Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/450

 BROOKS.

BROOKS.

BROOKS, Joseph, governor of Arkansas, was Ix.ni in Butler county, Ohio, Nov. 1, 1S21. He was ordained in the Methodist church in 1840, went to Iowa in 184(5, and ten years later became editor of the Central Christian Advocate, an anti-slavery pji^er, published in St. Louis. At the outbreak of the civil war he was elected chaplain of the 1st Missouri artillery, commanded by Col. Frank P. Blair. He helpeil raise the 11th and 33d Mis- souri refximents. and was chaplain of the 33d. He early in the war advocated the enlistment of colored troops, and when it was projwsed to raise a division was oflfered a major-general's commis- sion, but refused it. After the war he removed to Arkan.sas. During the stiite constitutional con- vention of 1868 he was a leader, and an attempt was made to assiissinate liim in November the sj\me year, but he escaped with a severe wound, his comi^inion. Representative C. C. Hines, being killeil. He that year made his home in Little R<M?k, and was elected to the state senate in 1870. He was a candidate for governor in 1872, and when his opponent. Elisha Baxter, was de- clared elected, he contested the election, and the state court decided in his favor, when he took p<is- session of the state liouse. holding it from April 13, 1874, to May 23, 1874, when he was removed by proclamation of President Grant, who afterwards appointed him postmaster of Little Rock, which office he held from March, 1875, until his death, wliich occurred April 3(J, 1877.

BROOKS, Kendall, educator, was born in Roxbury, Mass., Sept. 3, 1821; son of Kendall and Mary (Petter) Brooks. He was graduated from Brown in 1841; was tutor at Columbian, 1841-"43; attended the Newton theological institution, 184:i-'4.j; preached at Eastport, Maine, 1845-"52; was member of State board of education, 1850- '52; secretary of American Baptist publication society, 1852-'53; professor of mathematics and natural philosophy, Waterville college, 1853 -"55; pastor at Fitchburg, Mass., 1855-"65; editor of the Xational Baptist, Philadelphia, Pa., 1865-"68; president of Kalamazoo college, Mich., 1868-'87; and profes-sor of mathematics at Alma college, Mich., 18a8-'98. He was married Sept. 6, 1866, to Synthia M. Page of Fitchburg. He received the degree of A.M. from "Waterville college in 1854, and that of D.D. from Brown university in 1866. He died at Alma. Mich., Feb. 15, 1898.

BROOKS, Lewis, philanthropist, was bcrn i i New Milford, Conn., in 1793. He rem_.ved to Rx-hester, N. Y., in 1822. and was engaged in hD woolen manufacturing busine.ss for eleven years, when he retired, having acquired a large fortune. Among the numerous charitable bequests ex- pressed in his -n-iW were: $10,000 to the Rochester city hospital; §10.000. to St. Mary's Hospital; $■5,000 to the industrial school; §5,000 to the fe-

male charitable society, all of the city of Roches, ter; §70.000 to endow a professorship in the Wash- ington and Lee university, and §120,000 to the University of Virginia. These constitute only a small part of his benefactions, as it was a condi- tion of his giving that no record or knowledge of the donor or amount be communicated. Ha died at Rochester, N. Y., Aug. 9, 1877.

BROOKS, Maria Gowen, poet, was born at Medford, Mass., about 1795. She was of Welsh descent. She displayed great talent in childhood, but did not become known until after her mar- riage, when business troubles deprived her hus- band of his property. ' ' Judith, Esther, and Other Poems," published in 1820, excited much favorable comment, and won Mrs. Brooks a reputation as a poet of much talent. After the death of her hus- band, three yoars later, she made her home with an uncle in Cuba, afterwards visiting England as the guest of Robert Southey, and in 1834 returned to the United States, where she remained until 1843, when she returned to Cuba. Her most nota- ble writings are: "Zophiel. or the Bride of Seven" (1833), and " Idomen, or the Vale of the Y'umuri" (1843). Southey, who greatly admired her genius, styled her "Maria del Occidente." She died at Mataiizas, Cuba, Nov. 11, 1845.

BROOKS, Nathan Covington, educator, was born in Cecil county, Md., Aug. 12, 1819. He was graduated at St. John's college in 1837. He removed to Baltimore in 1839, where he accepted the principalship of the high school, remaining in that position for nine years, when he resigned to establish the Baltimore female college. He is the author of " Scripture Anthology" (1837); "The Literary Amaranth" (1840): "History of the Church " (1841); " Complete History of the Mex- ican War" (1865); "Viri AmericEe" (1864), and "Passion Week, with an Horology of the Pas- sion " (1886). He wrote "The South Sea Island- er." He died in Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 6, 1898.

BROOKS, Noah, author, was born at Castine, Me., Oct. 30. 1830. He removed to Boston when he was twenty years old and obtained work on a newspaper. He remained in that city four years, going thence to Illinois and Kansas, and later to California. Here he aided Benjamin P. Avery in establishing the Appeal at Marysville, Y'uba county. Subsequently he returned to the east. settling in Washington as a newspaper corres- pondent. In 1865, having received the ap- pointment of naval officer of the port of San Francisco by President Lincoln, he returned to California, where he also assumed the editorial management of the AltaCnlifornia. In 1871 he removed to New York and became connected with the Now York Tribune, changing to the Times in 1875. In 1884 he became managing editor of the 'Advertiser, published in New.'vrk,