Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/732

698 captain of artillery. 1 June, 1798, was governor of Missouri territory in 1804-'o, became major, 30 June. ISO?, and deputy .quartermaster. 10 July, isii. At the siege of Fort Meigs (see HARRISON, WILLIAM HENRY) he received a wound that re- sulted in his death. He wrote " Sketches, His- torical and Descriptive, of Louisiana" (Philadelphia. 1812) and "The Political Crisis" (London). His papers are in the archives of the Western Re- serve historical society, Cleveland, Ohio. John's great-grandson. Solomon, educator, b. in Northampton in 1800; d. there, 11 Nov., 1847. was grad- uated at Yale in 1820, and became professor of languages at Middlebury college, Vt. He was co- author with Ethan Allen Andrews of a "Grammar of the Latin Language" (Boston, 1836), which was at one time almost universally used in this country, and had passed through sixty-five editions in 1857. Solomon's descendant, David Tappan, mis- sionary, b. in Northampton. Mass., 2 Dec., 1818; d. at Oroomiah, Persia. 22 Jan., 1857, attended Williams college in 1834-'5, and then went to Yale, where he constructed with his own hands two telescopes, by means of which he afterward made several discoveries. He was graduated in 1838, became tutor in Marshall college, Pa., and afterward prosecuted his Latin studies. Declining the professorship of natural history in Marietta college, Ohio, he entered Andover theological semi- nary in 1839, and became tutor at Yale in 1840. lie was licensed to preach in 1842. and ordained at New Haven in January. 1843. He married in Feb- ruary and sailed from Boston as a missionary to the N estorians at Oroomiah, Persia, in March. In 1848 his wife died of cholera, his health failed s and he visited his brother in Scotland on his way home. He remained in the United States in the service of the mission board till 1851, when, in March of that year, after marrying again, he sailed for Per- sia. His labors at Oroomiah were successful, many of his pupils becoming Christian teachers and preachers. In 1853 he completed a " Gram- mar of Modern Syrian Language," which was pub- lished at New Haven in the " Journal of the Ameri- can Oriental Society " in 1855. He also prepared numerous educational and religious works in Syri- an, which were issued from the mission press. See memoir, by the Rev. Joseph P. Thompson, D. D. (New York, 1858).

STODDARD, William Osborn, author, b. in Homer, Cortland co., N. Y., 24 Sept., 1835. His father was for many years a bookseller and pub- lisher in Rochester and Syracuse, N. Y. He was graduated at the University of Rochester in 1858, edited the "Daily Ledger" in Chicago for a short time, and the same year became editor of the " Cen- tral Illinois Gazette," at Champaign, which he con- ducted for about three years. He was an opponent of slavery, and took an active part in the Repub- lican presidential canvass of 1860. He was a pri- vate secretary to President Lincoln in 1861-'4, was U. S. marshal for Arkansas in 1864-'6, and has since been variously employed. He invented a centre-locking printer's chase, and has taken out several patents for successful improvements in desiccating processes and in machinery. He has published Royal Decrees of Scanderoon " (New York, 1869); ' Verses of Many Days " (1875); " Dis- missed " (1878); "The Heart of it' (1880); -Dab Kni/er" (1881); "The Quartet" (18S-J.; "Esau Hardery " (1882); "Saltillo Boys" (1882); "Talk- ing-Leaves" (1882); "Among the Lakes " (1883); " Vivcked?" (1883); "The Life of Abraham Lin- coln" (1884): "Two Arrows " (1886); "The IV. 1 Beauty" (1887); " The Volcano under the City," a I description of the draft riots of 1863 (1887); ' Lives of the Presidents"; "Inside the White House in War Times " (1890); and " Men of Business " (1893).

STODDERT, Benjamin, cabinet officer, b. in Charles county, Md., in 1751 : d. in Bladensburg, Md., 18 Dee.. 1813. His grandfather, Maj. James Stoddert. a cadet of the Scotch family of Stoddert, settled in Maryland about 1675, and his father, Capt. Thomas Stoddert, of the Maryland contin- gent, was killed in Braddock's defeat. Benjamin was educated for a merchant, but in 1776 joined the Continental army as captain of cavalry, and was in active service till the battle of Brandywine, when, holding the rank of major, he was so severe- ly wounded as to unfit him for active service. As M-i-retary of the board of war he remained with the army till the latter part of 1781. When peace was concluded he became a successful merchant of Georgetown, D. C. In May, 1798, he was appoint- ed secretary of the navy, being the first to hold the post, and so remained till 4 March, 1801. He was acting secretary of war after the resignation of James Henry, until his successor, Samuel Dexter, took charge. When the navy department was cre- ated in 1798, the frigates "Constitution," "Con- stellation," and ' United States " constituted the bulk of the American navy. By the latter part of 1799 five frigates and twenty-three sloops-of-war were in commission. Mr. Stoddert's experience in the mercantile marine, coupled with his tact, in- dustry, and judgment, were valuable in the forma- tion of this naval force, through which the hos- tilities with France were so soon terminated. That he possessed the confidence and friendship of President Adams is shown by his official and private correspondence. At the close of Adams's administration he returned to private life, settling his business affairs, which during his absence had be- come so entangled as to cause serious losses.

STOECKEL, Gustave Jacob, musician, b. in Maikammer, Bavarian Palatinate, Germany, 9 Nov., 1819. He was graduated at the seminary in Kaiserslautern in 1838, pursued a post-graduate course in musical composition under Joseph Krebs, and was a teacher and organist till 1847. He came to this country in that year, and since 1849 has been instructor in music at Yale, and organist of the college chapel. Yale gave him the degree of Mus. D. in 1864. Dr. Stoeckel has published a collection of sacred music for mixed voices (New York, 1868), and &ldquo;College Hymn-Book&rdquo; for male voices (1886); besides compositions for the piano, songs, and overtures and symphonies for orchestra. He is also the author of the unpublished operas of &ldquo;Lichtenstein,&rdquo; &ldquo;Mahomet,&rdquo; &ldquo;Miles Standish,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Miskodeeda.&rdquo;

STOEVER, Martin Luther, educator, b. in Germantown, Pa., 17 Feb., 1820; d. there, 22 July, 1870. With the ministry in view he entered Pennsylvania college, Gettysburg, and was graduated in 1838, but he was pressed into service as an instructor before he could begin his theological course, and until his death was engaged in teaching. He was principal of a classical academy in Maryland in 1838-'42, and of the preparatory department in Pennsylvania college in 1842-'51, professor of history in the collegiate department in 1844-'51, and professor of Latin and history, to which political economy was added in 1855, from 1851 until his death in 1870. After the retirement of Dr. Charles P. Krauth from the presidency of the college in 1850, he discharged the duties of that office for many months, until his successor was elected. The honorary degree of Ph. D. was conferred upon him in 1866 by Hamilton college, and