Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/455

BROOKS.BROOKS. personal reference to Senator A. P. Butler, uncle of Brooks, greatly offended the people of South Carolina, and after the adjournment of both houses Brooks entered the senate-chamber, and, while Senator Sumner was writing at his desk, approached him and struck him rapid blows across his head and shoulders until the assaulted senator fell to the floor. Meantime the south- ern congressmen had gathered around the desk, and with force and intimidation for a time pre- vented Mr. Sumner's friends from coming to his rescue. Mr. Brooks was not expelled from the house, as his accusers failed to obtain a two- thirds vote, one hundred and twenty-one voting for expulsion and ninety -five opposing it. Mr. Brooks then resigned his seat, and at a special election was unanimously returned by his con- stituents. Subsequently a debate in the house led to words from Representative Anson Bur- lingame of Massachusetts to which Mr. Brooks took exception, and he ai; once challenged Bur- lingame to mortal combat. As the challenged party, Burhngame named rifles as the weapons, and Canada as the place of meeting. Mr. Brooks failed to appear, excusing his breach of the code by stating that he could not reach the grounds without "■ passing through the enemy's country," The incident of the assault on Senator Sumner greatly widened differences between the two sections of the Union. Mr. Brooks soon after died, and his monument in the cemetery at Edge- field, S. C, an obelisk some twelve feet high, is the most conspicuous object in the quiet inclos- ure. Each of its four sides has an inscription. One of them records the few facts given above as his history. On another are carved designs of a palmetto tree and shields with the words: " Animis Opibusque parati." " Dum spiro, spero. Spes." On another, the words, "Pres- ton S. Brooks will be long, long remembered as one in whona the virtues love to dwell ; though sad to us and dark the dispensation, we know God's wisdom orders all things well." He died suddenly in Washington. D. C, Jan. 27, 1857.

BROOKS, Thomas Benton, engineer, was born at Monroe, Orange county, N. Y., June 15, 1836. He studied engineering at Union college, and finished the required course in that branch in 1858. He volunteered in the Union army at the outbreak of the civil war, and served first as captain of engineers, later as major and aide on General Gilhnore's staff, and at the close of the war was brevetted colonel. In 1869 he was appointed on the geological surveys at Lake Superior, and in this connection wrote vols. i. and ii. of "Geological Survey of Michigan" (1873), and a portionof the third volume of "Geo- logy of Wisconsin " (1879). He resigned in 1879, and died at New Windsor, N.J., Nov. 22, 1900.

BROOKS, William Keith, naturalist, was born at Cleveland, Ohio, March 25, 1848. He was graduated at Williams college in 1870, and then pursued a scientific course at Harvard, receiving the degree of Ph.D. in 1874. He was then employed by the Boston society of natural history. On the founding of the Johns Hopkins university he was elected a fellow ; upon its opening he was made an associate ; in 1883 was advanced to the position of assistant profes- sor, and he served 1891-1901 as professor of mor- phology. In 1878 Professor Brooks established the Chesapeake marine laboratory, as an annex to the laboratory of the university. This insti- tution, under his supervision, furnished op- portunities and material for many valuable investigations in marine zoology, several of which have been incorporated in standard German text-books. In 1882 Professor Brooks presented a memoir on Lucifer to the Royal society of England, through Professor Hux- ley, which was published in the " Philosophi- cal Transactions." In 1886 his report of the Stomatopoda collected during the Challenger deep-sea explorations, was published by the Eng- lish government, and in 1893 his memoir on the genus Salpa was published by the Johns Hopkins university. He was elected member of the National academy of science in 1884, and received one of its medals for his work, " The Development and Protection of the Oyster in Maryland." He received the degree of LL.D. from WiUiams college in 1893.

BROOKS, William Myron, educator, was born at La Porte, Ind., March 5, 1835; son of Samuel and Sophia (Johnson) Brooks, and grandson of Capt. James Brooks, one of General Washing- ton's guards during three years of the revolu- tionary war. He was graduated from Oberlin college in 1857, and imtil 1866 was principal of the Tabor (Iowa) literary institute. In 1866 he was ordained to the Congregational min- istry, and in the same year was elected presi- dent of Tabor college. In 1876 he was a presidential elector on the Republican ticket, and from 1876 to 1878 he was a member of the Iowa house of representatives. In 1868 he was made president of the Iowa state teachers" asso- ciation. He was twice chosen moderator of the state Congregational association, and for many successive years was made a member of the national council of Congregational churches. In 1896 he resigned the presidency of Tabor college, and was chosen president ejnerltus. In the same year he became one of the trustees of the na- tional council of Congi-egational churches in the United States. Oberlin college conferred ujwn him the degree of A.M. in 1861 and that of D D. in 1893.