Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/115

 CALHOUN.

CALL.

resulted in the vindication of the rights of the United States and the adjustment of the matter by the treaty of 1846. On March 4, 1845, he retired from the cabinet upon the inauguration of the new administration, and on December 1 again took his seat in the senate, where he did all he could to prevent a war with Mexico, fearing that the acquisition of more territory by the United States would only keep up the agita- tion of the question of slavery as new states were admitted. Mr. Calhoun, on Feb. 19, 1847, pre- sented to the senate resolutions concerning the slave question in the territories, in which he asserted, ' ' Congress has no right to do any act whatever that shall directly, or, by its effects, deprive any state of its full and equal right in any territory. ' ' This expression was drawn from him by a petition from inhabitants of New- Mexico against the introduction of slavery into the territory. On March 4, 1850, his last ex- tended speech was read by Mr. Mason, of Virginia, though he afterwards spoke in debate in that body, closing with these words: "Having faith- fully done my duty to the best of my ability both to the Union and to my section,, throughout the agitation ; I shall have the consolation, let what will come, that I am free from all responsibility." Two friends led him out of the senate chamber and he was not to pass its threshold again. Three colleges conferred on him the degree of LL.D. : Hamilton in 1821, Yale in 1832, and Columbia in 1825. In 1849 he wrote his Address to the People of the South., A Disquisition on Gov- ernment, and A Discourse on the Constitution and Government of the United States. His complete w^orks w^ere published by R. K. Cralle (6 vols. 1853-'54). He died in Washington, D. C, March 31, 1850.

CALHOUN, John Erwin, senator, was born probably in western Virginia in 1749, and in 1756 was one of the members of the Calhoun settle- ment of South Carolina. He was graduated at the College of New Jersey in 1774, was admitted to the bar and achieved distinction in the prac- tice of his profession in Charleston, S.C., where he located in 1789. He was a commissioner of estates confiscated during the revolutionary war, a member of the popular branch of the South Carolina legislature for several years, and was elected a United States senator in 1801, serving from Dec. 11, 1801, until his death, which oc- curred in Pendleton district, S. C, Nov. 3, 1802.

CALHOUN, Simeon Howard, missionary, was born at Boston, Mass., Aug. 15, 1804. After graduating at Williams college in 1829, he .studied law, and then returned to Williams as tutor. In 1837 he went to the Levant as agent of the Ameri- can Bible society, subsequently serving under the American board, and then with the Presby-

terian board. His work was in connection with the seminary on the slopes of Lebanon, at Abein. He bore the name of the '' Cedar of Lebanon." Williams conferred on him the degree of D.D. in 1864. In 1869 he published in Arabic Scrip- ture Helps, done on the press at Beirut. It was a work of 650 pp., and reached several editions. He died at Buffalo, N. Y., Dec. 14, 1876.

CALHOUN, William Barron, representative, was born in Boston, Mass., Dec. 29, 1796. He received a classical education, was graduated at Yale in 1814, and practised law at Springfield, Mass. He was a member of the Massachusetts house of representatives from 1825 to 1835, dur- ing two years of which time he was speaker. In 1834 he was elected a representative to the 24th Congress, retaining his seat through four con- gresses. He was president of the state senate in 1846-'47, secretary of state for Massachusetts from 1848 to 1851, state bank commissioner from 1853 to 1855, and mayor of Springfield in 1859, In 1861 he was again returned to the state legis- lature. Amherst conferred upon him the degree LL.D. in 1858. He died at Springfield, Mass., Nov. 8, 1865.

CALKINS, Norman A., educator, was born at Gainesville, N. Y., Sept. 9, 1822. He received a classical education, and in 1840 began teach- ing at Castile, N. Y., later becoming principal of the central school at Gainesville, and superin- tendent of schools, 1845-'46. In 1846 he removed to New York city, and was engaged in establish- ing teachers' institutes in New York and ad- jacent states. He was appointed as.sistant superintendent of schools in New York city in 1862, giving his attention to the primary schools and holding the office up to the time of his death. He was instructor in methods and principles of education in the Saturday normal school from 1864 to 1871, and professor of methods and prin- ciples of teaching at the Saturday classes of the normal school of the city of New York from 1871 to 1882, when they were discontinued. He held important-offices in the national educational association and became prominently identified with its work. He was treasurer of the American Congregational union from 1857 until 1883. He published : Primary Object Lessons (1861 ; new edition, 1870; Spanish edition, 1879); Phonic Charts (1869) ; Hoiv to Teach, a Graded Course of Instruction and Manual of Methods (with Henry Kiddle and Thos. F. Harrison, 1873), Manual of Object-Teaching (1881), and From Blackboard to Books (1883). He died in New- York city, Dec. 22, 1895.

CALL, Richard Keith, soldier, was born in 1757. He resided in Virginia, where his brotlier, Daniel Call, practised law and published Reports of the Virginia Court of Appeals (1790-1818).