Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/420

 CORWIN

CORY^

Feb. 11, 1847, lie spoke against the further prose- cution of the war, maintaining it to be unjust and dislionorable. and prosecuted in the inter- est of territorial aggrandizement. He refused to vote for appropriations "for a war of con- quest '' and his speech was more widely read, more frequently quoted, more warmly admired, and more bitterly denounced than any other speech delivered in the U.S. senate. In the speech he said, " If I were a Mexican I would tell you : Have you not room in your own country to bury your dead men'? If you come into mine we will greet you with bloody hands and welcome you to hospitable graves."' In the succeeding presidential campaign he supported General Taylor ; canvassed Ohio and urged his Free Soil friends to vote with the Whigs, but Ohio gave her electoral vote to Lewis Cass. He voted with Seward, Chase and Hale and against Clay and Webster on the compromise measures. When Fillmore succeeded to the presidency on the death of President Taylor July 9, 1850, he appointed Senator Corwin secretarj^ of the treasury in his cabinet and his nomination was confirmed by the senate July 20, 1850. He thereupon resigned from the senate and took up the portfolio of the treasury. At the close of President Fillmore's administration, Mr. Corwin returned to Lebanon and took up his law practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a representative in the 36th and 37th congresses, 1859-61, On the assembling of the 36th congress he nominated and supported John Sherman as speaker. Through the seven weeks' contest lie used his best efforts in behalf of his candidate and in the last week spoke two entire days in order to effect an organization. .He then supported William Pennington and when the House was organized, Feb. 1, 1860, he was ap- pointed by Speaker Pennington chairman of the committee on foreign affairs. He was a delegate to the Rejiublican national convention of 1860, and took an active part in the campaign. In the second session of the 36th congress he was made chairman of the celebrated committee of thirty- three, one from each state, on the disturbed con- dition of the country, and he actively supported the proposed amendments to the constitution passed by both houses, submitted to the states, and ratified by Ohio and Marj-land, making it impossible for congress to interfere with slavery in any of the states. On March 13, 1861, he was appointed by President Lincoln, U.S. mini.ster to Mexico and the senate promptly confirmed the nomination. His instructions from Secretary Seward were dated April 6, 1861. On June 26, 1863, the French army had taken possession of the Mexican capital and on August 8, Mr. Seward granted Minister Corwin leave of absence to re- turn to the United States and confer with the

state department awaiting further directions from the President. He returned to the United States early in 1864, leaving his son, William Henry Corwin, charge d'affaires, wliich position he maintained till 1866. Mr. Corwin resigned as U.S. minister shortly after his return and opened a law office in Washington, D.C. On Dec. 18, 1865, he was invited to a large gathering of Ohio men at the residence of Mr. Wetmore, the Ohio military agent. Generals Hayes and Garfield were present with other notable Ohioans. Mr. Corwin was in the best of humor, but was quite weak and was seated on a sofa beside General Haj'es. The assembled guests gathered around him and listened to every word that fell from his lips. Senator Wade, who had been intently listening, suddenly asked: "They say, Corwin, those Mexicans want to be annexed to the United States; what do you think of that?" Corwin"s face changed from gay to grave, his eyes became serious and every one bent forward to hear what he might say. He raised his head and attempted to speak, but no words came. He fell forward on the sofa and never spoke again. See Life and Speeches of Thomas Corwin, Orator, Lainjer, and Statesman; edited by Josiah Morrow (1896). He died in Washington, D.C, Dec. 18, 1865.

CORY, Charles Barney, naturalist and author, was born in Boston, Mass., Jan. 31, 1857; son of Barney and Eliza Ann Bell (Glynn) Cory; grand- son of Barney and Mereba (Gardiner) Cory, and great-grandson of Caleb Cory. He was prepared for college at Nobel's school, Boston, and entered Lawrence scientific school. Harvard university, in 1877, leaving in 1879 to continue his studies abroad. After studying in London and Paris and taking special courses in physiology and psychology, he returned to his native city in 1880 and devoted the greater part of his time to zool- ogy, giving especial attention to ornithology. He was at this time curator of birds in the Bos- ton society of natural history, and also chairman of the committee on hypnotism in the American society of psychical research, and published a work on hyi^notism and nmnerous papers. In 1896 he accepted the position of curator of orni- thology in the Field Colmnbian museum, Chicago, III. He was married May 31, 1883, to Harriet W., daughter of the Hon. Josiah Peterson of Dux- bury, Mass. He published, besides several hun- dred papers on zoologj" both in America and Europe, the following volumes : A XatitraUst in the Magdalen Islands (1878) ; Beautiful and Curious Birds of the World (1880); Birds of Haiti and San Domingo (1885) ; Birds of the West Indies C1888) ; Catalogue of the Birds of the West Indies (1889) ; Birds of the Bahama Islands (1890) ; Catalogtie of the Birds of Eastern North America (1893) ; Hunting and Fish- ing in Florida (1896) ; How to know the Ducks, Geese