Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/198

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manual labor, and accordingly he acquired a thorough knowledge of the classical lan- guages, and in 1781 was offered the posi- tion of tutor in Hampden-Sidney College, which he accepted, serving in that capacity for some time; he studied theology under the preceptorship of Dr. John Blair Smith, president of Hampden-Sidney College, and was licensed to preach in September, 1787, and ordained in October, 1788, in which year he was elected vice-president of the college, and upon Dr. Smith's resignation, in the year 1791, succeeded to the presi- dency, filling that honorable position until 1796, when he tendered his resignation, which was accepted, and during the remain- der of his life he devoted his time and at- tention to supplying neighboring churches and also taught a classical school ; he served as moderator of the general assembly of the Presbyterian church in 1809, and as clerk of the Hanover Presbytery during the greater part of his ministry ; the loss of his hand was supplied by one of silver, and this fact, together with his clear and musical voice, gained for him the name of "Lacy with the silver hand and silver tongue ;" his death occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, December 6, 1815.

Short, William, was born at "Spring Gar- den," Surry county, Virginia, September 30, I759» son of William Short, a planter of means, and Elizabeth Skipwith, his wife, daughter of Sir Peyton Skipwith. He was educated at William and Mary College, and was an original member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity, and its president from December 5, 1778, until its suspension in 1781. He was chosen a member of the exec- utive council of Virginia in 1783, and when Thomas Jefferson was appointed minister

tc France in 1784, Short accompanied him as secretary of legation. After Jefferson's departure from France. Short was made cl'.arge d'affaires, his commission being the first one that was signed by Washington as President. On January 16, 1794, he became minister to The Hague. He was next ap- pointed a commissioner to treat with the Spanish government concerning the Florida and Mississippi boundaries, the navigation of the Mississippi, and other open questions. His negotiations resulted in a treaty of friendship, commerce and boundaries, which was signed October 27, 1795. He returned to the United States in iSoi, having been absent in the service of the country for seventeen years. In 1849 he acted as the medium for the revival of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at William and Mary Col- lege. His died in Philadelphia, December 5 of the same year.

Stuart, Archibald, was the son of Alex- ander Stuart, one of the founders of Liberty Hall Academy, now Washington and Lee University. He was educated at William and Mary College, which he left in 1780, and joined the regiment from Rockbridge, in which his father was major, and fought in the battle of Guilford Court House, where the father was wounded and taken prisoner. During the entire campaign, young Stuart had with him the official seal of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, of which he was vice-president, which seal, many years after his death, was found in a secret drawer in his escritoire. This seal his son, Hon. Alexander H. H. Stuart, transmitted to the society at its revival in 1849, but since the civil war it has been lost sight of. After the revolution, Mr. Stuart studied law under Thomas Jefferson. In 1783 he was elected

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