Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/293

 CLINGMAN

CLINTON

and devoted his time chiefly to genre painting and iUustrating. He was admitted to member- ship in the society of American artists and in May, 1898, was elected a National academician. Among his more important paintings are The Suiipected Conspiracy (1887); Leisure Moments (1895) ; Snnshine (1898) ; Monsieur Maie (1891) ; The Water Colorist (1892); A Virginia Mornincj (1894).

CLINGMAN, Thomas Lanier, senator, was born in Huntsville, N.C., July 27, 1812; son of Jacob and Jane (Poindexter) Clingman, and gi-andson of Alexander and Elizabeth (Kaiser) Clingman. His grandfather emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania about 1770, and served throughout the war of the Revolution. Thomas was graduated at the University of North Caro- lina in 1832. He established himself as a lawyer and was sent to the state house of commons in 1835. In 1836 he removed to Asheville and in 1840 was elected a state senator. In 1842 he was elected as a Whig a representative in the 28th congress, was defeated for the 29th but was again elected to the 30th and succeeding con- gresses to and including the 35th, in which he was chairman of the committee on foreign affairs. Upon the resignation of Sena- tor Biggs in ]May, 1858, Representative Clingman was ap- pointed to succeed him as U.S. senator, and his appointment being confirmed by the state legislature, lie took his seat Dec. 6, 1858. On Dec. 3, 1860, he was the first senator to obtain the floor and violently ar- raigned the north for its opposition to slavery, and justified secession. He was re-elected at the expiration of Senator Biggs's term for a full term extending to March 3, 1867, but was expelled on account of disloyalty, July 4, 1861. In congress he was distinguished in debate; had a notable encounter in the house with Henry A. Wise of Virginia ; replied to Rep- resentative Duncan's " coon speech"; made a speech on Henry Clay's defeat which led to his duel with William L. Yancey of Alabama; and opposed the Clayton-Bulwer treaty and commer- cial restrictions. He was a Whig but joined the Democratic party. In the Confederate govern- ment he was commissioner to congress from North Carolina to express to that l)ody the loy- alty of the state. In the army he entered as

colonel and rose to the rank of brigadier-general, in command of a North Carolina brigade. He surrendered at Greensboro, N.C., with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. He was a delegate to the Democratic national convention of 1868. As a scientist, he made numerous contributions to geology and mineralogy and first made known the wealth in mineral resources of Nortli Caro- lina, including the diamond, ruby, platinum, corundum and extensive mines of mica, which he first opened. He explored and measured manj^ of the peaks, the highest of which in the Black mountain ranges the Smithsonian institu- tion named Mount Clingman in his honor, and in 1858 he determined the highest peak in the Smoky mountains, afterward known on the map as Clingman's dome. He published a volume of his speeches, and Follies of the Positive Philosophers (1878). In Septeniber, 1897, he was sent from his own home, by order of his phj'sician, to the insane asylum at Morganton, N.C., and died there Nov. 3, 1897.

CLINTON, Charles, immigrant, was born in county Longford, Ireland, in 1690 ; son of James and Elizabeth (Smith) Clinton. Becoming a Dis- senter and incurring the hostility of the ruling party, he resolved to immigrate to America with a party of friends numbering nearly two hundred, who had chartered a vessel. They set sail from Dublin, May 20, 1729, with the intention of land- ing at Pliiladelphia and joining the Scotch-Irish settlers in Pennsylvania. They were 139 days crossing the ocean and lost ninety-six of their number by death before landing at Cape Cod, Mass., where the captain had carried them in order to exact a ransom from the survivors or possibly to rob them of their entire possessions. Greatly reduced by starvation they were unable to offer resistance and after recuperating their strength they located, in tlie spring of 1731, on the Hudson river, and the names Orange and Ulster counties bear witness to this Scotch- Irish immigration. Charles Clinton settled in a hilly district about six miles west of New Wind- sor on the Hudson, sixty miles north of New York, which place was laid out by Clinton in 1749, and called New Britain. He was a magis- trate and a land surveyor, and in the course of time was lievitenant-colonel of the Ulster county militia and judge of the common pleas. He served in Colonel De Lancey"s regiment and under Colonel Bradstreet in the cajiture of Fort Frontenac, in 1758. He married Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Alexander Denniston, a native of Ireland. He died at New Britain, N. Y., Nov. 19, 1773.

CLINTON, DeWitt, statesman, was born prob- ably in Napanock, Ulster county, N.Y., March 2, 1769; son of Gen. James and Mary (DeWitt) Clinton. He was brought up at New Britain,