Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/294

 BENJAMIN.

BENJAMIN.

bar the following .sumnu'r. He was promoted Queen's counsel in 1872, and acquired an exten- sive practice. His best -known argument was delivered before the court for crt>wn cases, on belialf of the captain of the Fraucunia, and his la-st great case was a suit against the London and Northwestern railway. Later he apt>eared only before the House of Lords and the privy council. He retired from practice in 1883, and after a notable farewell banquet at the Inner Temple, London, he lemoved to Paris, where he died May 8. ISxi.

BE.NJAMIN, Nathan, missionary, was born at Catskill. N. Y., Dec. 14, 1811. In 1831 he received his diploma from "Williams college, and then spent three years in the study of theology at the Andover seminary. In 1835 he went to Turkey and Greece as missionary of the American board of foreign missions, going thence to Argos, and spending the years from 1838 to 1845 in Athens. During the last two years he was acting United States consul. He then returned to his nati^e country, where he remained two years, resuming his missionary labors in 1847. In December of that year he reached Smyrna, where for five years he worked faithfully, superintending the publication of the Bible and religious literature in the Armenian tongue. In 1852 he went to Constantinople, where he continued the same work and also regularly preached until his death, three years Liter. His publications consist princi- pally of translations from English to Armenian and Greek; and The Morning Star, the first Armenian newspaper, was founded and managed by him. He was married to ^lary Gladding Whalen of Providence, R. I., author of "The 3Iis.sionary Sisters" (1859). His death occurred in Con.stantinople, Turkey, Jan. 27, 1855.

BENJAMIN, Park, poet, was born at Dem- erara, British Guiana, Aug. 14. 1809. His father was a native of Connecticut, who removed tc Demerara, where he owned a plantation known as La Penitence. He was also an extensive ship- owner, controlling a fleet of vessels plying be- tween that port and New York. The son at an early age lost the use of one of his legs in conse- quence of surgical malpractice, and was obliged to use crutclies for the remainder of his life. He was sent to Connecticut to l>e educated, and when sixteen years old entered Harvard college, but at the close of his sophomore year removed to Trinity college, Hartford, where he was gradu- ated in 1829. He then studied law in Boston, and was admitted to the Suffolk bar in 1832; but, his tastes inclining him to literature, he became editor of the Xew England Magazine, then in its infancy. In 1837 he removed to New York, and. with Charles Fenno Hoffman, started the American Monthly Magazine. Subsequently Mr.

Benj;iinin was as.sociated with Horace Greeley on the yeic Yorker, the literary partnership ending when Mr. Greeley e.stablished the New York Tribune. About this time, in connection with Jonas Winchester as pubUsher, he estab- lislied tliCiVcu' ]Vorld, a mammotli weekly, which had a highly successful career of about live years, during which, at different times, Mr. Benjan)in was as.sociated with Epes Sargent and Paifus AV. Griswold in its editorial management. In 1)S49 he entered the lectm-e field and continued in it for the remainder of his life. He is better known as a poet than as a journalist or a lecturer; there is scarcely a gooil collection of poetry in the language in which some of his poems do not appear, those best known being: "The De- parted," "Old Sexton," "The Nautilus," and " Consolation," and .some of his sonnets had the rare honor of being included in Leigh Himt's "Book of the Sonnet." He died in New Y^ork city from the effects of a surgical operation, Sept. 12. 18(54.

BENJAMIN, Park, author, was born in New Y'ork cit}'. May 11, 1849; son of Park Benjamin, journalist. He was educated at Trinity school, New Y'ork, and was graduated in 1867 at the U S. naval academy, Annapolis, Md. He served two years in the Mediterranean under Admiral Farragut, and upon attaining the grade of en- sign in 1869 he resigned, to enter the Albany law scliool, where he was graduated in 1870. His practical experience was gained in the office of William M. Evarts in New Y'ork city. After being admitted to the New Y'ork bar he practised until 1872, when he accepted an as- sociate editorship on the Scientific American, in order to qualify himself as a patent expert. In 1878 he became editor-in-chief of " Appleton's Cyclopedia of Applied Mechanics" (published in 1880; revised edition, 1891). In 1877 he received the degree of Ph.D. from Union college. He was employed as counsel in very many important patent cases, and was frequently called before the United States courts as an expert on scientific subjects in important cases involving the applica- tion of electrictij', to which he gave special attention. During 1891 he edited and prepared for publication, " Modern Mechanism." as a sup- l)lement to " Api)leton's Cyclopedia of Applied Mechanics." His "Shakings Etchings for the Naval Academy " appeared in 1867, and he after- wards wrote voluminou-sly on electricity and cognate subjects. His articles in the Forum on the " Possibilities of Electricity," " The Dawn of Electricity," "Communication at Sea, "and " The New System of Naval Warfare," attracted earn- est pul)lic attention. He was the first to suggest and advocate execution by electricity, an article >)y him on that subject api)earing in the Scientific