Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/56

34 elected city solicitor of Philadelphia, which office he held until 1866, when he was elected a judge of the court of common pleas, resigning the office in 1869, and accepting that of attorney-general of the state, which he retained until 1870. Judge Brews- ter was among the most eminent men of the Phila- delphia bar. At the time lie entered on his duties as city solicitor the celebrated suit of the heirs of Stephen Girard, in their eifort to set aside the charitable bequest of Mr. Girard, was on trial : a judgment was entered against the city in the court below, but this was subsequently reversed, the de- feat of the heirs being in a large measure due to Mr. Brewster's sound views upon the subject and their forcible presentation. He was also instru- mental in securing the decision in the Chestnut street briilge ease, wherein a decree was entered in the supreme court of the United States allow- ing the city to cross the Schuylkill river by bridge, the importance of which decision in furthering the prosperity of Philadelphia cannot be overesti- mated. He received the degree of LL. U. from the University of Pennsylvania. Judge Brewster was the author of "Digest of Pennsylvania Cases"' (Philadelphia. 186!)); " Brewster's Reports " (4 vols., 1869-'78) ; " Brewster's Blackstone, with Annota- tions of Decisions on the Rule in Shelly's Case " (1887); and "Practice in Pennsylvania Courts" (1888) ; and had published a translation of Moliere.

BRICE, Calvin Stewart, senator, b. in Denmark, Ohio, 17 Sept., 1845; d. in New York city, 15 Dec., 1898. He was graduated at Miami university, serving for a year in Ohio regiments during his college course, and at the close of the war studied law at the University of Michigan. He began his successful financial career in 1870, acquiring large interests in railway and other enterprises. He was in the Tilden electoral ticket in 1876, the Cleveland electoral ticket in 1884, and delegate to the national Democratic convention of 1888. On the death of William H. Barnum he was unanimously elected chairman of the national committee in 1889, and in January, 1890, he was elected U.S. senator, to succeed , for the term commencing 4 March, 1891. He served on committees on appropriations, naval affairs, railroads, interstate commerce, pensions, and the Pacific railways, of which he was chairman.

BRIGHTLY, Frederick Charles, lawyer, b. in Bungay, Suffolk, England, 26 Aug., 1812: d. in Gerniantown. Pa., 24 Jan.. 1888. After serving as a midshipman under the East Indian company he came to this country in ISiSl, studied law, and was admitted to the bar" in 1839. Mr. Brightly retired ! from active practice about 1870, and devoted his i time to legal autliorship. His collection of about | 5,000 volumes is one of the best private law libra- ries in this country. He printed a descriptive cata- logue of his books, with critical notices of authors and_subjects, for private circulation (Philadelphia, 1885). His legal works are "The Law of Costs in Pennsylvania" (1847); " Reports of Cases decided by the Judges of the Supreme Court of Pennsyl- vania." with noles (1851); "The Ecpiitable Juris- diction of the Courts of Pennsylvania" (185.5); "An Analytical Digest of the Ijaws of the United States, 1789-1869 "(2 vols., 186.5-9); "A Digest of the Decisions of the Federal Courts " (2 vols., 1868-73); "The Bankrupt Law of the United States" (1871) ; "A Collection of Leading Cases on the Law of Elections in the United States "(1871) ; "Constitution of Pennsylvania, as Amended in the Year 1874," to which is appended the constitution of 1838 (1874): "A Digest of the Decisions of the Courts of the State of Xew York to January, 1884 " (3 vols.. New York, 1875-'84) ; " A Digest of the I)ecisions of the Courts of tho State of Pennsylva- nia from 1754 to 1882 " (3 vols., Philadelphia, 1877- '83) ; and " A Digest of the Laws of Pennsylvania from 17(X) to 1883 "(1883). He also republished two editions of " Binn's Justice, or Magistrate's Daily Comjianion " (1870-'86) ; also "The Practice in Civil Actions and Proceedings in the Courts of Pennsylvania" (2 vols., 1880), popularly known as " Troubat and Haley's Practice " ; and has edited numerous volumes of reports and other legal works. — His son, Francis Frederick, lawyer, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 26 Feb., 1845, was graduated at the law department of the University of Penn- sylvania in 1866. He has published "A Digest of the Laws and Ordinances of the City of Philadel- phia" (2 vols., 1887) and "A Digest of the Laws of Pennsylvania from 1883 to 1887" (1887).

BRINGHAM, David, clergyman, b. in West- boro', Mass., 2 Sept., 1794 ; d.in Bridgewater.Mass., 18 April, 1888. He was graduated at Union college in 1818, and ordained to the ministry in 1819. He became pastor of the Congregational church at East Randolph, Mass., 29 Dec. 1819, ami had subsequently pastorates in Framingham. Bridge- water. Falmouth, .South Plymouth, JIass., and otlier places. Though he was a<;lmired by a large circle of friends, his outspoken denunciation of slavery subjected him to many insults in the early part of his career. Twice he was saved from ex- pulsion from his church by a majority of three, and on several occasions he was compelled to go armed to protect himself. He was also an ardent prohibitionist, and at the time of his death he was the oldest Congregational clergyman in New Eng- land, and the oldest but one in the United States.

BRINSMABE, Thomas Clark, physician, b. in New Hartford. Conn., 16 June. 1802; d. in Trov, N. Y., 22 June, 1868. He studied medicine in New Marlboro', Mass., was licensed to practice, and after spending ten years in Lansingburg, N. Y., removed to Troy, where he |)ractise<l suc- cessfully until his death, and at the same time occupied many offices of public trust. He was health officer and president of the Troy board of health for many years, and active in the estab- lishment of the New York inebriate asylum, of which he was an original trustee, president of the Rensselaer medical society, a vice-president of the New York state medical society in 1857 and it-s president in 1858, treasurer of the Renssehier polytechnic institute, later vice-president and president in 1868. Dr. Brinsmade published an iwldress on the "Medical Topography of the City of Troy " in the " Transactions of the New York State Medical Society for 1851," " The Registration of Diseases, comprising Statistics of 37,872 Cases " (Albany. 18.58), and '" Registration of Diseases, including Statistics of 2,056 Cases treated in 1858-9" (1860).

BRITO FREYRE, Francisco de (bree -to), Portuguese historian and soldier, b. in Coruche about 1620; d. in Lisbon, 8 Nov., 1692. He chose the profession of arms and became captain of cav- alry. As "almirante"' of the Portuguese fleet he led two expeditions to Brazil in the war for the expulsion of the Dutch from that country. His first expedition sailed from Lislion early in October, 1653. with Pedro Jaqucs de Magalhaens for general. The Portuguese captured Recife in Jan- uary. 1654. and on the 26th of the month forced the Dutch to sign a treaty surrendering all they possessed in Brazil, thus ending the Pernambucan war. On Brito's second expedition, in 165.5-'6, he captured and brought back into Lisbon seven ships,.