Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/595

 CUSHMAN 591 in 1782, and on the organization of the govern- ment under the constitution of 1788 he was made chief justice of the state. In the follow- ing year he was appointed by President Wash- ington a justice of the supreme court of the United States, and in 1796 nominated as chief justice to succeed Jay. He was confirmed by the senate, but refused to accept the post. CUSHMAN, Charlotte Sannders, an American actress, born in Boston, Mass., July 23, 1816. In consequence of the bankruptcy of her father she was called upon at the age of 12 to contribute to the family support. Possessing a fine voice and much musical taste, she had al- ready acquired some local reputation as a vo- calist, when she was engaged to sing in a con- cert with Mrs. Wood, who declared her voice to be the finest contralto she had ever heard, and advised her to cultivate it for the stage ; and she made her debut at the Tremont the- atre, Boston, April 18, 1835. An engagement was then procured for her to sing in English opera at New Orleans; but scarcely had she arrived there when her voice failed under the effect of a sudden change of climate and of an unwise attempt to convert it into an available soprano. She then resolved to become an actress, and studied the part of Lady Macbeth, in which she made her appearance with com- plete success. She returned to New York and accepted a three years' engagement at the Bowery theatre ; but after performing a week she was prostrated by fever, and during her illness the theatre, and with it her entire the- atrical wardrobe, was destroyed by fire. After an interval of several months she accepted an engagement as stock actress in the Park the- atre, and for three years appeared in a great variety of parts. During this period she as- sisted her younger sister to make her d6but on the stage, and afterward appeared with her for several seasons at Philadelphia and New York. To obtain prominent female characters for her, Miss Cushman was accustomed to take the chief male parts in the plays in which her sis- ter appeared. She afterward undertook the direction of one of the Philadelphia theatres, which she retained until invited by Mr. Mac- ready in 1844 to accompany him on a tour in the northern states, in the course of which she undertook the higher range of tragic parts with great success. In 1845 she went to England, and made her first appearance at the Princess's theatre, as Bianca in Milman's tragedy of " Fazio." Her reception was enthusiastic, and for 84 nights she appeared in a variety of characters, including Lady Macbeth, Julia in " The Hunchback," Mrs. Haller, Beatrice, Lady Teazle, Rosalind, and Juliana in " The Honey- moon." Her sister having joined her, they acted together for several years at the Hay- market theatre and in the chief provincial towns of Great Britain. In 1849 she revisited the United States, and, in addition to her ordi- nary characters, assumed that of Meg Merrilies, in the play of " Guy Mannering," a striking 243 VOL. v. 38 personation, which she may be said to have created. After another tour in England she returned to America, and having accumulated a fortune, took a formal leave of the American stage. She subsequently acted a round of en- gagements in England, and appeared again in the United States in 1857 and 1858, after which she returned to Rome, where she had previous- ly resided. Some years later she returned to America and took up her residence near Bos- ton. In 1871 she again appeared upon the stage in New York. Her sister SUSAN, born in 1822, became an actress after an unfortunate early marriage with a Mr. Merriman, and at- tained considerable popularity in such parts as Ophelia, Juliet (which she acted to her sister's Romeo for upward of 200 nights in England), Olivia, &c. She was married in March, 1848, to Dr. James S. Muspratt, professor of chemis- try in Liverpool, where she died May 10, 1859. CUSHMAN. I. Robert, one of the founders of Plymouth colony, born in England about 1580, died in 1625. He joined the nonconformist exiles at Leyden, and in 1617 was sent to Lon- don with John Carver, as their agent to nego- tiate with the Virginia company for leave to settle within their dominion in North Amer- ica, and to petition King James for "liberty of conscience there." Not gaining the last point, he returned to Leyden after an absence of about six months. In the latter part of the same year he, with the same colleague, was again despatched with written terms from the Leyden Congregational church, but gained no better result, for the company was now dis- tracted by dissensions among its officers. In 1619 Mr. Cushman was sent the third time on the same embassy, associated with Elder Wil- liam Brewster, and a patent was finally ob- tained in the name of John Wincob, which however was not used, as that person did not emigrate. In 1620 he was despatched the fourth time to London, with Carver and Mar- tin, to receive money and provide for their embarkation. The " Merchant Adventurers " of London now began to withdraw their means and promises, and insisted upon two stringent alterations in the terms of their contract with his associate. Cushman assented to them, which gave dissatisfaction to many of his friends, though they afterward perceived that it saved the expedition and their ventures in it from utter failure. ' He procured the May- flower, a pilot, &c., and sailed in her, as "assistant governor" to the passengers, from Southampton, Aug. 5, 1620, in- company with the Speedwell. The latter vessel being dis- missed and left at Plymouth as unseaworthy, Mr. Cushman was appointed to the care of those left ashore, and followed in the next vessel, the Fortune, 55 tons, bringing most of them and others, and reaching New Plymouth, Nov. 9, 1621. On Dec. 12 he preached in the " common house " of the little colony the first sermon in America that was printed, " On the Sin and Danger of Self-Love, " a discourse