Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/373

 UURIER

DURRETT

DURIER, Anthony, R.C. bishop, was born in St. Bonnet des (Quarts, Loire, France, Jan. 3, 1833. While preparing himself for the priesthood in the seminary at Lyons, he volunteered to accompany Archbishop Blanc to Louisiana and labor in the mission field of his diocese. He completed his theological studies at Mt. St. Mary's seminary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio, where he also ac- quired a knowledge of the English language. He was ordained, Oct. 28, 1856, at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Archbishop Purcell, and his first station was Chillicothe, Ohio, where he served one year. In 1857 he was made assistant pastor of St. Louis's Cathedral, New Orleans, and a few jears later was made pastor of the Church of the Annuncia- tion, where he served until he was elected bishop of Natchitoches, which diocese embraced the northern part of Louisiana. He was consecrated by Archbishop Leray, March 19, 1885, bishop of Natchitoches, as successor to the officiating bishop, who had been promoted to the see of New Orleans in December, 1883. His diocese embraced 22.212 square miles and a Catholic population of 80,000. In 1896 it employed 22 priests, minister- ing in 20 churches, 17 mission churches, 16 sta- tions and 15 chapels. It had one college and 12 parochial schools. The see city, Natchitoches, contained the Cathedral of the Immaculate Con- ception, St. Mary's academy and five missions.

DURKEE, Charles, senator, was born in Royalton, Vt., Dec. 5, 1807. He was educated at the Burlington academy and became a merchant. He removed to Wisconsin, where he was one of the first settlers of Southport (afterward Ken- osha), on Lake Michigan. He was a repi'esent- ative in the first territorial legislative assembly that convened at Belmont, Iowa county, October 25, and adjourned, Dec. 9, 1836, and to the second session held at Burlington, Des Moines county, Nov. 6, 1837, and adjourned, Jan. 20, 1838; also at the special session held at Burlington, Jvme 11-25, 1838. He was a Free-soil representative from the Milwaukee district in the 31st and 32d congresses, 1849-53; U.S. senator, 1855-61; and delegate to the peace congress of 1861. He was appointed by President Johnson governor of Utah in 1865, resigning in 1868 on account of ill health. He became interested in the building of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific rail- roads and headed a syndicate that purchased §64,623,512 of new "paramount" bonds. After Mr. Durkee died these bonds could not be found and his family were unable to recover the prop- erty, although the bonds were recovered in 1884 and were turned into the U.S. treasury, whence they again disappeared immediateh' after Secre- tary Folger, who had acknowledged their owner- ship by the Durkee heirs, resigned. The heirs then brought suit against the United States to

recover 520,000,000, the amount which they claimed the government had collected from the Union Pacific railway, and the suit was before the U.S. court of claims in 1899. Mr. Durkee died in Omaha, Neb., Jan. 14, 1870.

DURKEE, John, soldier, was born in Wind- ham, Conn., in 1728. He was an officer in the Colonial army in the war against the French and Indians and for his bravery he was made major of militia. He was correspondent of tlie Sons of Liberty in 1766 and in 1769 led to the Wjoming valley a colony of settlers, known as the Susque- hanna company. He built Fort Durkee and defended it against the forces sent out bj^ Gov. John Penn, till captured and sent to Philadel- phia, where he was imprisoned for about one year, when he returned to the colony and again as- sumed command of the defences of the settlers. He returned to Connecticut and in 1776 raised a company which was attached to Putnam's brig- ade, and he served with distinction as major in the battle of Bunker Hill. He commanded a regi- ment in the retreat of Washington's army and was i^resent at the battles of Long Island, Har- lem, White Plains, Germantown, Trenton and Monmouth. He then served with Sullivan's ex- pedition against the Six Nations in 1779, and in 1780 resigned from the army on account of failing health. He died in Norwich, Conn., May 29, 1782.

DURRETT, Reuben Thomas, jurist, was born in Henry county, Ky., Jan. 22, 1824; son of Wil- liam and Elizabeth (Rawlings; Durrett. An early ancestor, Louis Duret, was an emment French physician and author of the middle of the sixteenth century. After the massacre of St. Bartholomew some of the family escaped to England, and in 1644 Christo- pher Duret was prominently con- nected with the Baptists in London, according to the records of that sect. Early in the six- teenth century three brothers, John, Richard and Bar- tholomew Durrett, settled in Spottsyl- vania county, Va., .and became the progenitors of the Durretts in America. Francis Durrett, fatlier of William and grandfather of Reuben Thomas, was with Gen. George Rogers Clark in the Illinois campaigns of 1778-79. He subsequently settled ui Henry county, Ky., where his son William built, about 1801, the first

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