Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/359

 COMSTOCK

COMSTOCK

1858 Union college conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. He edited KenVs Commentaries. He died in Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 27, 1892.

COMSTOCK, John Henry, entomologist, was born in Janesville, Wis., Feb. 24, 1849; son of Ebenezer and Susan (Allen) Comstock. He was graduated at Cornell university, B.S., in 1874, and was instructor in entomology, 1873-77, as- sistant professor of entomology, 1877-82; and afterward professor of entomologj' and general invertebrate zoology. He was lecturer on zool- ogy at Vassar college in 1877, and U.S. entomolo- gist at Washington, 1879-81. He was married Oct. 7, 1878, to Anna Botsford. The Society for "the advancement of agricultural science, and the Philosophical and Biological societies of Washington elected him to membership. In 1889 he erected a building on the grounds of Cor- nell university for the study of insects, their habits, and how most effectually to destroy those which were injurious, and called it an " Insect- ary," thus coining a word. His published writ- ings include Xotes on Entomology (1875) ; Eeports of the U.S. Entomologist (1879-80); Report on Cot- ton Insects (1879) ; Eeport on Insects (1881) ; Mono- .graph of the Diaspince (1882) ; Hymenoptera (in the Standard Natural Histoi-y, 1884) ; An Introduction to Entomology (1888) ; A Manual for the Study of Insects (1895) ; Insect Life (1897) ; and many articles in scientific journals.

COMSTOCK, John Lee, author, was born in Lyme, Conn., in 1789. He was assistant surgeon in the 2oth U.S. infantry, and during the war of 1812 served at Fort Trumbull, Conn., and on the northern frontier, principally on hospital duty. After the war he located in Hartford and gave much of his time to the preparation of school textbooks on philosophy, chemistry, natu- ral history, geography and phy.siology, many of which had a very wide circulation. He wrote History of the Greek Hevolution (1828) ; Elements of ■Chemistry (1831; many editions); History of the Precious Metals (1849) ; and Comstock's Natural Philosophy which was used in the public schools of the United States to the extent of 900,000 oopies, and was translated into other languages. He died in Hartford. Conn., Nov. 21, 1858.

COMSTOCK, Milton Lemmon, educator, was Ijorn in Hamilton county, Ohio, Oct. 19, 1824 son of Joab and Jane (Lemmon) Comstock grandson of Joab Comstock of Haddani, Conn and of William Lemon, who came to Havre de Grace, Md., in 1801, and a descendant of William Comstock, who came to the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1635. He was graduated at Knox col- lege, Galesburg, 111., in 1851, having taught school for some years before graduation. Later he was principal of Knox academy, 1851-54, and then removed to Iowa, where he was editor of the

loim Farmer. He returned to Knox college in 1858 and was made assistant professor of mathe- matics and natural philosophy. In 1862 he be- came full professor and he closed his work there in 1898. Knox conferred on him the degree of A.M. in 1854, and Lombard university gave him that of Ph.D. in 1879.

COMSTOCK, Oliver Cromwell, representa- tive, was born in AVarwick, R.I., March 1, 1780, and removed with his father's family to Sche- nectadj", N.Y., when a child. He was educated as a physician and practised medicine at Cayuga Bridge, N.Y. He was a member of the state assembly, 1810-12 ; was the first judge of common pleas for Seneca county, N.Y., 1812-15, and served as a representative in the 13th, 14th and loth congresses, 1813-19. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1819 and was elected chaplain to the U.S. house of representatives. He prac- tised medicine in Trumansburg, N.Y., for a few years and was pastor of the First Baptist church, Rochester, N. Y., 1825-34. He afterward removed to Michigan, where he was regent of the Univer- sity, 1841-43, and superintendent of public in- struction, 1843-45. His son, Grover S. Comstock, was a missionary to Arakan. He died in Marshall, Mich., Jan. 11, 1860.

COMSTOCK, Solomon Oilman, representa- tive, was born in Argyle, ]\Iaine, May 9, 1842 ; son of James M. and Louisa (Oilman) Comstock; grandson of Solomon Comstock ; and a descend- ant of Daniel and Martha Comstock of Smith- field, R.I. His earlj^ home was in Passadumkeag, Maine. He attended the Maine Wesleyan semi- nary at Kent's Hill; was admitted to the bar in Nebraska and Minnesota, and removed to Moorhead, Clay county, Minn., in 1870. He was county attorney, 1872-78; a representative in the Minnesota legislature, 1876-77 and 1879-81 ; a member of the state .senate, 1883-87, and a Repub- lican representative from the 5th district of Min- nesota in tlie 51st congress, 1889-91.

COMSTOCK, Theodore Bryant, geologist, was born at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, July 27, 1849; son of Calvin J. and Amelia M. (Hanford) Com- stock, and a descendant of Christopher Comstock and of the Rev. John Hanford, who were among the earliest settlers of Nor walk, Conn. He was graduated at the Pennsylvania state college in 1868 and at Cornell in 1870. He accompanied Hartt's expedition to Brazil in 1870, as first assist- ant geologist, and in 1873 accompanied Jones's Wyoming expedition as its geologist. He was professor of natural sciences at Pelliam Priory (Pelham), Westchester county, N.Y., 1871-72; professor of natural historj', Miss Nourse's school, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1873; and professor of natural sciences. Brooks school, Cleveland, Ohio, 1874-75. He conducted the Kirtland summer school of