Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/419

 EDMUNDS

EDSEN

EDMUNDS, George Franklin, senator, was born in Richmond, Vt., Feb. 1, 1828; son of Ebe- nezer and Naomi (Briggs) Edmunds. He re- ceived a limited public school training, continuing his studies under a private tutor, and pursued a course in law in the office of his brother-in-law, A.. B. Maynard, and with Smalley & Phelps, in Burlington, Vt. He was admitted to the bar in 1849, and re- moved to Burlington in 1851. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1854- 59, being speaker of the house, 1857-59 ; was a state senator, 1861-62, and during both terms was chair- man of the judiciary committee and presi- y^ A dent xtro tempore of

\ "• ' DiUmgham appomted

him to the seat in the U.S. senate made vacant by the death of Senator Foote, and he took the oath of office, April 5, 1866. He was elected U.S. senator for the remainder of the term of Senator Foote by the legislature of Vermont and was re-elected in 1868, 1872, 1880 and 1886, serving 1866-91. He Avas a member and (except two years, when the Democrats controlled the senate) chairman of the judiciarj- committee, was prominent in the impeachment of Presi- dent Johnson, supported President Grant's ad- ministration, assisted in the passage of the reconstruction measures, devised the electoral commission bill of 1877, and served as a member of the commission on the part of the senate. He was the constructor and chief supporter of the anti-polyganiy bill. He was president pro tempore of the U.S. senate during Arthur's administration. His name was prominently before the Republican national convention of 1880, where he received thirty-four votes on the first ballot for the nomi- nation for president, and again in 1884 when he received ninety-three votes on the first ballot. In 1886 he led his party in the senate in its effort to force President Cleveland to show cause for his removals from office. He framed a second anti-polygamy bill in 1887, similar to the original Edmunds act. At the close of the 51st congress he resigned his seat in the senate and was suc- ceeded by Redfield Proctor of Proctor, Vt.

EDMUNDS, James Madison, postmaster, was born in Niagara county, N.Y., Aug. 23, 1810; son of Robert Edmunds, and descended from the Ed- munds family of New England. He received a good school training and was a teacher in various

schools in New York state, 1826-31. He removed to Washtenaw county, Mich., with his parents in 1831, and became a merchant in Ypsilanti. He was a school inspector, a member of the state senate, 1840^1; a state representative, 1846; and was defeated as a Whig candidate for governor of Michigan, in 1847. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1851 ; was chairman of Republican state central committee, 1855-61; removed to Detroit in 1853; vxas comp- troller of the city, 1857-61 ; commissioner of the U.S. land office, Washington, D.C., 1861-66; post- master of the U.S. senate, 1866-69, and post- master of Washington city, 1869-97. He was president of the national council of the vmion league of America, 1862-69, and president of the Michigan soldiers' relief association, 1861-66. He died in Washington, D.C., Dec. 14, 1879.

EDMUNDS, Paul Carrington, representative, was born in Halifax county, Va., Nov. 1, 1836. He studied three years at the University of Vir- ginia, and was graduated in law at William and Mary college. He practised his profession in Jefferson cit5^ Mo., 1857-58; returned to Virginia in 1858, and engaged in agriculture near Houston, Halifax county. He was a state senator, 1881- 89; served as delegate to the Democratic national convention at Chicago in 1884, and was a repre- sentative from the 6th Virginia district in the 51st, 52d and 53d congresses, 1889-95. He died at Houston, Va., March 12, 1899.

EDSALL, Samuel Cook, missionary bishop of North Dakota and 186th in succession in the American episcopate, was born in Dixon, 111., March 4, 1860. His first ancestor in America was Thomas Edsall, who came from Yorkshire, Eng- land, in 1644. He Avas gi-aduated at Racine col- lege in 1879, and was admitted to the bar in 1882. After a few years' practice at the bar he decided to prepare for the ministry in the Protestant Episcopal church, and was graduated at the West- ern theological seminary in 1888, and was or- dained a deacon in 1888 and a priest in 1889. In 1890 he became rector of St. Peter's parish, Chicago, 111. He was elected missionary bishop of North Dakota by the general convention at Washington, D.C., in 1898, and was consecrated at St. Peter's church, Chicago, 111.

EDSEN, Eduard Polonius, lawyer, was born at Husum, province of Schleswig-Holstein. Ger- many, April 29, 1856. He attended the universi- ties of Berlin and Heidelberg, spent four years in travel, and in 1875 immigrated to Portland, Ore. He engaged in various occupations till 1883, when he removed to Seattle, Wash., and was there admitted to the bar. His practice soon included the greater part of the foreign law business of the cit}-, owing to his acquaintance with seven languages. He was active in organizing and