Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/95

 CURTIS

CURTIS

Ohio and Indiana for the American home mis- sionary society, 1841-43; pastor at Madison, Ind., 1843-50; at Chicago, 111., 1850-58; and president of Knox college, Calesburg, 111. , 1858-62. Middle- bury gave him the degree of D.D. in 1857. He died in Galesburg, 111., Sept. 18, 1862.

CURTIS, John Qreen, physiologist, was born in New York city, Oct. 29, 1844 ; son of George and Julia (Bridgham) Ciu-tis; and grandson of David and Susannah (Stone) Curtis and of Sam- \iel Willard and Elizabeth (Payne) Bridgham. He was graduated at Harvard, A.B., 1866; A.M., 1869; and at the medical department Colvmi- bia college, M.D. in 1870. He was appointed junior assistant, Bellevue hospital, April 1, 18^9; senior assistant, Oct. 1, 1869; house surgeon, April 1, 1870; and was attending surgeon, 1876- 80. He was assistant and demonstrator of anat- omy. College of physicians and surgeons, medical department Columbia college, Oct. 1, 1870, to 1875; adjunct lecturer on physiology, 1875-76; adjunct professor of physiology, 1876-83, and professor of physiology from 1883. He was mar- ried, Oct. 20, 1874, to Mrs. Martha McCook Davis, daugliter of Daniel and Martha (Latimer) Mc- Cook of Ohio. He was a joint author with other teachers in preparing an American text-book of physiology published in Philadelphia in 1896.

CURTIS, Joseph Bridgham, soldier, was born in Providence, R.I., Oct. 25, 1836; son of George and Julia (Bowen-Bridgham) Curtis. He was graduated at Harvard, B.S. in 1856, became a civil engineer and was employed by the Central Park (N.Y.) commissioners on the corps of civil engineers, 1858-61. In April, 1861, he joined the 9th regiment, N.Y. S.M., as engineer with the rank of captain and served for three ntonths. He then joined the 4th Rhode Island volunteers as 2d lieutenant and was promoted 1st lietitenant, Oct. 2, 1861. He was with Burnside's expedition in North Carolina in 1862, where he was adjutant of the regiment and distinguished himself at the capture of Roanoke Island. On June 9, 1862, he was appointed assistant adjutant-general on General Rodman's staff. He returned to the 4th Rhode Island volimteers at the special request of General Burnside, having been promoted lieu- tenant-colonel, and with it joined the army of the Potomac and participated in the battle of Antietam. Here his regiment was so cut to pieces that it was withdrawn from the field and Colonel Curtis, taking the musket of a dead sol- dier, fought in the ranks of a Pennsylvania regi- ment until the close of the battle. He was vmder Burnside at Fredericksburg, having command of his regiment, the colonel being disabled, and after leading the men through the city he was killed while riding at its head. He died on the battle-field of Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 13 1862.

CURTIS, Josiah, scientist, was born in Weathersfield, Conn., April 30, 1816. He entered Yale with the class of 1840 but left during his sophomore year, receiving his degree in 1860. He was graduated at the Jefferson medical college in 1843, and practised medicine in Lowell, Mass., until 1849, when he removed to Boston. He studied the sanitary condition and methods of sanitation in the chief cities of Europe, 1850-55, making two visits for the purpose. In 1861 he superintended the preparation of the mortality statistics of the U.S. census of 1860. He entered the U.S. volunteer service and was commissioned brigade surgeon, serving through the civil war and attaining the rank of colonel of cavalry, the highest rank in the volunteer medical depart- ment. In 1865 he took up his residence in Knox- ville, Tenn., but was not able to resume his profession because of impaired health caused by his labors and exposures during the war. He crossed the Rocky Mountains as surgeon, mi- croscopist and naturalist to the U.S. geological survej' in 1872, and was appointed chief of the medical department in the U.S. Indian service in 1873. He is the discoverer of the preparation known as collodion. He received from Yale the degree of M. A. in 1860. He published Hygiene of Massachusetts (1849) and various reports. He died in London, England, Aug. 1, 1883.

CURTIS, Newton Martin, soldier, was born in De Pej'ster, N.Y., May 21, 1835; son of Jona- than and Phebe (Rising) Curtis. His first ances- tor in America, William Curtis, came from England in the Mary Lion in October, 1632. Newton attended the Gouverneur, N. Y., Wes- leyan seminary and prepared for matricu- lation at Rochester university, but was prevented by illness from entering, and later from completing a course of study of law. He recruited Company G, 16th N.Y. volunteers ; was mus- tered into the U.S. ser- vice May 15, 1861 ; par- ticipated in the first battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861 ; was severely- wounded at West Point, Va., May 7, 1862; pro- moted lieutenant-colonel in October, 1862, and colonel of the 142d N.Y. volunteers in January, 1863; assigned to command a brigade in June, 1864, after the second battle of Cold Harbor; with his brigade advanced on Petersburg. June 15, 1864, and took part in all the operations before- Petersburg and Richmond to December 5, when.