Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/144

 FLINl'

FLORENX'E

for the purpose of extending inter-American trade ; acted as a member of the committee on customs regulations, and recommeniled the estab- lishment of the Bureau of American republics. He served as a member of the committee on foreign commerce and re%'enue laws of the New York chamber of commerce, and became con- nected as officer or director with a number of financial institutions in New York city. He was apjjointed consul-general of Chili by President Balmaceda, but declined the office, owing to his holding a like appointment from Costa Rica. He rejjresented the government of the Republic of Brazil in fitting out war vessels in the fall of 181)3, sending the Ericsson Destroyer, converting the merchantman El Cid, of 4500 tons displace- ment, into a cruiser renamed the Nictheroy (after- ward the U.S.S. Buffalo); the Brittania, 2700 tons, into a cruiser renamed the America; the Yarrow torpedo boat Moxoto, and converting the yachts Javelin and Feiseen into torpedo boats. The combined fleet had a capacity of firing simultaneously 4500 pounds of dynamite; its presence prevented the cession of the Northern provinces of Brazil and was mainly instrumental in enabling that republic to resist the attempt of the revolutionists, Custodio Jose de Mello and Saldanha da Gama to I'e-establish the monarchy by capturing their ships.

FLINT, Timothy, clergyman, was born in Reading, Mass., July 11, 1T80. He was graduated from Harvard in 1800 and was licensed a Congre- gational clergyman in 1803. He was pastor at Lunenburg, Mass., 1802-14, and was a missionary in the valleys of Ohio and Mississippi rivers, 1815-24. He edited the Western lievieio in Cincin- nati, 1825-28, and the Knirkerhocker Magazine in New York in 1833. In 1834 he removed to Alex- andria, Va. His published works include : Eecol- lections of Ten Years Passed in the Valley of the Mississippi (1826) ; Francis Berrian ; or, the Mexican Patriot (1826) ; Condensed Geography and History of the Western States in the Mississippi Valley (2 vols., 1828; 2d ed., 1832); Arthur Clenning (3 vols., 1828) ; George Mason ; or, the Young Backwoodsman (1829); Shoshone Valley (1830); Indian Wars in the West (1833) ; Lectures on Natural History, Geol- ogy, Chemistry and the Arts (1833); and A Memoir of Daniel Boone (1834); besides several transla- tions. He died in Salem, Mass., Aug. 16, 1840.

FLOOD, James Clair, capitalist, was born on Staten Island, N.Y., Oct. 25, 1826. He was an irregular attendant at the public schools of New York city, worked in a shipyard, and in 1849 went to California. In the mining camp at Yerba he accumulated §3000 in gold and returned to New York city. He then removed with his parents to Illinois, where he purchased them a farm and again went to California. With

William S. O'Brien, a fellow-traveller on his first trip, he set up a liquor saloon in San Francisco in 1856, which became the headquarters for miners and dealers in mining claims. This led the partners to speculate in mining claims and they soon established a regular brokerage office. In 1863 they invested heavily in mining stocks of the Comstock lode which proved exceedingly profitable, and they joined J. JI. "Walker, James G. Fair and John W. Mackaj', forming what became known as the Bonanza Jirm, in purchas- ing all the mines and claims in the Comstock lode for a sum reported to have been §75,000. They at once placed §5,000,000 of .stock of the Consolidated Virginia and the California mines on the market, developed the mines and in 1875 announced an astonishing discovery of silver. In six }-ears the two properties yielded in gold and silver §172,275,270, and the stock paid in dividends between 1875 and 1879, §75,ii.(i(M). Sijeculation ran the price of shares up to .$S00 and the partners were reported to have di\ided §100,000,000 in profits. Walker having sold out his interest to Mackay, this division gave Flood, Fair and O'Brien §20.000,000 each and J. W. Mackay §40,000,000. The production of the mines then fell off and the jirice of shares de- clined to §8. The partners then organized the Nevada bank in San Francisco with Mr. Flood as president, as a rival to the Bank of California, of which W. C. Ralston was president. The latter bank was forced to susjiend Aug. 26, 1875; this calamity brought down v.ith it two other San Francisco banks and caused the suicide of Mr. Ralston. Mr. Flood owned a house on Nob Hill worth §1,500,000, and an estate in San Mateo. He died at Heidelberg, Germany, Feb. 21, 1889.

FLOOD, Thomas, representative, was born in Lodi, Seneca county, N.Y., April 12, 1844. He attended the Lodi public schools and the Elmira, N.Y., free academy, subsequently engaging in business in Elmira as a dmggist. Later he be- came interested in farming and lumbering. He was a city alderman, 1882-83 ; president of the Chemung county agricultiu-al society, 1884-85; and represented the 28th New York district in the 50th and 51st congresses, 1887-91.

FLORENCE, Thomas Birch, representative, was born in Philadelpliia. Pa., Jan. 26. ]S12. He attended the iiublic schools and in 18:j3 started in business as a hatter. He became an advocate of temperance and labor ser\"ice. He was a Demo- cratic representative in the 32d, 33d, 34tli, 35th and 36th congresses, 1851-61. In 1861 he began the publication of the Constitutional Union at Washington, D.C., and in 1868 established the Washington Sunday Gazette. In 1874 he was a candidate for representative in the 44th congress. He died in Washington, D.C., July 3, 1875.