Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/123

ANDROS.ANGELL. ANDROS, Sir Edmund, colonial governor, was born in London, Eng., Dec. 6, 1637, son of Amias and Elizabeth (Stone) Andros. He distinguished himself in the war with the Dutch, and in 1672 was commissioned major in Prince Rupert's regiment of dragoons. In 1674 he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the province of New York, and in 1677, while on a visit to England, was knighted in token of appreciation of his services. His extremely arbitrary measures, his repeated attempts to extend his jurisdiction, and his rigid enforcement of the revenue laws aroused the indignation of the American colonists, and in 1681, upon their complaint, he was recalled. In 1686, he was again sent to America as governor of the New England colonies, and in 1688 he was appointed governor and captain-general of the united dominion, into which James II. proposed to consolidate the colonies of New York, New Jersey and New England. He was authorized to remove magistrates, to appoint the members of his own council and with their advice to levy taxes and control the provincial troops. He demanded the surrender of the charters of the colonies, compelled landholders to purchase new titles at exorbitant rates, abolished the general court, restricted the liberty of the press, and attempted to enforce obnoxious ecclesiastical laws. Upon the refusal of Connecticut to relinquish her charter, Andros marched to Hartford at the head of sixty soldiers to obtain the document by force. Tradition says that the charter was hidden in an oak, afterward known as the "Charter Oak"; but Broadhead in his "History of New York" (vol. II., p. 472) brings forward historical data to prove the incorrectness of the tradition. The secretary of the Connecticut assembly, by order of Andros, closed the record on Oct. 31, 1687, with the statement that the viceroy had that day assumed the governorship of Connecticut. Early in 1688 his arbitrary seizure of some land in Maine, belonging to the Penobscot Indians, brought on the memorable Indian war of that year. Then came the revolution in England, and when the tidings reached Boston the colonists seized and imprisoned Andros, who was sent to England in 1689, where he was immediately liberated without trial. In 1691 he published a "Narrative on Proceedings in New England," and this work, republished in London at the time of the American revolution, was used to show the turbulent and seditious spirit of the colonists. In 1692 Sir Edmund was made governor of Virginia. The leading men of this colony were conspicuous for their loyalty to the crown, and Sir Edmund was more at home among them than he had been among the Puritans of the north. He succeeded in winning the favor of the people and help to establish the William and Mary college, Williamsburg, and ruled wisely and well until 1698, when he became involved in a controversy with James Blair, the ecclesiastical head of the colony, and was recalled. From 1704 to 1706 he was governor of the island of Guernsey, and the remaining years of his life were spent in retirement in London. See W. H. Whitmore's "Andros Tracts," with notes and a memoir of Sir Edmund Andros (Boston, 1691 and 1773); Bancroft's "History of the United States" (vol. I.); and Palfrey's "History of New England" (vol. III.). He died in London, Feb. 24, 1714. ANGEL, Benjamin Franklin, diplomatist, was born in Burlington, N. Y., Oct. 28, 1815. He received an academic education in Geneseo, N. Y., and for several years before he reached his majority he wrote leading political editorials in the democratic newspapers of the town. In 1836 he was admitted to the bar and afterwards was twice elected surrogate of the county. He later held the offices of supreme court commissioner and master and examiner in chancery. In 1852 he was a delegate to the democratic national convention, and in 1853 was appointed by President Pierce consul at Honolulu. In the senate his nomination was rejected while Mr. Angel was discharging his official duties ten thousand miles from home. He returned to the United States by the way of China, the East Indies, Egypt, and through Europe, and wrote interesting letters of his tour. In 1857 he was appointed minister to Sweden by President Buchanan, where he remained until 1862. In 1864 he was a delegate to the Chicago democratic convention. In 1873 and 1874 he was president of the New York state agricultural society. He died at Geneseo, N. Y., Sept. 12, 1894. ANGELL, George Thorndike, philanthropist, was born in Southbridge, Mass., June 5, 1823; son of the Rev. George and Rebecca (Thorndike) Angell. He was graduated from Dartmouth college in 1846; attended Harvard law school, 1850-'51, and practised in Boston, Mass., from 1851. He was a founder of the Massachusetts society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, 1864; of the American humane education society, 1889, and of the Parent American band of mercy and was made president of all three. He promoted the organization of the Ladies' humane educational society, London, England, and established the Illinois humane society. He was made a director of the American social science association. He founded and edited Our Dumb Animals from 1868, distributing 250,000 copies of its first issue and over 2,000,000 copies of "Black Beauty." ANGELL, James Burrill, educator, was born in Scituate, R.I., Jan, 7, 1829; son of the Hon. Andrew Aldrich and Amey (Aldrich) Angell. He was graduated at Brown in 1849 with honors. He