Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/349

 COLT

COLT

cities, on the life and character of " Stonewall " Jackson. He established in Wilmington, N.C., a military academy and conducted it successfully until March, 1873, when he accepted a position on the military staff of the Khedive of Egypt, which position he resigned in 1879 on the reduc- -fcion of the Egyptian army and the dismissal of the American oiiicers employed by the Khedive. While in Egypt he commanded an expedition to •explore the country lying south between Egypt and the equator, 1873-7-1, and another expedition following the same line of discovery which he conducted under great physical suffering, 1874- 76. For his services he received from the Sultan the firman and decoration of "Knight com- mander of the Turkish imperial order of the Os- manieh." His return to America was followed by the loss of the money saved during his services in Egypt, bj' speculation through the advice of Wall Street friends, and he was obliged to take a clerkship in the war department, Washington, where he served faithfully, 1882-94, when he was removed on account of physical disability. He found asylum in the Confederate soldiers' home at Riclimond, Va., where he died, Jul}' 29, 1896.

COLT, James Denison, jurist, was born in Pittsfield, Mass., Oct. 8, 1819; son of Ezekiel R. and Electa (Campbell) Colt. He was graduated at Williams college in 1838, and was tutor in a family in Natchez, Miss., 1838-40, meanwhile studying law in the office of General Gaines, U.S. district attorney. He returned to Pittsfield in 1840, and was admitted to the bar in 1842, en- tering into partnership with Judge RockweU, his law instructor. He was on the staff of Governor Briggs of Massachusetts, 1844-51, and in 1852-54 he was a member of the lower house of the /^lassachusetts legislature. In 1858 the law firm was dissolved by the appointment of both jjart- ners to be justices of the superior court. Mr. Colt declined and continued in practice alone until Sept. 11, 1865, when he was appointed to the supreme bench, and served until Aug. 15, 1866. He was again appointed a justice of the supreme court, Feb. 14, 1868, and served until his death. In 1857 he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of S. C. Gilbert of Gilbertville, N.Y. He was professor of medical jurisprudence in the Berkshire medical school, a trustee of Williams college, 1862-81, and received the degree of LL.D. from Williams in 1871 and from Harvard in 1881. He died by his own hand, in Pittsfield, Mass., while temporarily insane, Aug. 9, 1881.

COLT, Le Baron Bradford, jurist, was born in Dedliam. Mass., June 25, 1846; son of Christo- pher and Theodora G. (DeWolf) Colt; nephew of Samuel Colt, inventor; and grandson of Gen. George DeWolf of Bristol, R.I. He was prepared "for college at Williston seminary, Mass., was

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graduated from Yale in 1868, and from Columbia college law school in 1870. In the latter year he was admitted to the New York bar. He was in Europe, 1870- 71, practised law in Chicago, 1872-74, and in 1875 removed to Bristol, R.L; continued the practice of law at Providence, R.L, and served in the state leg- islature in 1879. In March, 1881, he was appoint- ed by President Garfield U.S. district judge of Rhode Island

and in July, 1884, President Arthur made him U.S. circuit judge for the first circuit. Brown university conferred upon him the degree of A.M. in 1882.

COLT, Samuel, inventor, was born in Hart- ford, Conn., July 19, 1814; son of Christopher and Sarah (Caldwell) Colt; grandson of Col. Benjamin and Lucretia (Ely) Colt; great-grand- son of John Colt; and great- grandson of John Colt, who came to America with the Rev. Thomas Hooker in 1636. In 1824 he was sent to his father's factory at Ware, Mass., where he remained until he went to Amherst to school. In 1830 he was sent by his father to sea, sailing from Boston for Calcutta in August, 1830. Dur- ing his voyage he conceived his first idea of "Colt's revolver,'' and constructed a little wooden model, which combined a number of long barrels so as to rotate upon a spindle by the act of cocking the lock. Though dis- carding this as too heavy to be practica- ble, Mr. Colt was con- A'inced that his inven- tion would ultimately be successful. In 1831 he returned from the sea and entered the dyeing and bleaching department of his father's factory, there acquiring a practical knowledge of chem- istry. In order to carry on his experiments with fire arms, he deter- mined in 1832 to go on a lecture tour, and assum- ing the name of "Dr. Coult," he visited every