Page:Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography.pdf/16

ii Vice-Presidents of the United States every member of all the cabinets every United States Senator and Speaker of the House every; United States Congressman every member of the Supreme Court; ever signer of the Declaration

the





and Territories; all the Authors, Poets and Composers; all the eminent Clergymen, Judges, Lawyers; all the Admirals and distinguished naval officers; all the Generals and distinguished army officers; v^hile no name eminent in of Independence; the Governors of the States

Literature, Art, Music, Science or Invention has been

omitted.

As

the failure to consider the lives of

as of historical

importance

is

men

of affairs

a defective feature of all

biographical works heretofore published, a special feature of this work has been to include the lives of the great pioneers, merchants, manufacturers,

other practical

railroad builders, and

men who have developed

the mines, forests

and farms, built the railroads, steamboat lines and canals, set afloat and managed the shipping, organized the corporations, and introduced the new processes in science and mechanics, which have so greatly reduced the cost and

promoted the comfort of living, while contributing to the power and prestige of the nation itself. They have founded the great museums, erected statues, libraries and reading rooms and it is by them that the colleges, schools and philanthropic institutions are built and maintained; and it surely is befitting that their records should be pre;

served for

all

time in

this national

work

of representative

Americans.

That

the achievements of such persons should

their public record

edge of

is

men whose

have

peculiarly proper, because a knowl-

substantial fame rests upon their at-