Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/365

 CONGER

CONKUN

dent McKinley appointed him minister to China, where lie remained through the siege of Pekin.

CONGER, John Williani, educator, was born in Jackson, Tenn., Feb. 20, 1857; son of Philander Drew "VVhitmill and Eliza Jane (Chambers) Conger. He came of Scotch and English descent, and his paternal grandfather. James B. Conger, was the inventor of the turbine water-wheel. In 1878 he was graduated at Southwestern Baptist -university, Jackson, Tenn. He was president of the Odd Fellows college, Humboldt, Tenn., 1879- 82, and in 1883 organized Searcj* college in Ar- kansas. He was president of Ouachita college, Arkadelphia, Ark., from June, 1886, organizing the institution and selecting its facvdt j. The col- lege buildings were completed at a cost of ■$65,000. He was elected president of the State teachers' association. In 1885 Southwestern Baptist university conferred on him the degree of A.M.

CONGER, Omar Dwight, senator, was lx)rn at Cooper.stown, N.Y., April 11, 1818; son of the Rev. Enoch and Esther (West) Conger. He was taken to Huron county, Ohio, in 1824, and was prepared for college at Huron institute. He entered the Western Reserve university from Plymouth, Richland covmty, Ohio, and was graduated in 1841. He was employed on the geological survey of the Lake Superior copper and iron regions, 1845—47, and in 1848 settled at Port Huron, Mich., as a lawyer. In 1850 he was appointed judge of the St. Clair county court and in 1855 was elected state senator, holding the office until 1859, acting as president pro tem- pore of that body during the last year of his service. He was a presidential elector in 1864, and a member of the state constitutional con- vention of 1867. He was a representative from Michigan in the 41st-47th congresses, 1869-81, be- coming an acknowledged leader in the house. In 1881 he was elected U.S. senator, and after the expiration of his senatorial term in 1887 he opened a law office in Washington, D.C., where he practised imtil his death. Western Reserve conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. in 1879. He died in Ocean City, Md., July 11, 1898.

CONKLIN, Edwin Grant, educator, was born in Waldo, Ohio, Nov. 24, 1863 ; son of Abram and Maria (Hull) Conklin; and grandson of Jacob Conklin and of Col. Nathaniel Hull. He was graduated at the Ohio Wesleyan university, B. S. in 1885, and B.A. in 1886, and was professor in Rust university. Holly Springs, Miss., 1886-88. The following three years he spent at Johns Hopkins university, being appointed in 1889 assistant in the biological laboratory and in 1890 a feUow in biology. In the summer of 1892 he was made a member of the corps of instructors in charge of the Marine biological laboratory at

Woods Holl. He held the chair of biology at the Ohio Wesleyan university, 1891-94, and that of zoulogj' at the Northwestern university. 1894—96. In 1896 he accepted the chair of comparative embryology in the University of Pennsj'lvania. He received the degree of Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins university in 1891. He is author of many valuable scientific papers, and of several popular works on biology.

CONKLIN, John Woodruff, clergyman, was born in Montville, N.J., Dec. 30, 1851; son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth J. (Woodruff) Conklin ; and grandson of Stephen and Catherine (Tailor) Conklin, and of Archibald and Catherine (John- son) Woodruff. His first American ancestor, Ananias Conklin, emigrated from Nottingham, England, about 1636 and settled in Salem, Mass., where he was the first manufacturer of glass in America. He afterward removed to Easthamp- ton, L.I., N.Y. Jolm W. Conklin was prepared for college at the Newark (N.J.) academy and was graduated from Rutgers college in 1871. He entered the New Brunswick (N.J.) theologi- cal seminary of the Reformed church in America and was graduated in 1876. He engaged in preaching, 1876-80; was a missionary in the Arcot mission, India, 1881-90 ; acting secretary of the Board of foreign missions, 1890-92; and in 1895 he became a teacher in the Bible Normal college at Springfield, Mass. He was married in 1880 to Elizabeth Jane Lindsley. Rutgers coUege conferred upon him the degree of A.M. in course in 1874.

CONKLIN, William Augustus, naturalist, was bom in New York city, March 16, 1837 ; son of Benjamin and Guyonetta (Adams) Conklin, and a direct descendant of Capt. John Conklin, a native of Nottinghamshire, England, who settled in Salem, ^Nlass., before 1649, and removed to Southold, L.I., about 1655. He was graduated from the Columbia veterinary college with the degree of D.V.S. in 1879. He was a clerk and afterward superintendent in the park depart- ment of New York city, 1858-62 ; and director of the zoological department of Central park, 1862- 92. He visited Europe several times in search of zoological specimens and information on mamma- lia and ornithology ; was made a member, corre- sponding or honorary, of various zoological and other scientific societies in Europe, and collected a large librarj- on subjects akin to his direction of study. He established and edited the Journal of Comparative Medicine and Surgery (1880-96), and made valuable contributions on natural history to current literature. Manhattan college con- ferred upon him the degree of Ph.D. in 1880. He was elected a member of the Academy of sciences, of the American association for the advancement of science, of the Linnsean society