Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/369

 CONNELL

CONNER

age he was taken by his parents to Luzerne county, Pa., where he worked in the mines as a driver. He was subsequently placed in charge of the mines of the Susquehanna and Wyoming valley railroad and coal company, with offices at Sci-anton, Pa. He purchased the plant in 1870 and organized the firm of William Connell & Co. He was a delegate to the Republican national convention of 1890. and a representative in the 55tli, 56th and .ITth congresses, 1897-1903.

CONNELL, William James, representative, was born at Cowansville, Canada, July 6, 1846 ; son of the Rev. David and Mary (Dickie) Con- nell. In 1857 lie removed to Schroon Lake, N.Y., and thence in 1862 to Vermont and in 1867 to Omaha, Neb., where he was admitted to the bar in 1869. He was district attorney of the third judicial district of Nebraska, 1872-76; and citj^ attorney of Omaha, 1883-87. He was a Republi- can representative in the 51st congress, 1889-91, and was defeated for election to the 52d con- gress by William Jennings Bryan. He was reap- pointed city attorney of Omaha in 1892.

CONNER, David, naval officer, was born in Harrisburg, Pa., in 1792; son of David and Abi- gail (Rhodes) Conner. His father was the son of

an Irish emigrant who settled in the province of Pennsyl- vania about 1750, and his mother a descend- ant of an English colonist who settled in America in 1682. David's father died in the winter of 1792- 1793 and David went to Philadelphia in 1806 where he was employed by his brother Edward, a shipping merchant trading with the West Indies. Edward was subsequently lost at sea and David entered the United States navy as midshipman Jan. 16, 1809. He was third lieutenant on the Hornet, Capt. James Biddle, and in the action with the Peacock, Feb. 24, 1813, he distinguislied himself in the rescue of the prisoners from the sinking hulk of the captured vessel. He was promoted lieutenant, July 24, 1813, and in the encounter with the renr/uin March 23, 1815, he was dangerously wounded. For liis conduct on these occasions he was commended by his superior officers Lawrence and Biddle, and received a sword from the state of Penn.sylvania and two silver medals from congress. He was

with Capt. James Biddle on the Ontario in Octo ber, 1818, and fired the salute when that officer took formal possession of Oregon in the name of the United States. After cruising in both hemi- spheres he was promoted captain in 1835. He was naval commissioner in 1841 and chief of the bureau of construction, equipment and repairs upon the creation of that bureau in 1842. In 1843 he was made commodore of the Home and West India squadron. In this position his authority as commander-in-chief covered the North Atlantic ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea, and he held this supreme command subject only to the department at Wasliington for over three years. On the outbreak of hostili- ties between the United States and Mexico, Commodore Conner blockaded the gulf coast and led or dispatched eight or more expeditions, de- stroying the Mexican marine and occupying the most of her ports. He directed the operations of Commodore Perry in subduing Yucatan and used her ports for harbor and as a source of sup- plies. He aided General Scott in effecting a land- ing of his army of invasion at Vera Cruz, leading with the Baritan, his flagship, on March 9, 1847, and under the protection of the guns of his fleet 10,000 soldiers were landed in one organized body in the space of four hours. He then prepared his fleet to shell the castle of San Juan de Ulloa and a naval siege battery to co-operate on land, when Commodore Perry returned with orders to relieve Conner, who had already exceeded by three months the usual time allowed to any one commodore. On the morning of March 21 after receiving the order of relief he resigned his office to Commodore Perry and transferred his own broad-pennant to the Princeton. He watched the operations he had planned carried out by Perry and sailed on the 29tli for the United States bear- ing the news of the fall of Vera Cruz to Wash- ington, where he received the thanks of the President, the secretary of the navy and the citi- zens of Philadelphia and Washington. The So- ciety of the Cincinnati made him an honorary member. After recovering his health which was impaired by his long residence in the tropics, he commanded the Philadelpliia navy yard. He died in Philadelphia. Pa., March 20, 1856.

CONNER, Henry W., representative, was born in Prince George county, Va., in August, 1793. He was graduated at South Carolina col- lege in 1812. He was aide to Gen. Joseph Graham in the expedition against the Creek Indians in 1814 and saw considerable service. He then set- tled in Falls Town, Iredell county, and in 1823 removed to Sherrill's Ford, Catawba county, N.C. He was nominated by the Democratic party as representative in the 16th congress but failed of au election. He was a representative in the