Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/277

 BEECHER.

BEEKMAN.

success throughout a long pastorate was very marked. At first he had a small congregation, with many financial and other burdens, and no suitable church building; and afterwards a church of nearly one thousand members, a Sunday-school with as many children in attend- ance, and a chm-ch building well fitted for wor- ship, instruction, and social home-chvirch life, where he introduced novel and successful methods of church woi'k. During the civil war he was for a time chaplain of the 141st New York volunteers. Mr. Beecher was always broad- minded, generous-hearted, genial and unpreten- tious, an all-roimd man in religion, politics and social intercoiu-se ; not the slave of any past opinions, but suiting his methods and views to the present. His writings consisted principally of editorials and articles furnished the Ehuira Advertiser & Gazette under tlie head of " Mis- cellany." In 1870 he published a volimie of lectures entitled "Our Seven Churches, " one of them on the Episcopal chm-ch having an especially large and separate circulation. In 1853 he visited France and England ; in 1864-'65, South America ; in 1873, England; and in 1884, California. His death occurred at Elmira. N. Y., on the same date as that of his sister, Mary Foote (Beecher) Perkins, March 14, 1900.

BEECHER, William Henry, clergyman, was born at East Hampton, N. Y., Jan. 15, 1802; the eldest son of Lyman and Roxana (Foote) Beecher. His father directed his studies until he entered Andover theological seminary. He was ordained a clergyman in the Congregational church in 1830, and took his first pastorate at Newport, R. I. In 1833 Yale college conferred upon him the honorary degree of A.M. He went to Ohio in 1837 and located in Putnam, Muskingiun county. He remained in the Western Reserve some years, engaged in missionary work, and re- turned to New York to fill a pastorate at Batavia. He returned to Ohio and preached at Toledo, where he established a chiu-ch, of which he was pastor for several years, and was made president of Illinois college, Jacksonville, in 1843. The climate undermined his health, and he returned east and labored in Reading and North Brookfield, Mass. , at which latter place lie also served as post- master. Upon the death of his wife he took up his residence with his daughters, Mary and Rox- ana, in Chicago, where he died Ju^ne 23, 1889.

BEECHER, Willis Judson, educator, was born at Hampden, Ohio, April 29, 1838. He was prepared for college in the academy at Vernon Centre, and was graduated from Hamilton college in 1858. From 1858 to 1861 he was a teacher in the Whitestown seminaiy, when he took the course in the Auburn theological seminary, grad- uating in 1864. He served as pastor of the Pres-

byterian chvirch in Ovid, N. Y., 1864-'65; was professor of moral science and belles lettres, Knox college, Galesburg, 111., 1865-"69; was pastor of the First Church of Christ, Galesburg, from 1869 to 1871, and in the latter year was chosen profes- sor of the Hebrew language and literature in the Auburn theological seminary. Auburn, N. Y. He is the author of " Farmer Tompkins and his Bibles," issued by the Presbyterian board in 1874, and of various biographical and mortuaiy papers, catalogues and statistics, sociological essays, papers on temperance and on education, religious and theological miscellany, book reviews and dis- cussions of Old Testament topics. In 1 883-" 89 he edited the Old Testament department of the " American Supplement to the Encyclopaedia Brittannica, writing the articles on the Bible, Canon of Scripture, and various books of the Old Testanient. He edited the Presbyterian depart- ment of the revised edition (1895) of " Johnson's Cyclopaedia." In 1889-'90 he published a series of twelve articles on the " Postexilian History of Israel," in the " Old and New Testament Stu- dent," and in 1893-"94 he prepared the Critical Notes on the Old Testament lessons for the Sunday School Times.

BEEKMAN, Gerardus, colonial governor, was born in New York, Aug. 17, 1653, son of Wilhelmus and Catalina (DeBoog) Beekman. He was a physician of wealth and good standing, and at the time of Leisler's administration was a justice of the peace. He was a firm friend of Leisler, of whose council he was made a member in Decem- ber, 1689, and during the troubles in the following year caused by Leisler's rash and obstinate acts, Dr. Beekman became anxious and feared that the result would be bloodshed. Accordingly he took things into his own hands, called together the people of King's and Queen's counties, who drew up a peace address, and Beekman then j^ersonally carried it to Leisler, hoping to bring him to a rational view of affairs. He failed utterly, and soon after Governor Sloughter's arrival, March 30, 1691, Governor Leisler and members of Ms council — among them Dr. Beekman — were, through the instigation of Sloughter. condemned to death, be- ing charged with treason and murder " for holding by force the king's fort against the king's gov- ernor after the publication of his commission, and after demand had been made in the king's name, and in the reducing of which lives have been lost." Beekman petitioned for pardon, pleading that his presence at the fort was solely to dissuade Leisler from firing upon the king's soldiers, and begging leave to attend to certain, patients who were very ill. In 1693 the prisoners appealed to Governor Fletcher, who finally Uber- ated them, obliging tliem to give bonds that they would not leave the province. In May, 1702, Dr.