Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/380

 320 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI nious as the Swamp Rangers, and afterward recruited a company of artillery with whom he took part in the battle of Fredericktown ; later the company was sent to the south and par- ticipated in the engagements at Fort Pillow. Dr. Hai-ris then became one of the crew of the iron clad ram Arkansas and served on board this vessel throughout the war. He distin- guished himself for gallantry and ability as an officer. On the conclusion of the war he made his home for a short time at AVaterval- le.y. ilississippi, where he practiced medicine but later came to Cape Girardeau. Dr. Harris was not only a physician of great skill and energy, but was interested in all public matters. He contributed to medical .jour- nals and other publications and was an active member of the Democratic party. He was for a time postmaster at Cape Girardeau, but was never a candidate for any elective office. His first wife was Amanda Brown, daughter of Lieutenant Governor Brown : his second wife was Julia E. Russell of Jackson, a member of the old pioneer family of Cape Girardeau county ; she was a great grand- daughter of George Frederick Bollinger. Alexander Gray, a native of Kentucljj', served a-s a captain during the war of 1812 and came to IMissouri at its close, making his home for a time at Cape Girardeau. From Cape Girardeau he went to St. Louis and was appointed by Governor Bates as jiidge of the St. Louis circuit court, holding two terms of the court under the territorial government and after the organization of the state gov- ernment was appointed .iudge of the circuit court in Northern Missouri. Judge Gray was a highly educated man and a fine lawyer, es- pecially able in criminal law. General Pirmin A. Rozier was born in Ste. Genevieve July 31. 1820. He was the son of Ferdinand Rozier, whose life we have given in another place. General Rozier was educated at St. ilary 's College at Perry ville and Bards- town. Kentucky. In 1846 he began to .study law at the Transylvania Law School at Lex- ington. Kentucky. He gave up his studies, h.owever, Avhen the Mexican war broke out and raised a company of soldiers. He was elected captain of the company and stationed at Leavenworth. Kansas. After a time he was appointed major general of militia in South- east Missouri. At the close of the war he returned to the law school and was graduated. In 1847 he began the practice of the law at Ste. Genevieve. General Rozier had some ex- periences in politics. In 1850 he was a can- didate for Congress, but was defeated by a small majority. In 1856 he was a member of the state legislature and served two sessions. He was a delegate to the national Democratic convention at Chicago in 1860 and became a member of the state senate of Missouri in 1872, where he served four years, and was chairman of the committee on mines and min- ing. Besides this he held other minor offices, having been mayor of Ste. Genevieve and having held other positions of trust and honor. General Rozier was devoted to the public wel- fare of his town and community. He had a great interest in all matters pertaining to the public good. While very young he was a delegate to a convention which- met at Mem- phis, Tenne.ssee, in 1845, for the formation of plans regarding improvement of the ilissis- sippi river. At this convention he read a re- port on the submerged lands of the Missis- sippi valley. Perhaps one of the things of which he was most justly proud was his in- terest in the establishment of the Ste. Gene- vieve Academy. He gave much of his time and money to this institution which prospered luitil the breaking out of the Civil war. Gen- eral Rozier married Miss Mary M. VaUe of