Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/341

 COLLES

COLLIER

would not admit the necessity of the greenback issue. He demanded of the south securitj' for future peace and his argument for the ironclad oath was a logical presentation of reasons for the extra- constitutional legislation. He was married July 15, 1817, to Mary N., daughter of Abigail Stone. He was professor of medical jurispru- dence in the Vermont medical college, Wood- stock, 1843-49. The Universitj' of Vermont conferred on him the degree of LL.D. in 1850 and Dartmouth gave him the same degree in 1855. He died at AVoodstock, Vt., Nov. 9, 1865.

COLLES, Christopher, engineer, was born in Ireland about 1737. He came to America and lectured in Philadelphia and New York city on pneumatics, water supply for cities, and inland lock navigation, 1772-74. In 1775 he gave in- struction in gunnery and was employed as in- structor in the Continental artillery until 1777. In 1784 he memorialized the New York legisla- ture in behalf of an inland lock canal between Lake Ontario and the Hudson river, as proved practicable by surveys via the Mohawk river made by him, which were published in 1785 by Loudon and in 1808 by himself. He then engaged in manufacturing various ingenious and useful scientific devices, including proof-glasses for test- ing the specific gravity of imported liquors. Con- gress appointed him a custom-house inspector and he was afterward superintendent of the Academy of fine arts. In 1812 he built and operated a telegraph at Fort Clinton. He claimed to have constructed the first steam engine built in America. He died in New York city in 1821.

COLLETT, John, geologist, was born in Eu- gene, Ind., Jan. 6, 1828; son of Stephen S. and Sarah (Grondyke) CoUett; grandson of John and Elizabeth Collett of Juniata Valley, Pa., and of John Groendyke; and a descendant of John Collett who immigrated to Wilmington, Del., about 1751. He was graduated at Wabash college, Ind., in 1847 ; was assistant state geologist, 1870-78; a member of the commission to build the state house, 1878-79 ; chief of the bureau of statistics and geology, 1879-80; a member of the state senate, 1871-73; and state geologist, 1881-85. He published annual reports during his terms of office as geologist and prepared valuable geologi- cal maps and surveys of the state. He was a fellow and member of man}- geological societies of the United States. Wabash conferred upon him the" degree of A.M in 1850, and that of Ph.D. in 1879, and the Central college of medicine and chirurgery gave him that of M.D. in 1882. He died in Indianapolis, Ind., March 15, 1899.

COLLIER, Henry Watkins, governor of Ala- bama, was born in Lunenburg county, Va., Jan. 17, 1801; son of James and Elizabeth (Bouldin) Collier; grandson of Cornelius and Elizabeth

(Wyatt) Collier, and of James and Sally (Wat- kins) Bouldin; and great-grandson of John Collier of Little York, Va., who was either a native of England or the son of an Englishman. Soon after his birth his parents removed to Abbeville district, S.C, where he received his primary education, and in 1818 removed with the family to Madison county, Ala., was admitted ta the bar in 1822, and jjractised law at Huntsville until 1823, when he located in Tuscaloosa. He was married in 1826 to Mary Williams Battle. In 1827 he was elected a representative in the state legislature. In 1828 he was elected to the supreme bench and in 1832 was continued on the circuit bench. He was appointed associate justice of the supreme court of the state in 183& and became chief justice in 1837. In 1849, upon his election as governor of Alabama, he resigned from the bench. He was re-elected governor in 1851, almost without opposition. He died at Bailey's Springs, Ala., Aug. 28, 1855.

COLLIER, John Allen, representative, wa& born in Litchfield, Conn., Nov. 13, 1787; son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Stockwell) Collier ; and grandson of Richard Collier. He studied law at the celebrated law school at Litchfield, the first law school in the United States; was admitted to the bar in 1809; practised at Binghamton, and was the first district attorney of Broome county, June 11, 1818, to Feb. 25, 1822. He was a representative from New York in the 22d con- gress, 1831-33, and comptroller of the state from Jan. 27, 1841, to Feb. 7, 1842. He was appointed one of the three commissioners to revise the statutes in 1847 and resigned Jan. 18, 1848. He was attorney for the receiver of the United States bank and was prominently named as the Whig candidate for governor of New York, refusing the second place on the ticket. He was presidential elector and president of the New York electoral college in 1849, voting for Taylor and Fillmore; and declined a foreign embassy offered by President FiUmore in 1850. He died in Binghamton, N.Y., March 24, 1873.

COLLIER, Peter, chemist, was born in Chit- tenango, N.Y., Aug. 17, 1835; son of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth Collier. He fitted for college at Yates's polytechnic institute in his native town and was graduated at Yale in 1861. He then took a post-graduate course at Sheftield scientific school, Yale, and served as assistant to the pro- fessor of chemistry in the laboratory, 1862-66, receiving in 1866 his Ph.D. degree. He was pro- fessor of chemistry, mineralogy and metallurgy in the University of Vermont, 1867-77, and received the degree of M.D. from that in.stitution in 1870. He was married Oct. 18, 1871, in Provi- dence, R.I., to Caroline Frances, daughter of the Hon. Andrew Aldrich Angell of Scituate, R.I.,