Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/313

 BIDDLE.

BIDWELL.

"Duties of the American," and his eulogy on J-sfferson before the Philosophical society was a polished, effective production. He was trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and of Girard college ; president of the Agricultural and Horti- cultural societies ; and the buildings of the United States bank and Girard college evince Ms archi- tectural tastes. The College of New Jersey con- ferred on him the degree of LL.D. in 1835. He died at his country seat near Philadelphia, Feb. 27, 1844.

BIDDLE, Thomas, soldier, was born in Phila- delphia, Pa., Nov. 21, 1790. At the outbreak of the war of 1812 he joined the army with the rank of captain of artillery, and was conspicuous at Fort George, Stony Creek, and at the reduction of Fort Erie, where he commanded the artillery and received a severe wound. After bravely fighting in the desperate battle of Lundy's Lane, July 25, 1814, and receiving a painful wound, he brought from the field as a trophy a field-piece which he captured from the enemy. In 1814 he was given the brevet rank of major for his gallantry, and later in the same year was appointed to the staff of General Izard as aide. He met his death in a duel fought at St. Louis, Mo., in which he killed Spancer Pettis, his opponent, Aug. 29, 1831.

BIDWELL, Daniel D., soldier, was born in Bdffalo, N. Y., in 1816, and was connected with the city government and the state militia. At the outbreak of the civil war he joined the Federal army as a private in the 65th N. Y. volunteers, gaining promotion to the rank of captain, and shortly afterwards formed the 74th N. Y. volun- teers, of which he was commissioned colonel. He served meritoriously in the more important battles of the war, notably in the peninsular cam- paign, and at the battles of Harrison's Landing, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He twice commanded a brigade, and was promoted brigadier -general in 1864. He distinguished himself for gallantry in the Shen- andoah campaigns in 1864, and a few months later fought at the battle of Cedar Creek, Va., where he was killed, Oct. 19, 1864.

BIDWELL, John, pioneer, was born in Chau- tauqua county. N. Y., Aug. 5, 1819. When he was ten years of age his father moved to Erie, Pa. ; two years later to A.shtabula county, Ohio, and in 1834 to Darke county, Ohio. In 1836 the son returned to Ashtabula county, where, in the Kingsville Academy, he completed his scholastic education. After spending nearly two years in Missouri, in the spring of 1841. he helped to form the first party to cross the Rocky mountains direct to California. After a six months' journey full of romantic adventures, the expedition reached its destination, and young Bidwell was employed %\'ith General Sutter, who liad begun a

Jr;^^fi

i/^^

settlement and afterwards erected Fort Russ near the Sacramento river. He spent more than a year at Bodega in charge of Sutter's interests, enlisted in defence of California against the in- surrection of the native chiefs, Castro and Alva- rado, in the revolt of 1844 and 1845, and acted as aide-de-camp to General Sutter till the war ended by the expulsion of the Mexi- can governor, Michel- torena. In 1846 Gen- eral Fremont began the war which gave California to the United States. One of Fremont's first acts after the war was thought to be closed, was to appoint young Bidwell. then only twenty-seven years of age. magistrate of San Luis Rey district, with principal headquarters at San Diego. In 1848 Mr. Bidwell was the first man to discover gold on Feather river, and the next year he was chosen a member of the first state constitutional convention of California. The same year he was elected to the first state senate. In 1850 he was appointed by Governor Burnett one of the commissioners to convey to Washington city the block of gold-bearing quartz, California's contribution to the Washington monument. In 1855 he was again a candidate for the state senate. He was a delegate to the national Democratic presidential convention at Charleston in 1860 as a Douglas Democrat. In 1863 he was appointed by Gov. Leland Stanford to command the fifth brigade California militia, and served in that capacity till the close of the civil war. In 1864 he was a delegate to the Balti- more national convention, which re-nominated President Lincoln for the presidency, and in the same year was nominated and elected a represen- tative to the 39th United States Congress. In 1875 he was an unsuccessful candidate for gover- nor of CaHfornia on the Anti-monopoly or Non- partisan state ticket. He was a delegate to the Anti-Chinese convention, held in Sacramento in March. 1886. April 4, 1888. he was chosen to preside at the state prohibition convention; in 1890 lie was the Prohibition candidate for gover- nor, and in 1892 he was nominated for the presi- dency of the United States by the Prohibition party. He died at Chico. Cal.. April 4, 1900, BIDWELL, Walter Hilliard, journalist, was born at Farmington, Conn., June 21. 1798. son of William and Mary (Pelton) Bidwell. He was graduated first from Yale college and later from