Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/196

 DAVIS

DAWES

cated at Kenyon college and received his M.D. degree from the College of medicine and surgery, Cincinnati, Oliio. He joined the Ohio confer- ence of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1835, was transferred to the Missouri conference in 1853, and stationed in St. Louis. He was profes- sor of natural sciences in McKendree college, 18.54-.58, and its president during 1858. He was tlien elected to the presidency of Baker univer- sity but soon afterward resigned and served as presiding elder, 1859-73. He was chaplain of the 12th Kansas volunteer infantry in 1861 and in 18G'2 was commissioned colonel of the 16th Kansas cavalry, which regiment lie raised and organized. He was a member of the first state legislature of Kansas, was superintendent of public instruction for Douglass county, a mem- ber of the general conferences of 1868, 1872 and 1880, and a delegate to the Ecumenical confer- ence in London, England, and to the Centennial conference in Baltimore in 1884. In 1859 he edited the first paper published in Baldwin. He died at Baldwin. Kan., June 21, 1893.

DAVIS, William Morris, geographer, was born in Philadelpliia, Pa., Feb. 12, 1850; son of Edward M. and Maria (Mott) Davis, and grand- son ofLucretia Mott. He was graduated at the Lawrence scientific school, Harvard university, S.B.. in 1869, and M.E. in 1870. He was deeply interested in astronomy in his boyhood, and in 1866 made one of the two first observations in the United States on the new star T Coronae Bo- realis. In 1870 he became assistant in the Ar- gentine national observ'atory at Cordova, S.A., and held the position three years. He was assist- ant in geology at Harvard university, 1876-77, instructor, 1878-85, assistant profe.ssor of phys- ical geography, 1885-90, and in 1890 was ad- vanced to the full chair. He was elected a fellow of the American academy of arts and sci- ences, and of the Geological society of America, a director of the New England meteorological society, an honorary member of the Berlin Gesellschaft fiir Erdkunde, and a corresixinding member of the Royal geographical society of London, of the SociC-te de Geographie of Paris, and of the German meteorological .society. He published: mdrhcimU, Cyrhnies and Tornadoes (1884); EUmentnry Meteorology (1894); Physical Geoiimphy (1898) ; and many scientific papers.

DAVY, John M., jurist, was born in Ottawa, Ontario, June 29, 1835. He removed to Monroe county, N Y., and was admitted to the bar in Rochester. He was district attorney for Monroe county. 1869-72; collector of customs, Genes- see, 1872-75; a Republican representative from Rochester in the 44th congress, 1875-77; defeated for the 45th congress; and in 1889 became jus- tice of the New York supreme court.

DAWES, Henry Laurens, senator, was born in Cummingtoii. Mass., Oct 30, 1816; son of Michael and Mercy (Burge-ss) Dawes, and grand- son of Samuel Dawes of Cummington, and of Dr. Benjamin Burgess of Goslien, Mass. He was graduated at Yale in 1839, engaged in teaching, and in 1840 became editor of the Greenfield Gazette and later of the Xorth Adams Transcript. He mean- while studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1842 and began practice in North Adams. He repre- sented his district in tiie state legislature, 1848 and 1849; was a state senator in 1850;

a member of the state O^^C^^^^t^OC^.. constitutional con- ^

vention of 1853; and district attorney for the western district of Massachusetts, 1853-57. He was a representative in the 35th-43d congresses, 1857-75. In 1875 he was elected a U.S. senator to succeed W. B. Washburn, appointed to fill tlie vacancy caused by the death of Charles Sumner. He was re-elected in 1881 and again in 1887. In the U.S. house of representatives he served as chairman of the committees on \\'ays and means and on appropriations, and for ten years as chairman of the committee on elec- tions. He carried through the first appropri- ations for the fish commission and for the weather bureau, having originated these bu- reaus. While a member of the house he was twice offered but declined the appointment of judge of the supreme judicial court of Massaclm- setts. In the U.S. senate he served on the com- mittee on public buildings and grounds, which while he was a member initiated and carried out the completion of the Washington monu- ment. He also served on the committee on ap- propriations, civil service, fisheries. Revolutionary claims, naval affairs, and Indian affairs. He re- ported and carried through the first appropri- ation from the treasury for Indian education, and the "severalty act," giving to every Indian sufficienth'- civilized a homestead of 160 acres, and citizenship, and extending over them the laws of the United States. He voluntarily re- tired from public life at the e.\-piration of his third senatorial term, March 4, 1893. He was for four years lecturer at Dartmouth college on '• United States liistory during the last fifty years." In 1895 he visited Indian Territory as the head of a commission appointed by congress to secure the voluntary assent of the Indians to