Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 4).djvu/599

Rh  of Venezuela, two figures for the soldier's monument at Lawrence, Mass., two bas-reliefs for the monument in Herkimer county, N. Y., commemorating the battle of Oriskany (see ) (1883), and a statue of Washington for the monument at Newburg (1886-'7). Gen. Washington is a favorite subject with this sculptor, and he has published a series of papers on his portraits.

OERSTED, Anders Sandöe (urr'-sted), Danish naturalist, b. in Rudkjoebing (Langeland), 21 June, 1816; d. in Copenhagen, 3 Sept., 1872. He was brought up in the house of his uncle, Hans Christian Oersted, the famous chemist, became in 1837 professor of natural history in Copenhagen, was given a gold medal and a fellowship in 1844 by the university, and in the following year went to study the geography of Central America, visiting most of the West Indies, Central America, and in particular the Republic of Nicaragua in 1845-'8. Among his works are &ldquo;Planterigets natur historie&rdquo; (Copenhagen, 1839); &ldquo;Groenlandiae annulata dorsibranchiata,&rdquo; published in vol. x. of the &ldquo;Annals of the Copenhagen Academy of Sciences&rdquo;; &ldquo;L'amérique centrale, recherches sur sa flore et sa géographie physique&rdquo; (1864); and several papers in magazines in Europe and America.

OERTEL, Johannes Adam, artist, b. in Fürth, near Nuremberg, Bavaria, 3 Nov., 1823. He studied art in Nuremberg and Munich, but devoted himself chiefly to engraving until 1848, when he came to the United States and taught for a time in Newark, N. J. In 1857 he removed to Madison, N. J., where he painted the &ldquo;Lament of the Fallen Spirits&rdquo; and &ldquo;Redemption.&rdquo; About this time he was invited to assist in preparing new decorations for the National capitol. In 1861 he transferred his studio to Westerly, R. I., where he painted &ldquo;Father Time and his Family&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Final Harvest&rdquo; (1862); &ldquo;The Dispensation of the Promise and the Law,&rdquo; containing 150 figures (1863); &ldquo;Walk to Emmaus,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Walk to Gethsemane,&rdquo; &ldquo;Easter Morning,&rdquo; &ldquo;Magdalen at the Sepulchre,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Rock of Ages,&rdquo; and others (1868). The last-named picture was reproduced by chromo-lithography, and sold extensively both in this country and in England. During the civil war Mr. Oertel accompanied the Army of Virginia under Gen. Burnside. His &ldquo;Virginia Turnpike&rdquo; and other landscapes were the fruit of his military experience. Besides his paintings he has produced several carved-wood altar-pieces, among them an elaborate altar and reredos for the Church of the Incarnation, Washington, D. C. While residing at Westerly he prepared himself for orders in the Protestant Episcopal church, and he was made deacon in 1865, and subsequently presbyter. He has since confined himself almost entirely to the domain of Christian art, and painted pictures that he presented to churches in Glen Cove, N. Y., New York city, Washington, D. C., North Carolina, and elsewhere. After having charge of two parishes in the latter state and spending a year in Florida, Mr. Oertel was invited to fill the chair of Christian art at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., which he now (1898) occupies.

O'FALLON, John, philanthropist, b. in Louis- ville, Ky., 23 Nov., 1791 ; d. in St. Louis, Mo., 18 Dec, 1865. His father, Dr. James O'Fallon, emi- grated to Wilmington, N. C. in 1774, and served in the Revolutionary army. The son fought under Gen. William H. Harrison at the battle of Tippe- canoe, where he was severely wounded, and also in the war of 1812. He subsequently became a merchant in St. Louis, and accumulated a large fortune, which he distributed liberally among va- rious educational and charitable institutions. He endowed the O'Fallon polytechnic institute, now the scientific department of St. Louis university, with property that was valued at |100,000 ; gave liberally to Washington university ; built a dispen- sary and medical college, and spent in all more than $1,000,000 for benevolent purposes.

O'FARRELL, Michael Joseph, R. C. bishop, b. in Limerick, Ireland, 2 Dec, 1832 ; d. in Tren- ton, 2 April, 1894. He began his studies in All- Hallows college for foreign missions, later entered the Seminary of St. Sulpice, Paris, and on finishing his course returned to Ireland, where he was or- dained priest on 18 Aug., 1855. Becoming a member of the Sulpitian order, he entered the novitiate in Paris, and was subsequently professor of dogmatic theology in the college of the order in that city. He afterward emigrated to Canada, and was ap- pointed professor in its seminary at Montreal. He then came to the United States, and was affiliated to the archdiocese of New York and placed in charge of St. Patrick's church. He was transferred to St. Peter's in 1869, and became pastor at Ron- dout in 1872. He then returned as pastor to St. Peter's, where he gave special attention to educa- tion, and founded a school that became one of the finest in the city. When the diocese of Trenton was formed out of that of Newark in 1881, he was nominated to the new see, and consecrated bishop in the cathedral of New York by Cardinal McClos- key. He made Trenton his residence, and at once began the erection of new churches and educa- tional and cliaritable institutions. Bishop O'Far- rell was poi)ular as a lecturer among his co-reli- gionists. The number of churches in his diocese at his death was eighty-four, and included four convents, one seminary, seven academies, an orphan asylum, and twenty-four jiarochial schools.

OFFICER, Morris, missionary, b. in Holmes county, Ohio, 21 July, 1823 ; d. in Topeka, Kansas, 1 Nov., 1874. He was educated at Wittenberg col- lege and theological seminary, Ohio, and ordained a clergyman of the Lutheran church in 1851. In 1852 he went as a missionary to Africa, under the auspices of the American missionary society. On his return to the United States he was engaged in 1855-'60 in arousing an interest in missions among the churches of his denomination. He was then sent out by the Lutheran missionary society to establish the Muhlenberg station on St. Paul river, Liberia. After he had accomplished this he engaged in home mission work during the rest of his life, residing from 1861 till 1871 at Lancaster, Pa., and Mansfield, York, and Fredericksburg, Ohio. He is the author of "A Plea for a Lutheran Mission in Africa " (1855) ; " Western Africa a Mission Field " (1856) ; and " African Bible Pictures, or Scripture Scenes and Customs in Africa " (Philadelphia, 1859).

OFFICER, Thomas S., miniature-painter, b. in Carlisle. Pa. ; d. in California in January, 1860. He became a miniature-painter, practised that art in New Orleans, went to Philadelphia, and thence to New York city, where he gained a high reputa- tion, returned to New Orleans about 1847, and after the Mexican war went to Mexico, where he was successful. He also resided for some time in Australia, and passed his last years in California. His works are remarkable for crisp, fresh color, artistic delicacy, and individuality of treatment.

O'GABAN Y GUERRA, Juan Bernardo (o-gah-ban'), Cuban clergyman, b. in Santiago, Cuba, in 1782 ; d. there in 1838. He studied in the University of Havana, and was ordained priest in 1805. He was sent to Europe in 1807 to study the educational system of Pestalozzi,- and returned to his