Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/103

 FIFER

FILLMORE

reform of the state bar association, and in 1892 and 1S93 president of the last named organiza- tion. Union conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. in 1898. He published: Special Proceedings in the State of New York (1887); Special Actions (1888).

FIFER, Joseph Wilson, governor of Illinois, ■was born in Staunton, Va., Oct. 28, 1840; .son of John and Mary (Daniels) Fifer. His father was a bricklayer and removed with his family to McLean county. 111., in 1857, where he built a log cabin and opened a farm in the wilderness. Joseph's early educational advantages were lim- ited to the district school. In 1801 with his brother George, he walked fifteen miles to Bloomington, 111., and there enlisted in the 33d Illinois regi- ment. He took part in the Vicksburg campaign of 1863. He was severely wounded at Jackson, Miss., July 13, 1863, and was incapacitated from further active service. His term of enlistment expired in 1861 and he returned home and began a course of .study, determining to gain a college education and pay his own expenses in the mean- time. This he did by serving as tax collector, working at bricklaying and cutting cord-wood. He was graduated at Illinois Wesleyan university B.S. in 1868, and was admitted to the bar in June, 1869, beginning practice at Bloomington. He was corporative counsel for the city in 1871; state's attorney for JIcLean county, 1873-79; state senator, 1880-84, and governor of Illinois, 1889-93. He was defeated for re-election in 1893 by John B. Altgeld, Democrat. In 1896 he was a prominent candidate for the vice-jiresidency before the Republican national convention and in November, 1899, was appointed by President McKinley an inter-state commerce commissioner. He was a trustee of Illinois \Vesle}'an university. 1891-93. and received the degree of LL.D. from that iiLstitutioii in 1892.

FIFIELD, Benjamin Franklin, lawyer, was born in Orange, Vt., Nov. 18, 1833; .son of Col. Oi-ange and Melissa N. Fitield; grandson of Samuel Fifield, and a descendant of Samuel Fi- field, first man over the British entrenchments at the battle of Bennington. The name is derived from the union of the word Field and the county Fife, Scotland, the Fields in Fife being called Fifield. The first Fifield in America settled in Massachusetts in 1634. He was graduated at the University of Vermont in 18.55 and was admitted to the bar in 1858. He was U.S. attorney for the district of Vermont, 1869-80; representative in the state legislature, 1881; commissioner to the World's Coliunbian exposition from Vermont, 1891; delegate to the Republican national con- vention, 1884; president of the Vermont bar asso- ciation, 1884, and trustee of the University of Vermont from 1898. He was married in 18(i.j to

Lucy, daughter of Ei-astus Hubbard of Montpe- lier. On Jan. 7, 1899, he was appointed by Gov- ernor Smith U.S. senator, as successor to Senator Morrill, deceased, which appointment he declined.

FILLEBROWN, Thomas Scott, naval officer, was born in the District of Columbia, Aug. 13, 1834. He entered the U.S. navy as midshipman, Oct. 19, 1841, and served through the war with Mexico. He was promoted pas.sed midshipman. Aug. 10, 1847; lieutenant, Sept. 15, 1855; and lieutenant-commander, July 16, 1862. He was in active service during the civil war, command- ing the steamboat Chenango in 1863; the iron- clad I'dxsaic in the assault on Fort Sumter in May, 1864; the iron-clad Montauk, operating against Battery Pringle, S.C, in July, 1864; and the steamer Sonoma of the South Atlantic block- ading squadron, 1864-65. He was promoted com- mander, July 25, 1866; captain, Jan. 6, 1874; commodore. May 7, 1883, and was on special duty in the navy department at Washington, D.C., 1866-83. He died in New York city, Sept. 26, 1884.

FILLMORE, John Comfort, musician, was born in Franklin, Conn., Feb. 4, 1843; son of John Loren and!Mary Ann (Palmer) Fillmore; grand- son of Comfort Day and Aniiiee (Bailej-) Fillmore; great-grandson of Comfort Fillmore; and great' grandson of Jolxn Fillmore, born March 30, 1704. He attended Oberlin college and the Leipzig con- servatory of music. He filled the chair of music at Ripon college, 1867-77, and at the Milwaukee college for young ladies, 1878-84, and then organ- ized and became director of the Milwaukee school of music. He published History of Piano' forte Music (1883); Xew Lessons in Harmony (1886); and Lessons in Musical History (1887). He died in Taftville, Norwich, Conn., Aug. 15, 1898.

FILLMORE, Millard, thirteenth president of the United States, was born in Locke township, Cayuga county, N.Y., Feb. 7, 1800; second son of Nathaniel and Phebe (Millard) Fillmore. His first American ancestor, John Fillmore, is desig- nated in a conveyance of two acres of land, dated Nov. 34, 1704, as "mariner of Ipswich," Mass. His son, John, born in 1703^ was also a sailor; he was on board the sloop Dolphin of Cape Ann, captured by the pirate Cajjtain John Phillips and with three others of the crew did nine months' service on the pirate when they mutinied, killed the officers, won the ship and brought her into Boston harbor. May 3, 1734. The court approved the act and awarded to Fillmore the sword of the captain, which was thereafter kept in the family. John's son, Nathaniel, was a lieutenant in the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars. Nathaniel's son Nathaniel was born in Benning- ton, Vt., in 1771, and was married to Phebe Mil- lard, the daughter of a clergyman. They migrated to the wilderness of New York in 1798 to take