Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/154

 FOLWELL

FOOT

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35. 1871. he was appointed by President Grant chief of the bureau of medicine aud surgery and surgeon-general of the navy with tlae rank of commodore. Having reached the age limit he was placed on the retired list, April 25, 1873. He was married in 1854 to Rebecca, daughter of Jolm F. Steinman of Lancaster, Pa. Yale gave him the degree of M. A. in 1837. He publislied: Medical Statistics and Observations Dtirimj a Yoyarjc Around the World on Board the U.S. Frigate Potomac (1835) ; and The Endemic Influence of an Evil Gov- ernment (1843). Surgeon-General Foltz died in Philadelphia. Pa. Aprd 12. 1877.

FOLWELL, William Watts, educator, was born in Romulus, N.Y., Feb. 14, 1833, son of Thomas Jefferson and Joanna (Bainbridge) Fol- vvell; gi-andson of William Watts Folwell (B.A., Brown, 1790), and a descendant of Nathan Ffol- well of New Jersey. He was graduated from Hobart college in 1857, taught in Ovid ^ academy, 1857-58, was

"\ adjunct professor

-7 of mathematics at

Hobart in 1858-59, and adjunct pro- fessor of languages, 1859-60. He studied ^y in Berlin and trav- elled in Europe, 1800- 61, and was commis- l^f^/y^f^/''-^ sioned 1st lieutenant

^^ . ^^^.^ in the 50th N.Y.

^^^^U/ifH, /^T^fe^VS^ engineers in January, 1862, .serving in the civil war through all the subsequent campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, reaching the rank of major and receivingthebrevet of lieutenant-colo- nel of volunteers. After the war he engaged in business pursuits till 1869, when he became pro- fessor of mathematics in Kenyon college. Gam- bier, Ohio, and later in the same year was elected the first jiresident of the University of Minne- sota, serving in this position, 1809-84. He was afterward professor of political science and librarian of the institution. He was elected a member and president of the Minnesota park commission and of the Minnesota state board of corrections and charities, and was one of the centennial commissioners from that state. He received the degree of LL.D. from Racine in 1870 and from Hobart in 1878. He was a member of the National educational association and pub- lished; Public Instruction in Minnesota in the Transactions of that body (1875). He is also the author of many lectures and addresses.

FOOT, Samuel Alfred, jurist, was born at Watertown, N.Y., Dec. 17, 1790; son of a Revolu- tionary veteran, and brother of Ebenezer Foot, a

prominent lawyer of Albany, NY. He was graduated from Union college in 1811, was ad- mitted to the bar in 1813, and in 1817 was brought into prominence by winning a case, for which his fee amounted to 810.000, and in which the opposing counsel was Thomas Addis Emmet. He was district attorney for Albany county, 1819-31, and removed to New York city in 1825. He became a member of the African colonization society in 1831, was president of the American Bible society, 1843-^7, and was a delegate in 1839 to the convention of Ithaca for the promotion of the New York & Erie railway. In May, 1844, he removed to Geneva, N.Y., and was judge of the court of appeals, 1851-53. The latter year by legislative act he was retained by Gov. Wash- ington Hunt to argue the great canal case. He was a member of the New York assembly, 1855-56. He was a warm friend of President Lincoln. Hobart conferred on him the honorary degree of M.A. in 1831, that of LL.D. in 1834, and Union gave him an LL. D. in 1853. He wrote a diary, which he extended in 1873 and privately printed (2 vols., 1873). He died in Geneva, N.Y., May 11, 1878.

FOOT, Solomon, senator, was born in Corn- wall, Vt., Nov. 15, 1802; son of Dr. Solomon and Betsey (Crossett) Foot. His father died in 1811 and the son prepared himself for college between the intervals of farm work and teaching the district school. He was graduated from Middle- bury college in 1830. He was precej^tor of Castleton academj% 1826-27 and 1828-31; tutor at the Univer sity of Vermont, 1827-28 ; and professor of natural philosophy at the Vermont med- ical school, Castleton, 1828-31. In 1831 he was admitted to the Vermont bar and established himself in practice in Rutland. He was a state rep- resentative in 1833, and again in 1836-38, being speaker of the house in the last two ses- sions ; and was delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1836. He was state's attorney for Rutland county, 1836-42, and was a Whig rep- resentative in the 28th and 39th congresses. 1843^7. In 1846 he declined a second re-election and returned to his law practice at Rutland. He served again in the state legislature, 1847 and 1848, and was speaker in 1848. He was elected to the U.S. senate in 1850, and was re-elected in

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