdinando. This territory was situated on the Acoinenticus river, and several settlements were made there. These were subjected to no external government until the arrival of Capt. William as deputy governor of the province, which was called " New Somersetshire." The first meeting of the commissioners was held on 25 March, 1636, in Saco. then containing 150 inhabitants, and was the first provincial government for this section of New England. The charter of Maine covered the same territory as that of New Somersetshire, and Sir Ferdinando issued a commission for its government, and sent his nephew, Thomas, to be deputy governor. The first general court of this government, which exercised the powers of an "executive, legislative, and judicial body in the name of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, late proprietor of Maine," was held in Saco, 25 June, 1640. After the Gorges government was established, in 1641, the borough of Acomenticus and the town of Gorgeana were incorporated. Thomas Goi'ges arrived in 1641, and settled in this town. He sailed for England in 1643, leaving Richard Vines at the head of the government. In that year the four New England colonies formed a confederacy, excluding the settlements of Gorges, for they " ran a different course both in their ministry and civil administration." On the death of Sir Ferdinando, the estate was left to his son, John, who totally neglected the province. After writing repeatedly to the heirs and receiving no replies, the Gorges colonies formed themselves into a body politic for the purpose of self-government, and submitted to the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. — Sir Ferdinando's grandson, Ferdinando, b. in Wendon Lofts, England, 19 Aug., 1630; d. in London, 25 Aug., 1718, petitioned the king against the usurpation of Massachusetts, and commissioners were sent out to adjust the affairs. In 1677 he sold his rights to Massachusetts for £1,250. He published "America Painted to the Life" (London, 1659).

GORHAM, John, physician, b. in Boston, Mass., 24 Feb., 1783; d. there, 29 March, 1829. He was graduated at Harvard in 1801, and afterward studied in Edinburgh. In 1809 he was appointed adjunct professor of chemistry and materia medica in Harvard, and in 1815 was made professor of chemistry and mineralogy. He published an &ldquo;Inaugural Address&rdquo; (1817); &ldquo;Elements of Chemical Science&rdquo; (1819); and a &ldquo;Contribution on Sugar&rdquo; to Thomas's &ldquo;Annual Philosophy&rdquo; (1817).

GORHAM, Nathaniel, statesman, b. in Charlestown, Mass., 27 May, 1738; d. there, 11 June, 1796. After receiving a common-school education, he engaged in mercantile pursuits in his native town. He took an active part in public affairs at the beginning of the Revolution, was a member of the colonial legislature from 1771 till 1775, a delegate to the Provincial congress from 1774 till 1775, and a member of the board of war from 1778 until its dissolution in 1781. In 1779 he served in the State constitutional convention. He was a delegate to the Continental congress from 1782 till 1783, and also from 1785 till 1787, serving as president of that body in June, 1786. For several years he was judge of the court of common pleas. He took high rank in the convention that framed the National constitution, and, when it was sitting as committee of the whole, he was called by Washington to preside, and filled the chair for three months. He afterward exerted a powerful influence in securing the ratification of the constitution in the State convention. In connection with Oliver Phelps he purchased from the state of Massachusetts in 1786 an immense tract of land on Genesee river, for the sum of $l,000,000. This had been previously ceded to Massachusetts from the state of New York. They soon extinguished the Indian title to a part of this territory, surveyed it into tracts, laid out townships, and sold large parts to speculators and settlers. In 1790 they had sold nearly all their property, and, being unable to fulfil their contract in full to Massachusetts, Phelps and Gorham compromised and surrendered that portion of the land which remained under the Indian title.—His eldest son, Nathaniel, d. in Canandaigua, N. Y., 22 Oct., 1836, was a pioneer settler of this tract, having been placed there in charge of his father's interests.—Another son, Benjamin, lawyer, b. in Charlestown, Mass., 13 Feb., 1775; d. in Boston, Mass., 27 Sept., 1855, was graduated at Harvard in 1795. He studied law under Theophilus Parsons, and rose to eminence at the Boston bar. He was elected a representative to congress as a Federalist to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jonathan Mason, and served from 1820 till 1821. He was again in congress from 1827 till 1831, and from 1833 till 1835. He was also a member of the state house of representatives. He gave his professional services without compensation to defend the newspaper press in libel suits.

GORMAN, Arthur Pue, senator, b. in Howard county, Md., 11 March. 1839. He received a public-school education, and in 1852 became a page in the U. S. senate, where he remained till 1866, and on 1 Sept. he was appointed collector of internal revenue for the fifth district of Maryland, which