Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/308

 BIBB.

BIDDLE.

dier general of volunteers. 1861-65. He was a rep- resentative in the 4'M congress. 1871-73 ; lieu- tenant-governor of Illinois. 187'2. and succeeded Kichard J. Oglesl)y as governor, when he became U.S. senator serving 1873. He was assistant U.S. treasurer at Chicago. 188l-'5. and removed to Hollywood, fal.. in 185)5.

BIBB, George M., jurist. wa.s born in Prince Edward county. Va.. Oct. 30, 1771. He was grad- uated at Nassiiu hall. Princeton. N.J., in 1792; bectime a lawyer and reiuoved to Lexington, Ky., to i)ractice in 1798. He served as a representative in the Kentucky legislature and was elected chief justice of the state for tiiree terms. He suc- ceeded Henry Clay in tiie United States senate, serving from 1811 to 1814. when he resigned and was re-elected, serving from 1829 to 1835. He was chancellor of the court of chancery, 1835-'44, and secretary of the United States treasury, l;<44_"4.-3. He resumed the practice of law in the District of Columbia, and served for a time as assistant in the United States attorney -general's office. He died at Georgetown, D.C., April 14, 1 S.V.I.

BIBB, William Wyatt, governor of Alabama. was born in Virginia, Oct. 1, 1780. He was graduated at William and Mary college, and at theUniversity of Pennsylvania M.D. in 1801. He removed to Georgia ; was a member of the Georgia senate and house of representa- tives, and was elected to the 9th congress as a Democrat to fill the unexpired term of Thomas Spalding resigned. And was re-elected to the 10th. 11th and 12th congresses, serving. 1807- '13. He was elected to the United States sen- ate to fill the vacancy caused bj- the resigna- tion of William H. Crawford, who was ap- pointed minister to France, serving. 1813-"16 ; removed to Alabama (then a Territory), in 1817 ; became governor an<l was elected governor upon the admission of Alabama as a state in 1819. and served tintil his death at Fort Jackson. Ala.. July 9. 1820.

BICKNELL, Evelyn Montague, artist, was born at Riverdale, N. Y., July 14. ls.-)7. In early life he engaged in commercial pursuits, but art being more congenial, he abandoned business in 1881 and devoted him.self to the study of painting, taking le.s.sons first at the Art league of New York, and subsequently from well-known mas- ters in Europe. He made many sketches while in France and England, and returning to America in 1886. he ojiened a studio in New York city and achieved succe.ss in marine painting. He ex- hibited in all the imixirtant exhibitions for many years, several of his jiictures l>eing shown at tlie New York academy of design. Mr. Bicknell was made a memljer of the New York water color club and other art associations.

BICKNELL, Thomas W., educator, was born at Harrington. K. I, Sept. 6, 1834; son of Allin and Harriet Byron (Kinnic-ut) Bicknell. He was graduated at Thetford academy in 1853, and entered Amherst college, remaining there one year. He was then employed in teaching school, and in 1857 entered Brown university, where he was graduated with the degree of A.M. in 1860. In 1859 he was elected to the house of represen- tatives of Rhode Island, serving in that body during his last year at college. From 1860 to 1869 he was occupied in teaching, and from 1869 to 1875 was commissioner of schools of Rhode Island. He was instrumental, during his term, in securing various educational reforms. In 1873 he was Rhode Island commissioner to the Vienna exposition. In 1875 the Xeir England Journal of Education was founded, Mr. Bicknell became its editor, and in the following year its owner and publisher. In 1876 he established T]te Primary Teacher : in 1878. Good Times ; in 1880, Educa- tion, a bi-monthly; and for nearly ten years he was editor of the Rhode Island Schoolmaster. The New England bureau of education was founded by him in 1876. He was also editor-in- chief of Tlie American Teacher, begun in 1883. He was president of the Rhode Island institute of instruction, of the American institute of in- struction, of the national council of education, which he was chiefly instrumental in organizing in 1880. of the National teachers" association in 1884, of the interstate commission on Federal aid, and a member of the International congre.ss of education in 1886. In 1883 he represented Massachusetts in the interstate congress at Louisville. He lectured extensively on educa- tional subjects, his address on " School Super- vision " and "Civil Service Reform in Educa- tion '■ being published by the American institute. He was a representative in the Massachusetts legislature. 1888-'89; received the degree LL.D. from Straight university in 1882. He is the author of : " Memoir of William Lord Noyes " (1868) ; "History of Barrington " (1870) ; "John Miles and Religious Tolerntions in ^fassachu.setts " (1892) ; "Barrington in the Revolution" (1898).

BIDDLE, Charles John, soldier, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., in isii); son of Nicholas Bid- die. In 1837 he was graduated from Princeton college and devoted the following three years to the study of the law, gaining admi.s.sion to the bar in 1840. He joined the army as captain of voltigeurs at the outbreak of the Mexican war, and served in all of the important engagements, including the capture and occu])ation of the city of Mexico, receiving " for gallant and meritorious services" the brevet rank of major. From the close of the Mexican war to the beginning of the civil war he practised law in Philadelphia, enter-