Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/368

 CONLEY

CONNELL

trip to Europe. He was a candidate for the Presidency before the Republican national con- vention of 1876 and received the votes of the ma- jority of the New York delegation, but George William Curtis, the leader of the minority, trans- ferred the vote of New York to Rutherford B. Hayes. He led the debate on the electoral com- mission bill, which formed the chief topic of de- bate in the second session of the 44th congress. In the Republican national convention of 1880 he advocated the election of General Grant for a third term and opposed the nomination of Mr. Garfield ; but in the canvass which followed he oame to his support as a loyal Republican. When in 1881 President Garfield failed to consult the New York senators in appointing a collector for the port of New York, and when the senate con- firmed the acts of the President, Senator Conk- ling resigned, together with his colleague, Thomas C. Piatt, and they appealed to the New York legisle^ture for vindication by a re-election, which the legislature failed to carry out. He afterward returned to Utica, and in the autumn devoted himself to the practice of his profession in New York city. In the six years following his resig- nation from the senate he relieved himself of a heavy burden of debt and amassed a fortune. In February, 1882, he w^as nominated by President Arthur as associate justice of the supreme court of the United States, and the appointment was confirmed by the senate but declined by Mr. Conkling. Toward the close of his life he con- £.ned his practice chiefly to the courts of New York and Washington. He received the degree of LL.D. from Madison university in 1877. See Life and Letters of Boscoe Conkling, by Alfred Ronald Conkling (1889). He died in New York city, April 18, 1888.

CONLEY, Benjamin, governor of Georgia, "was born in Newark, N.J., March 1, 1815. In 1830 he removed with his father's family to Au- gusta, Ga., where he was educated and became a naerchant. He served in the Augusta city council in 1845-56, and as mayor in 1856-58. He strongly opposed the secession movement and during the war retired to his plantation in Mont- gomery county, Ala. In 1865 he returned to Augusta, and advocated the reconstruction plans of the Republican party. He was appointed by Gen. John Pope, U.S.A., a member of the city council in 1867 ; was a delegate to the state con- stitutional convention in 1868 ; was state senator, 1868-69, and president of the Republican state convention, 1869. On the resignation of Gov- ernor Bullock, Oct. 30, 1871, Mr. Conley became governor of Georgia, by virtue of his office of president of the senate, and on Nov. 3, 1871, he took the oath of office. The legislature passed a law appointing an election Dec. 3, 1871, at

which James M. Srtiith was elected governor. President Grant appointed Mr. Conley postmaster of Atlanta, Ga., and he served, 1875-83. He was married in 1842 to Sarah H. Semmes of Wash- ington, Ga. He died in Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 10, 1886.

CONLEY, John Dykeman, scientist, was born at Brockport, N.Y., Sept. 14, 1843; son of John Ward and Pamelia Elizabeth (Johnson) Conley ; grandson of Thomas and Margaret (Warner) Conley, and of William F. and Lucy (Hamlin) Johnson. His maternal grandfather was the son of Edmund Johnson, a soldier in the war of 1812, and grandson of a Revolutionary soldier. John Dykeman Conley received his preparatory educa- tion at Canastota, N.Y., was graduated at the Albany state normal school in 1863, and taught school at Roslyn, N.Y., until 1865. He w^as grad- uated at Hamilton college in 1869, and until 1876 was principal of the preparatory department of Blackburn university, Illinois. He was also pro- fessor of chemistry and natural science in that institution from 1871 to 1887, when he was elected to the chair of geology, chemistry and physics in tlie state University of Wyoming. During his connection with the university he was its vice-president, and for nearly one year its acting president. In 1896 he resigned his position aiid in 1897 was elected to the chair of physical sciences in Blackburn university. He was married in 1873 to Virginia C, daughter of S. T. and Elizabeth (Palmer) Mayo of CarlinviUe, 111., and niece of Senator John M. Palmer. He is the author of two large geological charts, and five bulletins on geology, artesian wells and meteorology.

CONN, Herbert William, biologist, was born in Fitchburg, Mass. , Jan. 10, 1859 ; son of Reuben R. and Harriet E. (Harding) Conn; grandson of John and Nancy (Barrows) Conn, and descended from George Conn, who came from the north of Ireland and settled in Massachusetts. He was graduated at Boston university, A.B., 1881, A.M., 1883, and from Johns Hopkins university. Ph. D., in 1884. He was instructor in biology at Wes- leyan university, 1884-86, and professor of biology from 1886. He was also instructor of biology at Trinity college, 1887-88; director of the Cold Spring Harbor biological laboratory, 1890-97, and in charge of the bacteriological work of Storrs' School experiment station from 1887. He uiade a specialty of the study of bacteriology of dairy products, being the first specialist in America on this subject. He published Evolution of Today (1886) ; The Living World (1891) ; The Story of Germ Life (1896) ; The Story of the Living 3Iarhitie (1899) ; and over one hundred scientific papers upon various topics.

CONNELL, William, representative, was born at Cape Breton, N.S., Sept. 10, 1827. At an early