Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/376

 CONWAY

CONWAY

and editor of the Christian Observer from 1879. He received the degree of D.D. from King colU'ue, Tenn.

CONWAY, EHas Nelson, governor of Arkan- sas, was born in Green county, Tenn., May IT. 1812; seventh son of Thomas and Ann (Rector i Conwaj'. He was a land surveyor and removed to Arkansas Territory in November, 1833, where his brother, James Sevier, was surveyor-general. He was engaged in surveying Boone and Wash- ington counties in the territory of Arkansas, became auditor of the territory July 25, 1S'6~), and was state auditor from Oct. 1, 1836, to May 17, 1841, and again from July 5, 1841, to Jan. 3, 1849. He originated the donation land laws of the state and the homestead laws of the United States. He addressed the legislature in 1840, advising the donation of forfeited lands to actual settlers, and the communication was copied by the press of every state in the Union. Arkansas adopted the idea in December, 1840, and it became a part of the national polity in 1862. The Democratic state convention of 1844 nominated State Auditor Conway for governor and lie declined the honor because of other juiblic obligations. At the re- quest of the convention to select a candidate, he named Thomas S. Drew, who was elected. He accepted the nomination for governor in 1852 and again in 1856, and served from Nov. 15, 1852, to Nov. 16, 1860. He was burned to death in the conflagration at Little Rock. Ark., Feb. 28, 1892.

CONWAY, Frederick Rector, surveyor-gen- eral, was born near (ireenville, Tenn., July 4, 1799 ; third son of Thomas and Ann (Rector) Con- way. He removed to Columbia, Boone county, Mo., with his father's family in 1818. He was re- corder of French and Spauisli claims at St. Louis and a commissioner for adjudicating French and Spanish land claims in Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. He was afterward U. S. survej'or- general of the district comprising Missouri and Illinois. He died in St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 16, 1874.

CONWAY, Henry Wharton, delegate to congress, was born in Green county, Tenn., March 18, 1793; eldest son of Thomas and Ann (Rector) Conway; grandson of Gen. Henry Con- way of the Revolutionar}' army, and great-grand- son of Thomas Conway, the first of the family in America. He entered the U.S. army as ensign in 1812, was promoted 2d lieutenant in 1813, fought at Fort Boyer and Mobile Point, 1814, and served <J,6 a clerk in the treasury department, 1817. He migrated to Missouri in 1818 and to Arkansas Territory in 1820, where he was receiver of pub- lic moneys. He was a delegate to the 18th, 19th and 20th congresses, 1823-29. He was wounded in a duel with the Hon. Robert Crittenden, brother of John J. Crittenden, afterward U.S. senator rom Kentucky, who was present at the meeting,

Oct. 29, 1827. He died near Arkansas Post, then the .seat of government, Nov. 9, 1827.

CONWAY, James Sevier, governor of Arkan- sas, was born in the Nalocuchy river valley, in Greene county, Tenn., in 1798; second son of Thomas and Ann (Rector) Conway. The family consisted of the parents, seven sons and three daughters. James I'emoved to Arkansas Terri- tor}' in 1820, where he became a lawyer. He was surveyor-general of the territory, 1829-33; a member of the Arkansas constitutional conven- tion of 1836 from Hot Springs, and first governor of the new .state from Sept. 13, 1836, to Nov. 4, 1840. He died at Walnut Hill, Lafayette county, Arl:.. March 3. 1855.

CONWAY, Katherine Eleanor, journalist, was born in Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 6, 1853; daughter of James and Sarah Agatha (O'Boyle) Conway ; and granddaughter of John and Eliza- beth (il'Gurn) Conway, and of Michael and Mary- Preston (Corcoran) O'Boj-le. She acquired her education in Roman Catholic convent schools and in ^ladame Nardin's academy in Buffalo, N.Y., paying sjiecial attention to hi-storj- and English literature. Her first journalistic work wa^ d nj on tlie Rochester Daily Union, and on a small church magazine, and from 1880 to 1883 she was assistant editor on the Catholic Union and Times, Buffalo, N. Y. In 1883 she removed to Bos- ton, Mass., as an associate editor of the Filot. Besides editing Watchwords from John Boyle O' IhiUy (1891), and Christian Symbols and Stories of the Saints by Clara Erskine Clement, she wrote: On the Sunrise Slope (1881); A Dream of Lilies (1893) ; Familj Sitting-Boom Series, including A Lady and Her Letters (1895) ; Making Friends and Keeping Them (1896) ; Questions of Honor in the Christian Life (1897) ; Bettering Ourselves (1899) ; and contributed to current Catholic magazines.

CONWAY, Martin Franklin, representative, was born in Harford county, Md., Nov. 19, 1827; son of Dr. W. D. and Frances (Maulsby) Conwaj". His father was an examining surgeon in the U.S. navy. He was educated at an academy and removed to Baltimore in 1844, where he learned the printer's trade and was one of the organizers of the National typographical union. He subsequently studied law and practised in Baltimore till 1854, when he removed to Kansas Territory. He was a member of the first legisla tive council of Kansas, was chief justice of the supreme court under the Topeka constitution, and was president of the Leavenworth constitu- tional convention of 1856. He was a Republican representative from Kansas in the 37th congress, 1861-63, and on June 10, 1866, was appointed U.S. consul at Marseilles. Upon his return to the United States he devoted himself to literary work. He died at Washington, D. C., Feb. 15, 1882;,