Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/35

Rh nostt. and other Poems " (New York. Ih‘H4).

'''PIERCE. John'''. antiquary. b. in Dorchester (now part of Boston). Mass“ 14 Jul_v.1773: d. in Brookline. Mass. 24 Aug. 1849. He was a descend- ant in the sixth gent-ration from Robert and Anne (Greenway) Pierce. who were among the ﬁrst settlers of llol'chcstcr. He was graduated at Ilarvard in 179:}. He taught two years at Leicester academy. then studied theology with Rev. Thaddeus Mason Ilarris. of Dorchester. on 3 IIcc.. 1796. settled at ’.rookline. Mass. and was ordained pastor there. 15 March. 1797. In 1H2? Harvard conferred on him the degree of D. 1). He continued the sole pastor of the church in Brookline for ﬁfty years. Un his semi- centennial. 15 March. 18-17. he preached a jubilee Sermon in which he gave much historical and sta- tistical information relating to the church and town. In October. 1548. Itev. Frederick N. Knapp was settled as his colleague. Itr. Pierce was Well known for his genealogical and historical researches. and he was an authority on these subjects. He was a member of various historical societies. for nine- teen years secretary and twenty-one years president of the Massachusetts ’nible society. of “hich he was one. of the founders. and was an earnest worker in the cause of temperance and all other social re- forms. He was devoted to the interests of Harvard. of whose board of overseers he was secretary for thirty-three years. Ile was present at sixty-three commencements. and for ﬁfty-four years led the singing of the tune of " St. Martin's " at the com- mencement dinner. In the contest that divided the Congregational church of Massachusetts he would willingly have avoided taking sides. and preferred being called simply a Christian. althouin his feelings and afﬁliations were with the Unita- rians. with which body his clmrch ﬁnally united. His published works consist chieﬂy of sermons and addresses. but his memoirs. in eighteen quarto manuscript volumes. were bequeathed by him to the Massachusetts historical society. and give a full and faithful account of the theological history of his tilnes. “ hich. front his habits of research. exact- ne and absolute and unquestioned truthfulness. may be relied upon as the best authority. They can be consulted at. the society‘s library. but restric- tions have been placed upon their publication.

'''PIERCE. John Davis'''. clergyman. b. in Chester- ﬁeld. N. IL. 1H Feb" 1797: d. in Medford. Mass. 5

and addresses. and is author of “ The Ag— : church in 1904. In 1809 he moved to Greene County. Ga... and during the war of IHIL’ he was a chaplain in the army. Ile then studied medicine. was graduated at Philadelphia. and removing to

April. 1552. He was brought up in Massachusetts. '

where he remained till 1517. and was graduated at Brown in 1322. He then became principal of an academy in New England. entered the theological seminary at Princeton. and in 1H2-l became pastor of a Congregational church in (Incida county. N. Y.. where he remained till 1H2“). In that year he was principal of (ioshen academy. ('onn.. and in IHBI he went to reside in Michigan. In 18-17—18 he was a member of the legislature. and ot' the. State constitutional convention in 1H5". While in the legislature he secured the passage of the bill for the protection of women in their rights of prop- erty. the ﬁrst of the kind that was passed in any state. He was superintendent of public instruction for two years. during that time edited and pub— lished the “ Journal of Education." and also edited at one time the " Democratic I‘prounder " at Mar- shall. He is credited with being the author of the Michigan free-school system.

'''PIERCE. Lotick.''' clergyman. h. in Halifax crmnty. N. C.. 17 March. 1783; d. in Sparta. (ha. 9 Nov.. 1157!). Early in life his parents moved to Barnwell county. N. C.. where. after six months’ schooling. he entered the ministry of the Methodist Greenslmrough. practised and preached there for several years. He was a delegate to the general conferences of his church in 1831:. 1s4o. and 1M4. and after the organization of the southern church in 1846 sat in its highest court. He took part in the Louisville. Conference of 1H74. where he had a son and a grandson. and. notwithstanding his great age. he preached occasionally until within a few months of his death. In 1:475 he published a series of theological essays—His son. George Foster. M. I‘}. bishop. b. in Greene county. Ga.. 3 Feb.. 1811 :, (1. near Sparta. (ha. Sept. 1884. was gradu- ated at Franklin college. Athens. in 1829. and afterward studied law. but. abandoning it for the- ology. was received in 1831 into the Georgia coit- fercnce of the Methodist Episeopal church. For one year he was a member of thc South Carolina conference. He soon attained great popularity as a public speaker. and was appointed to Augusta. Savannah. and Charleston before he had been in the ministry ﬁve years. In his ﬁfth year he was returned to Augusta. and in his sixth. seventh. and eighth he “as presiding elder of that. district. He ﬁlled various important pastoral and collegiate posts. the last of which was the presidency of Emory college. Oxford. Ga. While he was there he was elected and ordained bishop at Columbus. 6a., in 155-1. Bishop Pierce was a man of great elo- quence. and had many friends in all parts of the country.

Notwithstanding the alienation of the two branches of his church. he was frequently in— vited to deliver addresses in the north. His con- versational powers were remarkable. and in wit he had few superiors. Un one occasion a young man. trying on his hat. rather presumptuously said: "Bishop. our heads are the same size.” “Yas." said the bishop. "outside." The degree of D. D. was conferred upon him by 'l‘ransylvania univer- sity. and that of I‘ll. I). by Randolph Macon college. He was personally the most popular of the bishops of his church: somewhat autocratic and self-coin- placent. but very kind and persuasive: an admirer of the south and devoted to the church. For sev- eral years he was in inﬁrm health. but he often made great oratorical efforts at a time when innst men would have considered themselves too ill to \clltnre abroad. He was the author of " Incidents of Western Travel " (Nashville. 1857).

'''PIERCE. William'''. statesman. b. in Georgia about 1240: d. in Savannah. 10 Dec.. 1759. He en- tered the army of the Revolution. was aide-de— camp to Gen. Nathanael Greene. and was presented with a SWol'tl by congress in recognition of his gal- lant services. He was a delegate front Georgia to the Continental congress in 17H r—"T. and to the convention that framed the constitution of the United States. but. being opposed to the plan that was adopted. withdrew without signing the docu- ment. He published his impressions of the mem- bers of the convention in :1 Savannah newspaper long afterward. and they are now in the Force col- lection in the library of congress.

'''PIERCE. Nicolas de''' (pc-a_v-ro'—Iah). Peruvian naturalist. b. in ('amana. department of Arequipa. in 179-8: d. in Lima. 2-1 Jan.. 1557. He began the study of law in the ['niversity of Lima. and went in 1251-1 to Madrid. where he was admitted to the bar in 1H17. and began the practice of his profes- sion. He was eiected deputy to the cortes [or his native province in 1320. appointed professor of jurisprudence in the Central university of Madrid.