Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/251

 BAY1.RD.

BAYARD.

Colonel Korponay, an exiled Hungarian soldier. He entered the United States military academy, where he was graduated in 1856, and assigned to the 1st cavalry. He passed some years in frontier duty and in 1861 was appointed cavalry instructor at West Point. He was promoted 1st lieutenant in the 3d cavalry, 16th March, and captain in the 4th cavalry, Aug. 20, 1861, and granted leave of absence to join the vol- Tinteer service as colonel of the 1st Pennsyl- vania cavalry, Sept. 14, 1861 ; was promoted brigadier-general April 28, 1862, and was dis- tinguished for his daring in reconnoissances during the campaigns of the Shenandoah, North- ern Virginia, and Rai^pahannock. He fell at Fredericksburg, fatally wounded, and died the day after the battle, Dec. 14, 1862.

BAYARD, James Asheton, 2d., statesman, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., July 28, 1767; son of Dr. James Asheton Bayard. He descended directly from Anna Bayard, sister of Peter Stuy- vesant. He was early orphaned and was brought up by his father's twin-brother, Col. John Bayard. He was educated at Princeton, graduating in 1784, after which he studied law, was admitted to the bar, and established himself in his profes- sion at Wilmington, Del. He was elected a representative to the 5th U. S. Congress in 1796, on the Federalist ticket, and was re-elected to the 6th, 7th and 8tli congresses. He took a lead- ing part in the large questions that came before the house, notably, in his management of the impeachment of William Blount of North Caro- lina for his share in instigating the Creek and Cherokee Indians to aid the British in their ef- forts to conquer the Spanish possessions in Lou- isiana. He was instrumental as the leader of the Federalist party in the house of represen- tatives in securing, with the aid of Hamilton, the election of Jefferson as president in 1801. He was appointed minister to France by Adams early in 1801, but declined to serve after the senate had confirmed the appointment. He was well versed in constitutional law, and keen to resent any in- fringement of its principles, always opposing with much vigor any measures which appeared to lead to that end, as he did the repeal of the judiciary bill in the 7th Congress. He was elected United States senator in 1804, to flU the vacancy left by the lesignation of William Hill Wells, and was re-elected in 1807. During his senatorial career he strenuously opposed the declaration of war against Great Britain, and in 1813 was appointed by President Madison on the joint commission with John Quincy Adams to negotiate peace through the mediation of Russia ; on the refusal of England to accept Russia as a mediator he was made a member of the new commission appointed Jan. 18, 1814, which met

at Ghent, where the treaty of peace was signed Dec. 24, 1814. He had taken a very prominent part in the negotiations at Ghent, and was on the eve of a journey to London with the other com- missioners to arrange a treaty of commerce, tlie preliminaries of which had already been contem- plated, when he was seized with severe iUness which necessitated his return to America. He died in Wilmington, Del. , Aug. 6, 1815.

BAYARD, James Asheton, 3d, statesman, was born in Wilmington, Del., Nov. 15, 1799, second son of James Asheton Bayard, statesman. He received a classical education, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. In 1837 he was made United States attorney for Delaware, hold- ing the office for four years. He was elected United States senator in 1851 as a Democrat to succeed Senator Wales, a Whig, and was re- elected in 1857 and 1863, and on March 4th of that year, being asked to take " the iron-clad oath," he protested, considering it a violation of the constitution and an indignity to his state. He then took the oath, resigned his seat in the senate, G. R. Riddle being elected to fill the vacancy, and after his death, in 1867, the legis- lature elected Mr. Bayard to fill out the tmex- pired term, and at the same session elected his son, Thomas Francis, as his successor on March 4, 1869. Senator Bayard was a very promi- nent factor in all the affairs of the United States during his connection with the senate. He was strictly upright Ln public and private life, and was a man of marked ability. He died at Wil- mington, Del., Jiine 13, 1880.

BAYARD, John, patriot, was born at Bohemia Manor, Cecil county, Md., Aug. 11, 1738. He was the fourth in descent from Samuel Bayard of Amsterdam, whose widow accompanied her brother, Peter Stuyvesant, when he came as governor to New Amsterdam, in 1647. The fam- ilies were doubly related, as Peter Stuyvesant married Judith, the sister of Samuel Bayard. The Bayards, however, were not Hollanders, but of French Huguenot extraction. Mrs. Bayard brought with her to the new world her four young children. Samuel, the son of Peter, and grand.son of the original Samuel, settled in 1698 at Bohemia Manor, Md., having broken with his family on ac- count of religious differences. Jolm went with his twin-brother, James Asheton, to Philadelphia in 1756, where he entered commercial life and became a prosperous merchant. He seems to have i^os sessed in its f uU measure the uprightness of char- acter which has distinguished the family. In 1 770 his brother, James Asheton, a physician, died, leaving fovir children, whom he adopted and edu- cated with his own. Jolm Bayard was prominent in public affairs, was one of the first members of the Sons of Liberty, foimded in 1766, and a member