Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/77

 BURRILL.

BURRITT.

retaining that office for fifteen years. He was treasurer and afterward president of the Illinois central railroad company, vice-president and subsequently president of the Hartford and New Haven railroad company, and upon the consoli- dation of the two roads he became vice-president of the New York, New Haven and Hartford company. In 1859 he took up his residence in Salisbury, Conn., and served several terms in the assembly and for one term in the state senate. He died in Hartford, Conn., March 3, 187-4.

BURRELL, David James, clergyman, was born at Mount Pleasant, Pa., Aug. 1, 1844. His father was one of the earlj- settlers of Illinois, having located at Freeport in 1850. In 1860 he entered Phillips academy, Andover, Mass., and was graduated from Yale college, in 1867 being awarded the De Forest gold medal for oratory. He then entered the Union theological seminary, where he was graduated in 1871 and at once entered upon the work of the ministry in con- nection with the city missions of Chicago. He accepted the pastorate of the Second Presby- terian church at Dubuque, Iowa, in 1876. where he remained eleven years. He then accepted a call from Westminster Presbyterian church at Minneapolis, Minn., and also the presidency of Macallister college. In 1891 he assumed the pastorship of the Marble collegiate chvirch of New York city. He contributed liberally to current literature, both secular and religious, and published, The Great Religions, The Gospel of Gladness, and The Morning Cometh, and in connection with bis brother, Rev. Jos. Dunn Bui rell, Hints and Helps, for the years 1892, '93 and '94. He had charge of the interna- tional lesson column of the Chicago Interior for eleven years, filled the chairs of Greek and Hebrew in the German theological seminary of the northwest, and had a seat on the board of trustees of the United society of the Dutch re- formed churches.

BURRILL, James, senator, was born in Provi- dence, R. I., April 25, 1772. He was graduated at Rhode Island college in 1788, and that insti- tution conferred on him the degree of LL.D. in 1813, he serving as trustee 1813-*20. He studied law and became eminent at the bar. In 1797 he was attorney -general of the state of Rhode Is- land; in 1813 he resigned his office and was elected to the state legislature, serving as speaker of the house: in 1816 he was appointed justice of the supreme court, in 1817 was elected to the United States senate, and died, while in office, at Washington, D. C. Dec. 2.5, 1820.

BURRILL, Thomas Jonathan, naturalist, was born at Pittsfield, Mass., April 25, 1839. In 1867 he went with Maj. J. W. Powell on his famous Rocky Mountain expedition. He was

graduated from the State Normal university, Normal, 111., in 1868. In 1871 he was elected to the chair of botany and horticulture in the uni- versity; in 1877 was made dean of the depart- ment of natural sciences, and lield the office seven years, meanwhile making important inves- tigations and discoveries. In 1882 was elected its vice-president, and was acting president 1891-4. He served as president of the Illinois state horti- cultural society, vice-president of the American liorticultural society, vice-president of the bio- logj- department of the American association for the advancement of science, and from 1885 to 1886 as president of the American society of microscopi.sts. He is the author of Uredinece, or Parasitic Fungi of Illinois {\S85) and many periodical articles, addresses and papers.

BURRITT, Elihu, philanthropist, was born in New Britain, Conn., Dec. 8, 1810- son of Elihu Burritt and grandson of Elihu Burritt, both sol- diers in the Revolu- tion. He was brought up on the farm and upon the death of his father in 1828 he ap- prenticed himself to a blacksmith. He was extremely studi- ous and was assisted by his brother who conducted a small academy which Elihu for a time attended. With his brother's help he mastered Greek, Latin, mathe- matics and the mod- ^{^^^ df^tAAAAttT. em languages. He

became a grocer but the financial crisis of 1837 wrecked his business, whereupon he re- moved to Worcester, Mass., where he resumed his work at the anvil and his study of the lan- guages in the library of the Antiquarian society. In 1839 he commenced the publication of the Literary Gemince, a monthly periodical, printed in French and English, and designed principally as a guide to students of the French language. His translation of the Icelandic sagas, relating to the discovery of America, drew atten- tion to liis scholastic achievements. He acquired the sobriquet of The Learned Blacksmith, and during the season of 1841-42 delivered his lecture, Application and Genius, in not less than sixty cities and towns, and attracting unusually large audiences. He argued that all attainment was the natural resvilt of persistent application, of the possibilities of which he was himself an exponent, since lie had mastered some thirty-two languages during the course of his busy life. His next