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142 Jennie Tuttle, he married in 1869. With great industry he applied himself to the study of the law, working early and late, and was admitted to the bar of New Jersey as attorney in June, 1866, and as counsellor in 1869. He practised law in the ofBce of his father-in-law, received the appoint- ment of clerk for the grand jury in 1865, and was city counsel of Paterson in 1871. In 1872 he was elected counsel for the board of freeholders of Passaic county, was a member of the assembly in 1873 and 1874, and state sena- tor from 1877 to 1882, presiding over the latter body during the last two years. Various nomina- tions, among them those of congressman and gov- ernor, were offered to him at various times, but he uniformly declined the honors. Mr. Hobart has five times served, successively, as a delegate-at- large to the Republican national convention, and at the last, held in St. Louis, he was nominated for vice-president, and, being duly elected, took the oath of office on 4 March. 1897.

HOBBES, John Oliver. See Craigie, Mrs. Pearl Mary.

HOBSON, Richmond Pearson, naval officer, b. 17 Aug., 1870, at Greensborough, Ala. He at- tended the Southern university, in his native place, and was graduated at the head of his class. In May, 1885, he was appointed to the U. S. naval academy, being graduated in 1889 at the head of the class, although its youngest member. He cruised with the squadron of evolution on the flag-ship " Chicago, under command of Admiral Walker in the Mediterranean, and to Brazil to recognize the flag of the Brazilian republic. On his return he was ordered to a special course abroad, spending three years in Paris, one yrarat the Eeole nati<male superieure des mines and two years at the fieole d'application du genie mari- time. From the latter school he received a diplo- ma with distinction in a course of naval construc- tion and design in both engines and hulls. His summer months were devoted to visiting French ship-yards, and he also visited the English yards before his return, in December, 1893. While abroad, in July, 1891, he had been made assistant naval constructor. Upon his return he served in the navy department, in the naval intelligence de- partment, and in the bureau of construction and repair from January, 1894, until April, 1895. His " Report on Information gathered Abroad by Stu- dents " (6 vols.) and his " Report on Disappearing Guns Afloat " (afterward published in the " Pro- ceedings of the United States Naval Institute '") attracted much attention at home and abroad. He was then sent to the Brooklyn navy-yard, and remained there as assistant to Naval-Constructor Bowles. While on duty there he made an inspec- tion of the yacht " Defender,'" and reported upon the results of his investigation, which report, sup- plemented by the results of his investigation of the uses of aluminum for marine construction, was afterward published in the "Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute." During the sum- mer of 1896 he was on sea duty on the "New York." He proposed, applied for, and began the system of sea duty for constructors. Another recommendation of his resulted in the post-gradu- ate course of three years at the naval academy; this took the place of the former custom of sending students abroad. During the Chinese-Japanese war he had applied for, and had been nominated to it by the secretary of the navy, duty at the seat of war; his nomination was revoked, however, be- cause of the opposition felt to detailing a con- structor to such a mission. While on duty at the Brooklyn yard he was counsel for Naval-Construc- tor Bowles and Assistant Naval-Constructor Hibbs, in connection with the court of inquiry upon the installation of the turret guns of the " Puritan," arising from the charges preferred by Commander Sperry. In December. 1896, he was nominated by the Mexican government to represent it on a com- mission of experts to pass upon the Mexican de- spatch boat " Donato Guerra," built under contract at Philadelphia. At the outbreak of the war with Spain he was performing the duties of constructor for the fleet at Key West, at the same time direct- ing the construction of the naval station there. He was assigned to duty with Admiral Sampson's fleet, and after it had been definitely ascertained that Admiral (Jervera's fleet was in Santiago har- bor he suggested a plan of sinking a vessel within the narrow mouth of the harbor, and thus effectually blocking it to the egi'ess of the Spanish ships. His plan was approved, and with seven com- panions he .sank the collier "Merrimac" at the entrance of the harbor, in the face of a fierce fire from the Spanish fleet and forts. He and his men escaped from the wreck, but were cap- tured by the Span- iards. They were sub- sequently released. Lieut. Hobson re- turned to the United States and experi- mented with air-bags with a view to raising the Spanish ships sunk on the southern coast of Cuba in July, 1898. He left New York for Santiago in August, to attempt to raise them, meeting with but partial success. He was promoted by the president to be a naval constructor, and in De- cember was ordered to Manila to superintend the raising of the several sunken Spanish ships of war, concerning which he made an interesting re- port to the department in August. 1899.

HODGE, Frederick Webb, ethnologist, b. in Plymouth. England, 28 Oct., 1864. He came to this country when a boy, and was educated in Washington, chiefly in Columbian university. Meanwhile in 1884 he entered the service of the U. S. geological survey, and in 1886 became field secretary of the Hemenway archaeological expedi- tion. While so employed he made detailed sur- veys and maps of the prehistoric ruins excavated in southern Arizona and Zufii, New Mexico. In July, 1889, he was appointed in the bureau of American ethnology for duty in connection with the preparation of a " Cyclopaedia of Indian