Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/248

 DEUSTER

DEVENS

Toya^o to abandon his roUeoting tour and enter uiKnx the practice of liis jirt)tV.s.sit)ii in America. Ho liK-ated ill Allciitown, I'a., uiul in 1818 re- moved to llellertowu. where he was married to Eiizjibeth Appel. He was the first physician in America to practise honioeopatliy, beginning to use tiiat system in 1828. In 18;{5 lie founded a medical college at AUentown, l*a., the first of the "new scliool ' in the United States. In 1844 he aided in establisliing the American in- stitute of hoiiuL'opatiiy and in 1802 was chosen a fellow and corresponding member of the Homoe- opatiiic medical college of Pennsylvania. He was one of the organizers of the Thomas Iron company of Hokendauqua, Pa., and of the Bingen (Pa.) iron comjiany, and was president of the latter. After the death of his wife in 184;J he visited Europe and on his return settled at Eiiston, Pa. At the time of his death he was probably the oldest practitioner in the world. He died at Easton. Pa., April 21, 1887.

DEUSTER, Peter Victor, representative, was born in Ai.\ la C'liapelle, Rhenish Prussia, Ger- many, Feb. 13, 1831. He immigrated to America in 1847, and located in Milwaukee, Wis., where lie learned the trade of printer. He became editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel in 18.'5G; was a member of the state assembly, 1868; a state senator, 1870-71; a Democratic repre.sent- ative in the 46th, 47th and 48th congresses. 1879-85, and was defeated for the 49th congress. He was subsequently editor and one of the pro- prietors of the Seebote, a Democratic daily and semi-weekly newspaper published at Milwaukee in the German language.

DEVENS, Charles, cabinet officer, was born in Charlestown, Ma.ss., April 4, 1820; son of Cliarles and Mary (Lithgow) Devens, and grand- son of Richard Dev- ens, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and of Col. Arthur Lithgow of Augusta, Elaine. He was grad- uated at Harvard in arts in 1838, and in law in 1840, and prac- tised his profession first in Northfield and later in Green- field, Ma.ss. He was a state senator, 1848- 49, and U.S. marshal for the di.strict, 1849- 53, under appointment of Pre.sident Fillmore. In this position it became his duty to execute the process under which Sims, the fugitive slave, was returned to liis owner, and in 1877, when attorney-general of the United States, he ap-

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pointed Sims to a position in the department of justice. He resumed the practice of law in 1854 locating at Worcester, Mass. He enlisted in the Federal army in 1861, and on April 19 was made major of the 3d battalion rifles, and on Julj^ 26 was promoted colonel of the 15th Mass. volun- teers. He was wounded at Ball's Bluff, Va., Oct. 21, 1862, and was with McClellan at York- town, where he was brevetted brigadier-general during the siege, and assigned to a brigade in Couch's division, 4th army corps. At Fair Oaks he was severely wounded; at Antietam he had a horse shot under him; for gallant conduct at Fredericksburg he received commendations from the division commander, and at Chancellorsvilie he commanded a division of the 11th corps and was again wounded. On his return to the field in 1864 he commanded the third division, 24th corps, and liis troops were the first to occupy Richmond after its evacuation. Ujjon the rec- ommendation of General Grant he was brevetted major-general of volunteers in April, 1865, for "gallantry and good conduct at the capture of Richmond." He commanded the military dis- trict of Charleston, S.C, 1865-66, was mustered out of service at his own request in June, 1866, and returned to the practice of his profession. He served as a judge of the superior court of Massachusetts, 1866-73, by appointment of Gov- ernor Bullock, and as a judge of the supreme judicial court of Massachusetts in 1873 by ap- pointment of Governor Washburn. He resigned from the bench March 10, 1877, to become attor- ney-general of the United States in the cabinet of President Hayes. At the close of the admin- istration he was appointed by Governor Long to the supreme bench of the state, and held the position at the time of his death. He was com- mander-in-chief of the G.A.R. in 1874; a member of the Massachusetts hi.storical society; presi- dent and chief orator at the 250th anniversary of Harvard college, 1889; and received the degree of LL.D. from Columbian university in 1876, and from Harvard in 1877. He delivered noteworthy addresses at the dedit-ation of the .soldiers' monu- ments at Boston and Worcester; on the occasion of the centennial celebration of the battle of Bunker Hill; on the occasions of the death of Gen. George G. Meade and of Gen. U. S. Grant; and to his regiment after the battle of Ball's Bluff. A heroic size bronze statue by Olin L. Warner, sculptor, was erected to his memory on the state house grounds, Boston, by the state of Massachusetts, the legislature aj)propriatiiig $15,- 000 for the purpo.se. His brother, Arthur Lithgow Devens, was graduated at Harvard in 1840; re- ceived his LL.B. degree in 1843, and died in Boston, Mass., in 1867. General Devens died in Boston, Mass., Jan. 7, 1891.