Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/349

 BLATCHFORD.

BLAVATSKY.

He was president of the Society of American ar- tists, and vice-president of the Architectural league. He received medals at the Paris exposi- tion univei'selle, World's Columbian exposition, and the Cotton states exposition, Atlanta, Ga. In conjunction with his wife he contributed to Scribner's and the Century. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Design in 1888.

BLATCHFORD, Samuel, jurist, was born in New York city, March 9, 1820, son of Richard Milford Blatchford, counsel of the United States bank. He was graduated at Columbia college in 1837, and in 1838 became private secretary to Governor Seward, which position he held for three years. He was admitted to the bar in January, 1842, and commenced practice in his native city, removing, in 1845, to Auburn, N. Y. , where he became law partner of William H. Seward and Christopher Morgan. In 1852 he commenced the publication of the decisions of the second circuit of the U. S. court, under the name of " Blatchford's Reports," which were continued until 1888, and two years later returned to New York. In May, 1867, he was appointed by President Johnson judge of the district court for the southern district of New York. (His opinions in the district court are reported in the first nine volumes of Benedict's District Court Reports, and his opinions in the circuit court while district judge are reported in Vols. 5 to 14 of Blatchford's Circuit Court Reports.) On March 4, 1878, he was appointed by President Hayes judge of the second judicial circuit in place of Alexander S. Johnson, deceased (and his opinions from March, 1882, in the circuit court are reported in Vols. 14 to 26 of Blatchford's circuit coui-t reports, and in the Federal Reporter.) On March 22, 1882, President Arthur appointed Judge Blatchford associate justice of the United States supreme court. In 1867 he was made a trustee of Columbia college, receiving at the same time the degree of LL.D. Mr. Justice Blatchford died at Newport, R. I., July 7, 1893.

BLAUVELT, Augustus, clergyman, was born at Covert, N. Y., April 7, 1832. After his gradu- ation from Rutgers college in 1858 he studied theology, and in 1861 became pastor of Bethany chapel, Philadelphia. He remained there but a short time, removing to New York city. In 1862 he was sent to China, where for two years he en- gaged in missionary work. After his return to America he resumed his pastoral work, and for some years was in charge of the Reformed church at Bloomingdale, N. Y., but relinquished this work in order to give his time wholly to writing. He was an advanced thinker, and Avrote papers expressing heretical opinions, w-hich were published in Scrihner''s Monthly and caused his ex-

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communication from the Dutch Reformed church. He contributed to periodicals, and wrote "The Kingdom of Satan" (1868); and "The Present Religious Crisis" (1882). He became insane and died at Binghamton. N.Y.. April 1900.

BLAVATSKY, Helena Petrovna, theosopliist, was born at Ekaterinoslaw, Russia, July 20, 1831, daughter of Colonel Peter and H^ldne (Fadeef) Halm. Through both her parents she was con- nected with some of the oldest famiUes of nobles in Germany and Russia Her education was very incom-

plete. At the age of seven- teen she was married to Gen. Nice- phore V. Bla- vatsky, gov- ernor of Erivan, a province in the Cauca- sus. In a few months she left her husband and started on a tour of travel. She was remarkably apt at learning lan- guages, and mastered about forty European and Asiatic tongues. She also studied mysticism in all its phases, visiting for this purpose all parts of India, Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In 1875, after some years in Russia and elsewhere, she started the theosopliical society in New York city, Col. Henry S. Olcott, U. S. army, being president, and Madame Blavatsky corres- ponding secretary. The avowed aims of the society w^ere: the forming of a nucleus for a uni- versal brotherhood of mankind; the study of the Aryan languages, Uterature, religions, and sci- ence; the exploring of the hidden mysteries of nature and the latent powers of man, and the vindicating of the importance of such study and inquiry. The society rapidly grew in strength and numbers in America. In December, 1878, Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott were "sum- moned " to India, where they founded a theo- sophical society. In 1891 this society had 279 branches in various parts of the world. While Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott were in Bombay, they edited and published, from 1879 to 1885, the T7ieosoj)hist. In the latter year she re- signed her position as editor, and also her secre- taryship of the theosopliical society, and removing to London she established and for some years edited Lucifer, a monthly. Reported exposures of her impostures did not prevent the growth of the