Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/122

 FISKE

FISKE

travelled in Europe, lbo5-36. He was elected bishoi5 ill the Methodist Episcopal church in 1836 but declined the office. He was a member of the Connecticut board of education in 1839. He re- fused a profe.ssorship in the University of Ala- bama, 1839, also the presidency of La Grange college the same year ; and was a trustee of Wes- leyau uuiversitj'. 1831-39. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Augusta college, Ky., in 1829 and from Brown university in 1835. He published Science of Education, inaugvu-al ad- dress (1831-33) ; Travels on the Continent of Eurojie (1838) and a large number of memorial, con- troversial and humanitarian sermons and dis- courses. His life was written by the Rev. Joseph Holdich (1843) and by George Prentice in American Ik'Hiiious Leaders (1890). He died in Middletowu, Conn., Feb. 22, 1839.

FiSKE, Amos Kidder, author, was born at Whitefield. N.H., May 13. 1842; son of Henry and Lucinda (Keyes) Fiske; grandson of Asa Fisk, originally of Templeton, Mass., and a descendant of Simon Fiske, lord of the manor of Standhaugh, Suffolk, England, in the time of Heniy IV. He was graduated from Harvard in 1866 and received the degree of A.M. in 1869. He was admitted to the bar in New York in 1868, and entered the office of George Ticknor Cui-tis, whom he assisted in the preparation of his " Life ■of Daniel Webster," at the same time becoming a contributor to the Annual Cyclopasdia. He took up .iournalisni in 1869, and after two years' ex- perience on the New York Times, became an assistant editor of the Eveniwj Mail and afterward leading writer on the Boston Globe. In 1878 he returned to the New York Times and was a mem- ber of the editorial staff until 1897. He is the author of: MiOniijht Talfcs at the Club (1890) ; Be- yond the Bourn (1891); Hie Jewish Scriptures (1896); 77)6 Myths of Israel (1897); The Story of the Philipfines (1898) ; The West Indies (1899) ; and other works.

FISKE, Bradley Allen, naval officer and in- ventor, was born in Lyons, N.Y., June 13, 1854; son of the Rev. William Allen and Susan (Brad- le}') Fiske; grandson of Prof. Allen Fiske, prin- cipal of Auburn, N.Y., academy, and of Capt. John Bradley, U.S.A. ; and a descendant of Wil- liam Fiske, who, with his brother, the Rev. John Fiske, and two unmarried sisters, came from Suffolk county, England, to the Massachusetts colony in 1637. Bradley was graduated from the U.S. naval academy. May 30, 1874, second in the class. He was promoted ensign, July 17, 1875; master, Feb. 2, 1881 ; lieutenant, junior grade, March 3, 1883; lieutenant, Jan. 36, 1887, and lieu- tenant-commander, March 3, 1899. He was assigned to the U.S.S. Petrel, Dec. 16, 1896; and as navigator of the Petrel, took part in the battle

of Manila Bay, May 1, 1898. Stationing himself aloft with his statlimeter, he measured and re- ported continually the distance of the Spanish battle-sliips. When the white flag was hoisted at the arsenal, he went asliore with a boafs crew and brought off a number of tugs and launches. He was reported to the department at Washing- ton for "eminent and conspicuous conduct in battle on this day." Subsequently he took part in the bombardment of Manila, Aug. 13, 1898; and later, as navigator of the Monadnoclc, in the opei"a,- tions against the Filipinos. He married in 1883 Josephine, daughter of Joseph Wesley Harper, of New York city. Besides performing his reg- ular sea and shore duties he invented and per- fected what was very much needed, a system of electrical interior communication for ships, and a .system of distance measuring and gun firing. His devices became known as the " nenes of a warship," and include the electric range finder, the range indicator, the order transmitter, the engine telegraph, the helm indicator, the steering telegraph, the speed and direction indicator, the adaptation of telescope sight to guns of a mov- ing sliip, and the stadiiueter. A later invention adopted by the navy department is a system for turning the turrets of war-ships by electricity. His semaphore signal system was proved success- ful, having been placed on trial in the flag-ship New York in 1897. His first naval invention was a detaching and attaching apparatus for lowering and hooking on boats in a sea-way which came into use in many war -ships. In 1893 he received the Elliott Cresson gold medal from the Franklin institute for his invention of the range finder. He is the author of numerous contributions on naval subjects to periodical literature, besides Electricity in Theory and Practice (1882; 10th ed., 1898).

FISKE, Daniel Willard, educator, was born in Ellisburg, N.Y., Nov. 11. 1831. He descended from the Rev. John Fiske of Suffolk county, England, who migrated to New England in 1637. As a boy he displayed unusual precocity in the languages, in literature and in politics. He stud- ied at Cazenovia and at Hamilton college, leaving college in his sophomore year to study the Scan- dinavian language in Europe. He was a special correspondent of the New York Tribune, 1849-50, studied two years at the University of Upsala, Sweden, gave lessons and lectures on American literature, and meanwhile learned to use the Icelandic, Swedish and Danish languages with the facility of a native. He was first assistant in the Astor library. New York city, 1853-59 ; gen- eral secretaiy of the American geographical soci- ety, 1859-60, was with U.S. Minister J. L. Motley, as attache to the American legation, Vienna, 1861-63; editor Syracuse, N.Y., Journal, 1864-66;

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