Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/321

 COFFIN

COFFIN

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in the United States. In 1832 it was chartered Tinder the name of the "Fellenberg manual labour institution," which he condvicted success- fully until 1837, when he became principal of the academy at Ogdensburg, N.Y., and devoted his leisure to the study of astronomy and meteorol- ogy. In 1840 he went to Williams college as tutor and there he erected an observa- tory on Saddle moun- tain where he main- tained, 4000 feet above sea level, a self -regis- tering anemometer of his own invention. By means of this clockwork continu- ous observations were taken even during the three winter months w^hen the ascent of the peak was impracticable. In 1872 he constructed for the Argentina astronomical observatory at Cordoba, a duplicate of this instrument with im- provements. He was principal of the Norwalk, Conn., academy, 1843-46, and held the chair of mathematics and astronomy in Lafayette college, 1846-73, serving the college as vice-president, 1849-53. He was married Dec. 5, 1833, to Aure- lia Medici, daughter of the Rev. Ebenezer Jen- nings, of Dalton, Mass., and had two daughters and one son. His youngest daughter became the wife of the Eev. John C. Clyde, D.D. His son Selden Jennings Coffin, succeeded to his chair at Lafayette. Amherst conferred upon him the de- gree of M.A. in 1831, and Rutgers college that of LL. D. in 1859. He contribvited frequently to scientific literature, was a member of National academy of sciences, and edited for the Smith- sonian institution two large quarto volumes, giv- ing the results of meteorological observations for 1854-59, besides various other publications of the institution. He published text books on Book- keeping (1835) ; on Analytical Geometry (1849) ; on Conic Sections (1850) ; Solar and Lunar Eclipses (1845) ; and left incomplete Tlie Winds of the Globe (1876). His life was written by John C Clyde (1882). He died at Ea.ston, Pa., Feb. 6, 1873.

COFFIN, John Huntington Crane, mathe- matician, was born in Wiscasset, Maine, Sept. 14, 1815; son of Nathaniel and Marj- (Porter) Coffin; ^rand.son of James and Martha (McLellan) Coffin and of Dr. Aaron Porter ; great-grand.son of Dr. Edmund and Shuah (Bartlet) Coffin; great^ grandson of Nathaniel and Sarah (Brocklebank) Dole Coffin; and great^ grandson of Tristram Coffin. Jr., who came to America in 1642. He was graduated at Bowdoin college in 1834 and in 1836

was appointed professor of mathematics in the U.S. navy, .serving on various ships and on sur- veys until 1843, when he was detailed to the U.S. naval observatory, Washington, D.C. He was married in 1845 to Louisa Harrison of Washing- ton. After 1853 lie had charge of the depart- ment of mathematics and subsequently of astronomy and navigation at the U.S. naval academy. He removed to Cambridge, Mass., in 1865, where he was superintendent of the ^4mer- ican Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, 1866-77 and its editor, 1869-81. In 1876 its office of publica- tion was removed from Cambridge, Mass., to Washington, D.C. In 1877 he was retired from the na\*j'. The American academy of arts and sciences, Boston, the American philosophical society, Philadelphia, and the National academy of sciences, included him as an active member. He received the degree of LL.D. from Bowdoin in 1884. He contributed to the volumes of the U.S. naval observatory (1845^9), and prepared for the U.S. naval academy The Compass (1863) ; and Xavigation and Nautical Astronomy (1868). He died in Washington, D. C, Jan. 8, 1890.

COFFIN, Levi, abolitionist, was born near New Garden, N.C., Oct. 28, 1798; son of Levi and Prudence (Williams), grandson of William and Priscilla (Paddock), great grandson of Samuel and ^liriam (Gardner), great^ grandson of John and Deborah (Austin), and great^ grandson of Tristram Coffin. His parents were Quakers. At the age of fifteen he helped slaves to escape and organized a Sabbath school for negroes, and a day school in 1822. In 1826 he removed to Wayne county, Ind., where he became a successful raer- chant and manufacturer. He continued his work in behalf of escaping slaves and his place was a recognized depot for the " underground rail- road, ■' an organized method of escape from slav- ery at the time effectively maintained in Ohio and Indiana, and of which he is said to have been president. In April, 1847, he removed to Cincin- nati, where he conducted a store, dealing in goods of free-labor manufacture only. In 1863 he helped to organize the Freedmen's bureau and went to Europe as agent for the Western freedmen"s aid commission, holding meetings and collecting a considerable fund. He visited Europe a second time in 1867. See " Reminis- cences of Levi Coffin, the Reputed President of the Underground Railroad " (1876). He died in Avondale, Ohio, Sept. 16, 1877.

COFFIN, Owen Tristram, lawyer, was born in Washington, Dutchess coimty, N.Y., July 17, 1815; son of Robert and Magdalena (Bentley) Coffin; grand.son of Abishai and Sarah (Long) Coffin, and of Tabor and Elizabeth (Vanderburgh) Bentley ; and a descendant in the sixth genera- tion of Tristram Coffin who emigrated from