Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/223

 DELAFIELD

DE LANCEY

setting off the northern boundary between the United States and Canada, having command of the parties in the field, 1821-28; and he received from the President and congress formal acknowl- edgment of faithful discharge of duty. While on this service he made a collection of minerals notable at the time as the largest possessed by a private individual in the United States. He was elected to a fellowship in various scientific societies ; was president of the New York lyceum of natural history, 1827-66, and a member of the society, 1823-75. He constructed a continuously burning lime-kiki which yielded large profits and was adopted by others. He was married to Julia, daughter of Matiorin Livingston. He died in New York city, Feb. 12, 1875.

DELAFIELD, Richard, soldier, was born in New York city, Sept. 1, 1798; son of John and Ann (Hallett) Delafield. He was graduated at the U.S. military academy in 1818, first in the class, and was immediately promoted 2d lieuten- ant of engineers, and assigned to duty on the northern frontier in the boundary commission established under the treaty of Ghent in charge of his brother, Maj. Joseph Delafield. He was married in 1824, to Helen, daughter of Andrew Summers of Philadelphia, Pa., and she died the same year. He was subsequently married to Harriet Baldwin, daughter of Gen. Elijah Cov- ington. He was made 1st lieutenant in 1820 and captain in 1828. He engaged in constructing U.S. defences as superintending engineer, 1819- 38. He was promoted major in 1838, and was superintendent of the U.S. military academy, 1838-45, and 1856-61. He accompanied Capt. George B. McClellan and Maj. Alfred Mordecai to Europe in 1855-56, to witness the operations of the Crimean war, and his report on the changes and improvements made in modern warfare was printed by congress in 1860. He was pro- moted lieutenant-colonel in 1861, colonel in 1863, brigadier-general and chief of engineers, April 22, 1864, and was brevetted major-general. May 13, 1865, "for faithful, meritorious and distin- guished services in the engineer department during the rebellion."' He served on the staff of Governor Morgan of New York, 1861-63, in or- ganizing, equipping and forwarding state troops, and in Washington, D.C., as commander of the engineer corps, 1864-66. He was inspector of the military academy, 1864-66, and a member of the lighthouse board, 1864-70. He was retired, Aug. 8, 1866, after forty-five years' service. He was a regent of the Smithsonian institution, 1865-67, and a member of scientific organiza- tions. He died in Washington, D. C. ,Nov. 5, 1873.

DE LAMATER, Cornelius Henry, iron mas- ter, was born in Rhinebeck, N.Y., Aug. 30, 1821. He was a clerk in the Phoenix iron works in

New York city, 1837^1, when in company with Peter Hogg, he bought out and continued the business. Upon the retirement of Mr. Hogg in 1857, Mr. De Lamater established in New York city the De Lamater iron works where he built the Monitor and Dictator, designed by John Erics- son. He also built the Iron Witch, the first iron steamboat on the Hudson, and the machinery for thirty Spanish gunboats. He was a member of the New York rapid transit commission, 1876-77, and of the Society of mechanics and tradesmen. He died in New York city, Feb. 7, 1889.

DELAMATER, John, physician, was born in Chatham, N.Y., April 18, 1787. His early life was passed in Duanesburg, N.Y., where he studied medicine, and was licensed to practise in 1806. He practised in his native town until 1815 when he removed to Sheffield, Mass. In 1823 he became a professor in the Berkshire medical institute, and resigned his chair in 1827 to accept one in the medical school at Fairfield, N.Y. He was professor of the theory and practice of med- icine at Bowdoin college, Maine, 1829-32, and 1840-41, and held a similar chair in Dartmouth, 1836-38. In 1835 he removed to Willoughby, Ohio, where he taught in the medical institute. In 1842 he went to Cleveland, where he helped to found the Cleveland medical college, in wliich he became a professor. He resigned in 1860. was elected professor emeritus, and received the de- gree of LL.D. from Western Reserve University. He died in Cleveland, Ohio, Marcli 28, 1867.

DE LANCEY, Edward Floyd, lawyer, was born in Mamaroneck, N.Y., Oct. 23, 1821; eldest son of the Rt. Rev. William Heathcote and Frances (Munro) de Lancey. He was a student at the University of Pennsylvania, and was grad- uated at Geneva (now Hobart) college in 1843. He then studied law with the Hon. Samuel Stevens at Albany, N. Y., took a course in law at Harvard, 1844-45, and was admitted to practice at Rochester, N.Y., in 1846. He was an intelligent traveller, covering in his journeys Europe, Egypt, Asia Minor and British America. He was president of the New York genealogical and biographical society, 1873-77 ; of the Westchester county historical society, 1874-79, and of the St. Nicholas society, 1879, 1880, 1881. He was domes- tic corresponding secretary of the New York historical society from 1879, and a member of the State historical society of Wisconsin, the Royal historical society of London, and the American ethnological society. He edited Jones's History of Xeio York during the Bevohitionary War (1879) and Secret Correspondence of Sir Henry Clinton, published in the Marjazine of American History from October, 1883, to August, 1884. Among his own publications are: Memoirs of the Hon. James de Lancey, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of