Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 3.djvu/265

 PROMINENT PERSONS

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ler, married Elizabeth, daughter of Piesi- dent John Tyler.

Corbin, Thomas G., born in Virginia, Au- gust 13, 1820, son of Hon. Francis Corbin and Anna M. Beverley, his wife. He was appointed a midshipman in the United States navy. May 15, 1838; served on the coast survey, and in the Brazilian and Pacific squadrons ; was commissioned lieutenant, June 10, 1852, and employed in the survey of the river Plata during 1853-55. He was attached to the United States steamer IVa^ bash, of the South Atlantic blockading squadron, in 1861-63. and at the battle of Port Royal, November 7. 1861, taking part in the capture of Forts Beauregard and Walker. He was commissioned commander, July 16, 1862, and was commandant at the naval academy in 1863. In 1864-65 he com- manded the United States ship Augusta; served as fleet-captain of the West Indies squadron in 1865-66; was commissioned captain, July 25, 1866; made his last cruise ii: command of the flagship Guerriere, of the South Atlantic squadron, in 1868; and after- ward served on ordnance duty at Philadel- phia. He was retired January 5, 1874, and died in 1886. He was a grandson of Col. Richard Corbin, of the colonial council (q. v. vol. I, 258).

De Vere, Maximilian Scheie, a native of Sweden, born in Wexio, November i, 1820. He came of a distinguished family, whose representatives in Sweden and Prussia hold high rank in church and state. At an early age he evinced the greatest aptitude for scholarship, particularly in the languages, ir which he acquired a familiar knowledge with unusual ease, and he was known as an eminent linguist even before he attained

his majority. His higher studies were pur- sued in the Universities of Berlin and Bonn, and the former conferred upon him the de- gree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1841, when h( was but twenty-one years of age. He subsequently received the degree of Juris Utriusquc Doctor, or Doctor of Civil and Canon Law. Following the completion of his university work, he became connected v/ith the Prussian military and diplomatic service, in which he rendered valuable ser- vice to the government. He came to the United States in 1843, first residing in Bos- ton, Massachusetts. Soon afterward he en- tered upon a course of study in modern Creek, at Harvard College. In the follow- ing year (1844) he accepted the position of professor of modern languages in the Uni- versity of Virginia, and occupied his chair for more than a half-century (fifty-one years), acquitting himself with distinguished ability. His resignation, in 1895, was a step necessitated only by advanced age. After bis retirement from the professorship he removed to Washington City, where he died in 1898. Professor De Vere (or Scheie, as he was familiarly known to the students of the University,) performed an enormous amount of labor in many fields of literature and scholarship. In philology — especially his published studies of the English lan- guage, its origin and development — his work was of highly original character, and in ad- vance of similar effort elsewhere. All his writings were characterized by clearness and literary finish, and comprise an interesting bibliography. His principal works were : "Outlines of Comparative Philology," 1853 ; "Stray Leaves from the Book of Nature," 1856; "Studies in English," 1867: "Gram- mar of the Spanish Language," "Grammar