Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/371

 CONNOR

CONOVER

prior Jan. 28, 1791, and became president of the council May 13, 1794. He was consecrated bishop •of New York in the church of SS. Domenico and Sisto, Rome, Nov. 6, 1814, by Cardinal Brancadora. He visited Ireland to obtain priests to aid him in his new diocese, and with one priest reached New York where onlj' four priests were occupying the field. He founded churclies in Rochester and Utica and an orphan asylum in New York city which he placed under the charge of sisters of ■charity. His labors during the yellow fever ■epidemics of 1822 and 1823 greatly impaired his health and he died at the Episcopal residence on the Bowery, New York city, Feb. 5, 1825.

CONNOR, Laertus, physician, was born at Coldenham, N.Y., Jan. 29, 1843; .son of Hezekiah and Cai'oline (Corwin) Connor; grandson of William Connor; great-grandson of John Connor, and a descendant of Matthias Corwin, who set- tled at Ipswich, Mass., in 1633. He was gradu- ated at Williams college in 1865, and at the College of physicians and surgeons of New York city in 1870. He began practice at Detroit, Mich., in 1871, and made a specialty of eye and •ear in 1878. From 1871 to 1895 he was editor successively of the Detroit lievieio of Medicine, the Detroit Medical Journal, the Detroit Lancet and the American Lancet. He was professor of physiology and the eye and ear in the Detroit medical college, 1871-81, and secretary of the American medical college association, 1873-80. He was president of the American academy of medicine, 1888-89, and of the Detroit academy of medicine, 1877-78, and 1888-89; vice-president of the American medical association, 1882-83, and a trustee of the Journal of the American medical association, 1883-89 and 1892-94. He is author of numerous jsapers upon diseases of the eye and ear.

CONNOR, Patrick Edward, soldier, was born in Ireland, March 17, 1820. His parents settled in the United States soon after his birth and he Avas educated in New York city. In 1839 he en- listed in the U.S. army, serving thi-ough the Seminole war, and upon his discharge in 1844 engaged in mercantile business in New York city. In 1846 he .settled in Texas where he was chosen captain of Texas volunteers and as a part of Col. Albert Sidney Johnston's regiment, engaged the Mexicans at Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma and Buena Vista, at which last battle he was severely wounded. When the war was ended he settled in California and engaged in trade. Upon the •outbreak of tlie ciA'il war in 1861 lie raised a regi- ment of California volunteers and was ordered to Utah to keep the Mormons in check and guard the overland route against marauding Indians. He encountered a band of three hundred Indian ■warriors in fortified camp on Bear river, W^ash- ington Territory, and destroyed the entire band.

He commanded the Utah district during the war and was promoted brigadier-general of vol- unteers in 1863 and major-general by brevet at the close of the war. He afterward organized an expedition of 2000 cavalry and defeated the Arapaho Indians at Tongue river in August, 1865. He was mustered out of the volunteer service April 30, 1866. He afterward organized 16,000 Gentiles, established Camp Douglass near Salt Lake City, founded a Gentile community, and issued the Union Vedette, the first daily paper » i^ublished in Utah. He located the first silver mine in the territory, wrote the first mining law, placed the fir.st steamboat on the Great Salt Lake, built the fir.st silver smelting works, founded the town of Stockton, and established large commercial and mining interests. He died in Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 17, 1891.

CONNOR, Selden, governor of Maine, was born in Fairfield, Maine, Jan. 25, 1839; son of William and Mary (Bryant) Connor. He was graduated at Tufts college in 1859 and studied law at Woodstock, Vt., where he enlisted in the 1st regiment of Vermont volunteers for three months' service in the civil war. At the close of this service he be- came major and soon after was lieutenant- colonel of the 7th Maine regiment, which he commanded in the pe- ninsula campaign from the beginning of the "Seven Days" battle. He commanded the 77th N.Y. volunteers for a short time after the battle of Antietam, at the battle of Gettj-sburg. In January, 1864, he was made colonel of the 19th Maine infantry and commanded the brigade as ranking officer. His wounds received in the battle of the Wil- derness incapacitated him for active service. He was commissioned brigadier-general June 11, 1864, and in 1867 was appointed a mem- ber of the staff of Governor Chamberlain. In 1868 he was made assessor of internal revenue and in 1874 was appointed by President Grant collector for the Augusta district. In 1875 he was elected governor of Maine and was twice re- elected, serving 1876-79. He was U.S. pension agent under a^jpointment from President Arthur. 1882-85.

CONOVER, Simon Barclay, senator, was born in Cranbury, N.J., Sept. 23, 1840; son of Samuel and Ann Maria (Barclay) Conover, and grandson of Johnson Conover. He studied medicine at the University of Nashville and was graduated as

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and his own regiment