Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/671

Rh automatic regulation of heat to the manufacture of nitrous-oxide gas for surgical purposes. Mr. Sprague is the author of lectures entitled "Chemical Experiments" (Boston, 1853); and "Elements of Natural Philosophy" (1856).

SPRAGUE, Charles, poet, b. in Boston, Mass., 26 Oct., 1791; d. there, 22 Jan., 1875. His father, Samuel, a native of Hingham, Mass., was one of the party that threw the tea into Boston harbor. The son was educated at the Franklin school of Boston, and at the age of ten lost the use of his left eye by an accident. In 1804 he entered mercantile life, and in 1816 was taken into partnership by his employers. In 1820 he became teller in the State bank, and on the establishment of the Globe bank in 1824 he was employed as cashier, serving there until 1865, when he retired from business. Mr. Sprague first attracted attention as a poet when he won a prize for the best prologue at the opening of the Park theatre in New York. He achieved similar success at the opening of other theatres in Philadelphia, Salem, and Portsmouth. In 1823 he obtained the prize for the best ode to be recited at the exhibition in the Boston theatre of a pageant in honor of Shakespeare, and in 1830 he pronounced an ode at the centennial celebration of the settlement of Boston. In 1829 he delivered before the Phi Beta Kappa society of Harvard a poem on &ldquo;Curiosity,&rdquo; which was considered his best production. Among his shorter poems are the &ldquo;Ode to Shakespeare&rdquo; and &ldquo;Winged Worshippers.&rdquo; Edwin P. Whipple says: &ldquo;His prologues are the best which have been written since the time of Pope. His &lsquo;Shakespeare Ode&rsquo; has hardly been exceeded by anything in the same manner since Gray's &lsquo;Progress of Poesy.&rsquo; But the true power and originality of the man are manifested in his domestic pieces. &lsquo;The Brothers,&rsquo; &lsquo;I see Thee Still,&rsquo; and &lsquo;The Family Meeting&rsquo; are the finest consecrations of natural affection in our literature.&rdquo; There have been several collections of Mr. Sprague's writings (New York, 1841); his &ldquo;Prose and Poetical Writings, revised by the Author&rdquo; (Boston, 1850); and other editions (1855 and 1876). &mdash; His son, Charles James, poet, b. in Boston, Mass., 16 Jan., 1823, was educated in private schools, and became cashier of the Globe bank in 1864, serving until 1882. For many years he was curator of botany in the Boston society of natural history, and he is known among cryptogamists for his collection of lichens. He has published several lists of New England fungi. Mr. Sprague has contributed poems to journals and magazines, and has written articles for scientific papers. During the past thirty years he has translated numerous poems for part-songs.

SPRAGUE, Charles Ezra, author, b. in Nassau. N. Y., 9 Oct., 1842. He was graduated at Union college in 1860, and since 1878 has been secretary and president of the Union Dime savings institution of New York city. During the civil war he served in the army, was severely wounded at Get i yslmrg. and was given the brevet of captain in 1865. lie is the inventor of the "Sprague checkbook," has devised numerous account-books and forms, and also a savings-bank system for testing the accuracy of accounts, and has written many articles on the subject, on which he has also lectured at Columbia college. Mr. Sprague is the first prominent advocate in this country of the international language that is called Volapiik. Since 1887 he has edited the "Volaspodel," issued as part of " The Office," and he is the author of "Logical Symbolism" (printed privately. New York. 1882), "The Hand-Book of Volapuk" (1888), and "The Story of the Flag," a poem read before the survivors of the 44th New York regiment (Albany, 1886).

SPRAGUE, John Titcomb. soldier, b. in Newburyport, Mass.. 3 July. 1810; d. in New York city. 6 Sept., 1878. In 1834 he became 2d lieutenant in the marine corps, and served in the Florida war. being twice promoted for meritorious conduct, and brevetted captain on 15 March. 1842. He was given that full rank in 1846, and brevetted major on 30 May, 1848. He was made major of the 1st infantry. 14 May. 1861, and, when stationed with his regiment in Texas, was taken prisoner by Gen. David E. Twiggs, but was released on parole, and became mustering and disbursing officer at Albany, N. Y., and adjutant-general of the state, with the rank of brigadier-general, holding this post until 1865. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the llth infantry in March, 1863, and colonel of the 7th infantry on 12 June, 1865, and in that year served in Florida and was made military governor, but retired from the army on 15 July,' 1870. He was the author of "Origin, Progress, and Conclusion of the Florida War" (New York, 184* i.

SPRAGUE, John Wilson, soldier, b. in White Creek. Washington co., N. Y.. 4 April. 1817; d. 4 Dec., 1893. He was educated in eommon schools, and entered Rensselaer polytechnic institute. Troy, but was not graduated. He then became a merchant, and in 1851-'2 was treasurer of Erie county, Ohio. He was made a captain in the 7th Ohio volunteers at the beginning of the civil war, became colonel of the 63d Ohio in 186)3, and was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers on 30 July. 1804. receiving the brevet of major-general. U. S. volunteers, on 13 March, 1865. He also de- clined a lieutenant-colonelcy in the U. S. army. After the war he was general manager of the Vinona and St. Peter railroad, Minn., but removed to Washington territory in 1870, having been made general agent and superintendent of the Northern Pacific railroad, which offices he resigned in 1882. After that he was engaged in various enterprises, and was for five years president of the National bank in Tacoma, Washington territory.

SPRAGUE, Peleg, jurist, b. in Duxbury, Mass., 27 April. l?!i:l; ,1. in Boston, Mass., 13 Oct.. isso. After graduation at Harvard in 1812, he studied in the Litchfield law-school, was admitted to the bar in 1815, and practised in Augusta. Me., and afterward in Hallowell. He was a member of the Maine legislature in 1820-'1, elected to congress as a Whig, serving from 5 Dec., 1825. till 3 March, 1829, and then chosen U. S. senator from Maine, serving from 7 Dee.. 1829. till 1 Jan.. 1835. when he resigned and practised law in Boston. He was a presidential elector on the Harrison and Tyler ticket in 1840, and from 1841 till 1865 was U. S. judge for the district of Massachusetts. He was the last surviving member of the U. S. senate of 1830-'2, in which Daniel Webster, Henry Clay. John C. Calhoun. Thomas H. Benton. and Robert