Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/179

 FOSTER

FOSTER

an anti-slavery reformer. She attended New England schools and Genesee Wesleyan semi- nary, Lima, N. Y., 1855-56. She became a public lecturer on current events and political questions and advocated various reforms, meanwhile study- ing law. She was admitted to practice in Iowa in 1873, and subsequently in the supreme court of the state and in the supreme court of the United States. She was president of the Woman's Republican association and regent of the Constitution chapter, D.A R., and was active in Red Cross work. She was married to Elijah Caleb Foster, also a lawyer, and of their two sons, William Horton Foster became a lawyer and Emory Miller Foster a journalist. Mrs. Foster is the author of 21ie Crime Ayaiunt Ireland (1883).

FOSTER, Lafayette Sabine, senator, was born in Franklin. Conn., Nov. 23, 1806; son of Capt. Daniel and Welthea (Ladd) Foster; and a direct descendant of Miles Standish through liis grandmother, Hannah Standish ; and of Dr. John Sabin. His fatker was an oflicer in the Conti- nental army and fought at Saratoga, Stillwater and White Plains. Lafayette

was graduated at Brown university in 1828, honor man of his class, after having paid his own way by teaching. He contin- ued to teach, mean- while studying law, and while in charge of an acadeni}' at Centerville, Md., ^ ^ /- •v' ->'— 1829-30, was adniit-

'■ei-^'Zi^a^^. y^^^:^^^ ted to the bar. He returned to Connecticut, continued his study of law under Calvin Goddard at Norwich, and was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1831. He practised in Hampton, Conn., 1831-34, and then settled in Norwich, where, in 1833, he edited the Bepuhlican, a Whig paper. He was a representa- tive in the state legislature, 1839-10, 1846-48, and 1854, and was speaker during the last three terms. He was twice defeated as a Whig candi- date for governor of the state; was mayor of Norwich, 1851-53, and U.S. senator, 1855-61, and 1861-67. He was president of the senate pro tempore, from March 7, 1805, to Jlarch 3, 1S67, and acting vice-pi-esident of the United States from April 15, 1865, to JIarch 3, 1867. He was a conservative Republican, opposed the repeal of the fugitive slave act and the bill granting the franchise to colored men in the District of Columbia without an educational (jualification.

lie also opposed the repeal of the Missouri com- promise and the Lecompton constitution for Kansas. He withdrew from the canvass as a nominee for senator for a third term in 1866, returned to the practice of law, and in 1869 de- clined the chair of law in Yale college, but was lecturer on " Parliamentary law and legisla- tion," 1875-80. He was state representative and sjjeaker of the house in 1870, resigning in June of that year to take his seat as judge of the su- preme court of the state. In 1873 he supported Horace Greeley for President and in 1874 was the defeated candidate for representative in congress. He was retired as supreme court judge, by age limit, in 1876, and resumed the pi-actice of law. He was commissioner from Connecticut to settle state boundary with New York in 1878-79, and to purchase Fishers Island in 1878. He was vice- president of the American Bible society. He gave his library to the town of Norwich and his residence for the use of the Norwich free acad- emy. He was married in 1858 to Kate Godfrey of Southport, Conn., and his widow and four children survived liim. Brown conferred on him the degree of LL.D. in 1831. He died in Norwich, Conn., Sept. 19, 1880.

FOSTER, Murphy James, governor of Loui- siana, was born at Franklin, on the Teche, in the parish of St. Mary, La., Jan. 12, 1849; son of Thomas J. and Martha (Mui-phy) Foster; and grandson of Levi Foster and Zeide (Demaret) Fos- ter, and of John and Emma (Taylor) Murphy. From the high school at Franklin lie went to Washington and Lee university, Vir- ginia, and after two sessions there, to Cumberland univer- sity, Lebanon, Tenu., wliere he was grad- uated in 1870. Re- turning to Louisiana he was graduated from the law school of the Tulane uni- versity in 1871 and practi-sed his profes- sion in his native vil- lage. He served con- tinuously in the state senate, 1880-92. He declined the position of asso- ciate justice of the sujirome bench offered to him by Governor NichoUs in 1890. During the contest with the Louisiana state lottery comiKiny, he was the acknowledged leader of the anti-lotteiy forces In the legislature. The anti-lottery party elected him governor in 1893, and the Democrats in 1896. Ho was elected U.S. senator in 1901.

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