Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/176

 CHAMPLIN.

CHAMPNEY.

CHAflPLIN, Stephen, naval officer, was born in South Kingston, K. I., Nov. 17, 1789; son of Stephen and Elizabeth (Perry) Chaniplin. In 1794 his parents removed to Lebanon. Ky., where he received a common-school education. At the age of sixjteen he went to sea and at twenty-two was captain of a merchantman. May 22, 1812, he was appointed a saiUng-master in the navy and placed in command of a gunboat under Commo- dore Perry at Newport, and afterwards at Sacketts Harbor. He was in command of the Scor- pion at the battle of Lake Erie, Sept. 10, 1813, the Scorjnoji firing the first shot on the American side. September 13, Champlin captured the Little Belt, and fired the last shot of the engagement. In 1814 he commanded the Tigress and participated in the blockade of Port Mackinac. On the 13th of September the Tigress and Scorpion were sur- prised and captured by the British, Champlin re- ceiving a severe wound in the thigh, which crippled him for life. He was held as a prisoner at Mackinac for more than a month and was then paroled. He was promoted to a lieutenancy Dec. 9, 1814, and in 1815 was attached to Commo- dore Perry's flagship, the Java. From 1816 to 1818 he was in command of the Porcupine, and during 1816 was employed in surveying the Canadian line. He served on the receiving ship Fulton from 1824 to 1834, when he settled in Buffalo, N. Y. He was promoted captain, Aug. 4, 1850; was placed on the reserve list Sept. 13, 1855, and was raised to the rank of commodore on the reserve list, April 4, 1867. He died in Buffalo. N. Y., Feb. 20, 1870.

CHAMPLIN, Stephen Gardner, soldier, was born at Kingston, N. Y., July 1, 1797. He acquired his education at Rhinebeck academy, N. Y., and was admitted to the bar at Albany, in 1850. He settled in the practice of his profession at Grand Rapids, Mich., in 1853, and later held ofiice as judge of the recorder's covirt, and prosecuting attorney of Kent county. In 1861 he was com- missioned major of the 3d Michigan infantry, of which he was promoted colonel, October 22. He participated in the battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks. Groveton,and Antietam. He was severely wounded at Fair Oaks, June 1, 1862, and as a result was incapacitated for active service after the battle of Antietam, and commanded the re- cruiting station at Grand Rapids upon his promo- tion to the rank of brigadier-general, Nov. 29, 1862. He died at Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 24, 1864.

CHAMPNEY, Benjamin, painter, was born in New Ipswich, N. H., Nov. 20, 1817, son of Ben- jamin and Rebecca (Brook) Champney. In 1834 he was graduated at Appleton academy. New Ipswich, and removed to Boston, where he was employed in a lithographic establishment, 1837-'40. He studied at the Louvre life school in Paris

1841-'46. In 1847-'48 he painted his notable pano- rama of the Rliine. He painted scenes in the Wliite Mountains and the Swiss Alps. He was- president of the Boston Art club in 1858, and pub- lished Sixty Year Memories of \rt and Artists.

CHAMPNEY, Elizabeth Williams, author, was born in Springfield, Ohio, Feb. 6, 1850; daughter of Samuel Barned and Caroline (John- son) Williams. She was graduated at Vassar col- lege in 1869; married James Wells Champney, and in 1876 began to write stories, poems, and romances for the periodicals ; her first book, "In the Sky Garden," also appearing in that year. She contributed to leading periodicals a series of papers embodying her observations in foreign lands, the most notable being A Neglected Cor- ner of Europe, and another. In the Footsteps of Fortuny and Regnanlt. Her works com- prise : Bonrbon Lilies, Rosemary and Rue, Alt Around a Palette, Great-Grandmother Girls in Neui France, Three Vassar Girls Abroad. The Witch Winnie series, Sebia's Tangled Web, Ro- mance of the Feudal Chateaux (1900) ; Colonial Songs.

CHAMPNEY, James Wells ("Champ'"), artist, was born in Boston, July 16, 1843. He studied in the Lowell institute, Boston. Mass., and at the age of sixteen entered the shop of a wood en- graver in that city. He served in the 45th Mass- achusetts volunteers during 1863, and afterwards taught drawing in the school of Dr. Dio Lewis, at Lexington. Mass. In 1866 he visited Europe, studying in Paris and at Ecouen under Edouard Frfere. In 1868 he spent some time in the acad- emy at Antwerp, then returned to Paris, where, in 1869, he painted his first genre picture. He spent some time in Rome, Italy, in 1869-'70. He employed 1873 in visiting the southern states, making sketches to illustrate Edward King's Tlie Great South. In 1885 he first turned his attention to pastel painting. It was as a " pastel- list " that he became best known. His lectures before the leading art clubs on Pastels and Pas- tellists and tlie various exhibitions of his famous copies of the old masters did much to promote the growth of art in the United States. His pic- tures of Lawrence Barrett, the Hon. John Bige- low, Robert Collyer, and Bishop Williams of Connecticut, are splendid exponents of the possi- bilities of pastel painting. He spent the summer of 1893 in the gallery at Versailles, producing his delightful replicas of the French court beauties, which were later exhibited in New York, Phil- adelphia, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee. Cleveland, and Cincinnati. He exhibited at the World's Columbian exposition at Chicago, IH. (1893), and at the Paris salon of 1894. Mr. Champney was a graceful lecturer on art. illus- trating his talks with rapid and effective sketches.