Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/242

 DERBY

DERBY

with Daniel \Vebstor, who was a friend i)f liis fatlier. and practised as a railroad attorney in Boston. Miu^s.. where he secured the extension of imix)rtant roiids terniiuiiting in that city. He was birgely instrumental in the construction and ctinipletion of the Hoosiic tunnel and during the civil war in securing the rapid building of iron- clad vessels for the U.S. navy. He was U.S. commissioner in 1807 to determine the relations between the British provinces and the United States incident to the purcliaseof Alaska and the condition of the fisheries (luestion, and he trans- mitted to Secretiiry Seward an exhaustive report containing much valuable information. He was married Sept. 24, 1803, to Eloi.se Lloyd, daughter of George W. and Angelina (Lloyd) Strong. He was a frequent contributor to jjeriodicals and newspjii>ers imder the pen name " Massachu- setts " and published: Tiro Months Abroad (1844) ; The Catholic Letters, Addressed by a Jttrist to a Yuun^ Kiiuiman (1856); The Overland Route to the Pacific (1869) ; and numerous reports. He died in Boston. Ma.ss., March 30, 1880.

DERBY, Qeorge, sanitary engineer, was born in Salem, Mass., Feb. 13, 1819; a nephew of Elias Hasket Derby (1737-99). He was graduated at Harvard in the class of 1838, and in med- icine in 1843, receiving his A.B. degree in 1866. He practised medicine in Boston, where he acquired a ^\•^de reputation as a sanitary expert. He was surgeon of the 23d Massachtisetts volun- teers, 1861-64, during which time he was military inspectorof the departments of Virginia and North Carolina, and surgeon-in-chief of divisions, and attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel of volun- teers by rea.son of his services as a sanitary engi- neer and exjjert. He commanded the soldiers' hospital, Augusta, Maine, 1864-65, and returned to Boston in January, 1866, as surgeon of the city hospital. He immediately established the state Ixiard of health and served as its secretary and executive head until his death. He was lecturer at Har^-ard medical college, 1867-71, and professor of hygiene, 1871-74. He was a fellow of the American academy of arts and sciences. He published eight health regi.stration reports which were the irustruments for the introduction of new views and needed reforms in .sanitary .ser- vice, a.s was hLs Anthracite and Health (1868). He died in Boston, Mas.s., June 20, 1874.

DERBY, Qeorge Horatio, sf)ldier, was born in Dedhatn, Mass., Aj.ril 3, 1m23; s<m of John Barton Derby; great-grandson of Elias Hasket Derby (1739-90), the celebrated Salem shipping mer- chant, and a direct descendant from Roger Derb}-, the immigrant, who settled in Ipswich, Ma.ss., in 1671. He was graduated at the U.S. military academy in 1846 and wascommis-sioned 2d lieuten- ant of ordnance. He was transferred the same

year to the topographical engineer corps and was employed in the survey of the liarbor of New Bed- ford. Mass. He was ordered to Mexico, where he served in the siege of Vera Cruz and at the battle of Cerro Gordo, where he was wounded. For " gallant and meritorious conduct " in that battle he was brevetted 1st lieutenant. He was in the toix)graphical office, Washington, in charge of various surveys and explorations in the west, including Minnesota Territory, 1848-49, and Texas and the Pacific coast, 1849-52. He superintended the survey of San Diego harbor, 1853-54, had charge of the militarj- roads, and was a staff offi- cer to the commanding general of the department of the Pacific, 1854-56. .He was coast survej'or, 1856-59, and gained promotion to the rank of captain of engineers. While in charge of build- ing lighthouses on the coasts of Florida and Alabama, 1859-60, he suffered a sunstroke which letl to softening of the brain and loss of his eye- sight, and he was removed to New Y'ork city. He wrote under the pen-name "John Phtenix " numerous sketches and burlesques, collected and published under the title Fhoenixiana (1855) ; and he is also the author of The Squihoh Papers (1859). He died in New York city. May 15, 1861. DERBY, James Cephas, publisher, was born in Little Falls, N.Y., July 20, 1818; son of Ben- jamin and Lucetta (Smith) Derby ; grandson of Benjamin and Constant (Hamilton) Derby, and a descendant from Roger Derby, the English immigrant, who settled in Ipswich, Mass., in 1671, and subsequent!}- be- came a shipping mer- chant in Salem, Mass. James C. was edu- cated in the grammar school at Herkimer, N.Y.. and in 1833 was apprenticed to Henry Ivison as a book- binder, soon finding more congenial em- ployment as a clerk in tlie bookstore. On reaching his majority he was aided by Mr. Ivison in establish- ing a bookselling business on his own George, Henry W. established with

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account. His brothers, and Chauncey, subsequently him branch bookstores in Geneva and Buffalo, N.Y^, Cincinnati and Cleve- land, Ohio, and San Francisco, Cal. He estab- lished the first subscription book business we.st of New Y'ork and had as partners at various times, Nelson Beardslej*, Norman C. Miller, Wil- liam Orton and James Jackson. He removed his business from Auburn, N.Y''., to New Y'ork city in