Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/162

 FORCE

FOKD

anJ publislied the yationnl Journal, 1823-30. In 1S33 the U.S. congress authorized him to compile '■ American Arcliives, a Documentary Historj- of the English Colonies in North America." He was assisted in the work by Matthew St. Clair Clarke ; but the work was discontinued in 1853 by Secretary Marcy, after they had finished the fourth series of a comijlete set of six series of six volumes each, their work covering the period, 1765-76. His collection of references, including 23.000 volumes and 40,000 paniplilets, was pur- chased for 8100,000 by the government in 1867 and i^laced in the library of congress. During his residence at the national capital he was major- general of the militia of the district, and was mayor of the city of Washington, 1836-40. He helped to organize and was the first president of the National institute for the promotion of science. He published, outside his government works : Origin, Settlement and Progress of Colonies in Xorth America (4 vols., 1836-46); Grinnell Land (1853) ; Notes on Lord Mahoii's History of the Amer- ican Declaration of Lidependence (London, 1855) ; and Records of Auroral Phenomena (1856). He died in Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 1868.

FORCE, William Quereau, meteorologist, was born in Washington, D.C., March 7, 1830; son of Peter and Haunali (Evans) Force. He was grad- uated at Columbian in 1839; was editor of the Army and Navy Chronicle, 1843-45; aided his father in preparing the " American Archives " 1845-57, and conducted the department of meteorology in the Smithsonian institution, 1857-68. He was a trustee of Columbian college, 1851-63 ; its secre- tary, 1851-53; secretary and treasurer, 1853-53, and treasui'er, 1853-55. He wrote: Puilder's Guide (1842) ; and 27te Picture of Washington (1848). He diel in Washington, D.C., Dec. 15,- 1880.

FORD, Daniel Sharp, editor and publisher, was born in Cambridgeport, Mass., April 5, 1822; son of Tliomasaud Elizabeth (Lamson) Ford; and of English ancestry. He received his education in the schools of Camliridge and Boston, and at the New Hampton, N.H., academy. He was em- ployed in the printing ofKce ?" of the Chris-

7 ■ tian Watchman

v^; ^ _^:,;,._ ,•',-■■ 1838^3, and

at ~ iLi. isii'i^ •* ait^^t-it^S- became ajiart-

Christian Peflector, Boston, Mass., Nov. 2, 1847. Three months later the Watchman was \inited with the Pc-rlecior under the name Watchman and Peflector and Mr. Ford was its associate editor and publisher until Nov. 31, 1867. He bought the Yojith's Companion from Nathaniel Willis in 1856, and assumed the editorship of that paper, publishing it under the firm name Perry Mason &

Co. Out of an estate of §2,500,000, he gave the Baptist social union 81,000,000; Ruggles Street church §40,000; Mrs. William N. Hartshorn, his only child, for use and charities §275,000; eight public institutions in Boston .§48,000, and the residue to eight Baptist churches. He died in Boston, Mass., Dec. 24, 1899.

FORD, Gordon Lester, i^ublisher, was born in Lebanon, Conn., Dec. 16, 1823; son of Lester and Eliza (Burnham) Ford. He removed to New York in 1835, and became a lawyer in 1850. He was president of the New Loudon, Willimantic & Palmer railroad company, 1852-55, and col- lector of internal revenue in Brookljii, N.Y., 1869-71. He joined the independent Bepublican movement in 1872, and was a delegate to the con- vention which nominated Horace Greeley for the presidency. In 1863 he was one of the organizers of the BrookljTi Union, afterward the Standard- Union, and he also assisted in establishing the Brooklyn academy of music and the Brooklyn art association. He was business manager of the New York Tribune, 1873-81, and in the latter year became president of the Brooklyn, Flat bush & Coney Island railroad company. He was an en- thusiastic collector of rare books, pamphlets and autograph letters, and at the time of his deatli was the possessor of a library of about 50,000 vol- lunes and a collection of 100,000 autograph letters. He was married in 1854 to Emily Ells- worth, a daughter of Prof. William Chauncey and Harriet (Webster) Fowler, granddaughter of Noah Webster, and the author of: My liecrea- tivns (1873) ; and Poems (1879) ; besides nimierous poems, stories and essays. Mr. Ford died in Brooklyn, X.Y.. Nov. 14, 1891.

FORD, John Donaldson, naval oflicer, was born in Baltimore, Md., May 19, 1840; son if Thomas C. and Isabella (Logic) Ford; grandson of John and Hannah (Wilson) Ford, and a de- scendant from Patrick Ford, a friend of Wash- ington, who rendered conspiciious service to the commander-in-chief at Newbiu-g, N.Y. John Donaldson was brought up and educated in Bal- timore. He received the Peabody jirize from the Maryland institute school of design on his grad- uating in 1861. He was also graduated at the Potts school of mechanical engineering in 1862, at once entering the U.S. navy as third assistant engineer. He was on the Richmond in the West Gulf squadron, 1862-68, detailed for duty with the army during the siege of Port Hudson ; served on blockade duty off Mobile bay, 1863-64; took part in the battles of Slobile Bay, and upon the capture of the Tennessee, was ordered in charge of the machinery of the captured ram, and on Aug. 11, 1864, was detailed on like duty to the prize steamer Selma. On Feb. 5, 1865. he was ordered to the Arizona which was destroyed by fire, Feb.