Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/331

 DREHER

DRESSER

sions which aroused much jealousy on the pai-t of the adherents to the cause of the crown. In spite of this he was appointed by his uncle, Lievi- tenant- Governor Bull, assistant judge in Janu- ary, 1774, and on the eve of the session of the first Continental congress, he addressed a pani- Ijhlet to that body signed " Freeman " in which he substantially advocated the very course afterward pursued by that congress. This caused his suspension from his offices under the crown on March 1, 1775, but gained for him influence in the colony. In 1775 he was appointed a member of the " council of safety " and became chairman of the secret committee of five. He was elected a member of the provincial congress of South Carolina which sat in January, 1775, and was in the course of the year advanced to the presi- dency of that body, holding that position during the existence of the congress. On Nov. 9, 1775, he issued the order from the Provincial congress to the garrison of Fort Johnson to oppose the British navy and to obstruct Charleston harbor by sinking hulks. This drew the fire of the Tamer and Cherokee, British sloops of war, and re- sulted in the discharge of about 180 shots against the Defence, on which Mr. Drayton was conduct- ing the operations. He was also instrumental in ordering the seizure of the provincial arsenals and British mails. In March, 1776, upon the formation of a temporary constitution, he was made one of the privy counsellors and chief jus- tice of the colony. He, charged the grand jury of Charleston on April 22, 1776, that the king had abdicated and had no further authoritj^ over the people of South Carolina. This was followed by similar charges on Oct. 15, 1776", and in Octo- ber, 1777, which greatly strengthened the cause of the patriots. On Dec. 20, 1777, during the temporary absence of the vice-president, Presi- dent John Rutledge. being about to leave for a time, invested Chief-Justice Drayton with the powers of president of South Carolina. He was elected a delegate to the Continental congress, taking his seat at York, Pa., in March, 1778, and serving till his death. He was one of the signers of the articles of confederation, July 9, 1778, and was appointed with John Hancock and William Duer to conduct the French minister to the congress assembled at Philadelphia on the arrival of the French fleet in July, 1778. ■ His Memoirs of the American devolution was edited by his son. Gov. John Drayton, in two volumes in 1821. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 3, 1779. DREHER, Julius Daniel, educator, was born in Lexington county, S.C, Oct. 28, 1846; son of John Jacob and Martha Elizabeth Dreher, and of German ancestry. Having served in the Confed- erate army, 1864-65, he afterward taught school for three vears and worked on his father's farm.

near Columbia. S.C, for two years to provide the means to pay his way through college. He was graduated at Roanoke college, Va., A.B., 1871, A.M., 1874. He was an assistant professor at Roanoke, 1871-75; financial secretary, 1875-78, and was its president from 1878 to June, 1903. He

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became active in promoting the cause of higher education in the south and he spoke on educa- tional subjects before the National educational association, Topeka, Kan., 1886, and before the American social science association, Saratoga, N.Y., 1895. He received the degree of Ph. D. from Williams college in 1881.

DRESSER, Charles, clergyman, was born at Pomfret, Conn., Feb. 24, 1800; son of Nathan and Rebecca (Leffingwell) Dresser; grandson of Nathan Dresser, of Pomfret, Conn., and a descend- ant of John Dre.sser, who came over from Eng- land and settled at Rowley, Mass. in 1639. He was graduated from Brown university in 1823 and went to Virginia where he studied theology, at the same time being a private tutor in the family of Bisliop Meade. He was ordained a minister in the Protestant Episcopal church in 1829, and was rector at Halifax Court House, Va., 1829-38; at Springfield, 111., 1838-56, and while in Springfield was the officiating clergyman at the marriage of Abraham Lincoln to Mary Todd, Nov. 4, 1842. He was also professor of divinity and belles-lettres in Jubilee college, 1856- 59. St. Paul's college conferred upon him the degree of D.D. in 1858. He died in Springfield, 111., March 26, 1865.

DRESSER, Horatio Willis, author, was born in Yarmoutli, Maine, Jan. 15, 1866: son of Julius A. and Annetta G. (Seabury) Di'esser, and grand- son of Asa and Nancy (Smart) Dresser and of Albion and Dorcas (Pratt) Seabury of Maine, whose ancestors were immigrants to New Eng- land in the 17tli and 18th centuries. He attended school at Dansville, N. Y.; Denver, Col.; Willows, Napa and Oakland, Cal.. and Boston, Mass. He was a telegraph operator and railroad and ex- press agent in California; stenographer, book- keeper, proofreader and reporter in Boston, Mass.; was employed on New England Farmer,