Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/360

 BOHLEN.

BOKER.

BOHLEN, Henry, soldier, w.is born at Bremen, Germany, Oct. J-', ISIO. He removed to America and settled in I'liihidelphia. where he established a pros{>erous liquor business. At the outbreak of the civil war he volunteered in the army, and served, tirst Jis colonel of the Toth Pennsylvania volunteers, and later a^; brigadier-general. He was distinguished for his gallant and fearless action at Cross Keys, in the Shenandoah valley, under Sigel. and in covering the retreat of the Federal army across the Rappjiliannock where he was killed. Au^', eO. 18(52.

BOIES, Horace, governor of Iowa, was born in Aurora. N. Y., in 1827. He was admitted to the bar at Buffalo in 1852, and two years later was elected to the assembly from his native county. In 1867 lie removed to Iowa, where he became one of the leaders of the bar of the state. Up to 1S81 he acted -with the Republican party, but, though himself a total abstainer, he could not foll<nv the Republicans in their adhesion to pro- liibition, and he also differed with them on the maintenance of a protective tariff. He was twice elected governor of Iowa as a Democrat, his first election, in 1889, breaking a line of thirty-five years' supremacy of the Republican party. He was one of the presidential candidates balloted for in the Chicago national convention of 1896, which nominated William J. Brj^an.

BOK, Edward William, journalist, was born at Den Helder. near Amsterdam. Holland, Oct. 9. ls«J3, son of William J. H. Bok. He came to America at the age of six. At the age of fif- teen he began to make a collection of autograph letters and documents of famous persons, which soon attracted attention, grew to more tlian twenty-five thou- sand pieces, and became known as the finest and best selected autogra- phic compilation owned by a private individual in the United States. At » ^ - <''^ _ the age of nineteen he

^ ' founded and edited

,^tfdw«»^c<--^^cC^tr/c. Hie Brooklyn Maga- ^ zine, of which he made a success in little more than a year, when he sold it. Henry Ward Beecher soon after this became attracted to the young man, and put much of his literary work into his hands. Some weeks pre- vious to Mr. Beecher's death Mr. Bok conceived the idea of a serie.s of weekh' newspaper letters by the eminent divine. Of these the young liter- ary manager made a success. From this grew the syndicate known as "The Bok Syndicate Press." employing over eighty famous authors of America

and Europe. These ventures were all conducted during his evenings. During business hours he held positions with publishing houses as private secretary, and as manager of the advertising de- partment. In October, 1889, he became editor- in-chief of The Ladies' Home Journal of Phila- delphia. In 1891 he secured a joint proprietorship in The Ladies' Home Journal. In 1888 he began publishing a weekly letter called "Bok's Literary Leaves," printed simultaneously in thirty-five newspapers of America and Canada. His writings include : " The Beecher Memorial : In Memory of Henry Ward Beecher " (1888) ; and '• Successward " (1895, 2d ed. 1896). He edited a volume entitled, •• Before He is Twenty " (1894).

BOK, William J. H., linguist, was born on the Island of Texel, in the kingdom of the Netherlands, Jan. 7, 1829, son of William Bok, chief justice of the supreme court. He was edu- cated for the legal profession, graduated from the University of Utrecht, and soon after entered upon the practice of his profession at Den Helder. In the Netherlands he held positions as vice- consul of Great Britain from 1855 to 1859; vice- consul of the German Empire, vice-consul of France from 1864 to 1870; also for a time as vice- consul of Russia. He came to America in 1870, and engaged in business as introducer of patents, but soon associated himself with the Western Union Telegraph Company as translator, for which position he was peculiarly well qualified, as he read and spoke with facility eight modern lan- guages. He died Feb. 2, 1881.

BOK, William John, journalist, was born in Den Helder, near Amsterdam, Holland, May 11, 1861, son of William J. H. Bok. He came to America at the age of nine and was educated in Brooklyn, N. Y. He entered journalism and became secretary of the Brooklyn Magazine com- pany, of which his brother, Edward William, was editor-in-chief. In 1881, in connection with his brother, and with the assistance of Henry Ward Beecher, he established the ' ' Bok Syndicate Press," of which he later he became sole conduc- tor and owner. He wrote extensively for the newspaper press, and assisted his brother in pre- paring the •' Beecher Memorial."

BOKER, Qeorge Henry, author, was born in Phila.lelphia, Pa., Oct. 6, 1823, son of Charles S. Bokor. He was graduated at Princeton col- lege in 1842, and for some years travelled abroad. On his return from Eurojie in 1847, he published his first book, "The Lessons of Life, and Other Poems." His fir.st decided suc- cess was ' ' Calaynos," a tragedy founded on a Span- ish theme, issued in 1848. This was jnrated in London. Vjrought out there on the stage, played through the provinces, and successfully produced in America after being revised by the author.