Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/189

 FRAXCIS

FRANCIS


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FRANCIS, David Rowland, governor of Jris souri, was born in Kiclimoiid, Ky., Oct. 1, 1850; son of John B. and Eliza (Rowland) Francis; grandson of Thomas Francis and of David Irvine Rowland, and a descendant of the Broaddus family of Virginia and of the Irvines of Revolu- tionary fame. He was graduated from Washington univer- sity in 1870, and shortly afterward became clerk in a wholesale grocery house. In 1877 he or- ganized the firm of D. R. Francis and Bro. , grain commis- sion merchants. He was successively di- rector, vice-president and president of the Merchants' exchange, St. Louis. In 1884 he was a delegate to the national Democratic con- vention. He was maj'or of St. Louis, 1885-89; governor of the state, 1889-93; and served as secretary of the interior from Sept. 1. 1896, to March 4. 1897. He was president of the St. Louis Exposition. (190o-'4).

FRANCIS, George Blinn, engineer, was born in West Hartford, Conn., Jan. 31, 1857; son of Blinn and Lucy (Hart) Francis; grandson of Cyrus and Sabra (Blinn) Francis, and of Adna and Lucy (WoodruH) Hart; and a direct de- scendant from Robert Francis, who is said to have emigrated from Staffordshire, Eng- land, to Wethersfield, Conn., in 1051, and of Stephen Hart, who emigrated from Braintree, England, to Cambridge, Mass., and removed in 1635 to Hartford and suh- sci|i;ently to Farm- niglun, Conn. He attended the high school of Hartford for two years; was a student in the engineering depart- ment of the Providence, R.I., water works, 1874- 77; assistant engineer there, 1877-81; and assistant engineer, N.Y. West Shore & Buffalo railroad, 1881-82. From November, 1881, to May, 1887, he was engaged without intermission upon railroad work as draughtsman, insjiector, transit- man, and assistniit cnL'incor Uir the AVest Shore.

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South Pennsylvania, Oregon, North Pacific, Ontario & Western, and New Jersey Junction railroads, and as division engineer of the New York Central & Hudson River railroad at Roches- ter, N.Y. He was principal assistant engineer of the New York, Providence & Boston railroad from May, 1887, to April, 1892, resident engineer on the passenger station and terminal work at Prov- idence, R.I., from April, 1892, to July, 1890; and from July, 1890, resident and acting chief engi- neer in the construction of the southern terminal passenger sta- tion at Boston, JIass., at the time of its completion the largest struct- ure for railroad passenger use in the world. He also conceived and designed the loop sj-s- tem of tracks as used for electric service in that station, the first application of this featvire to a steam road terminal. He was elected to membership in the American society of civil engineers in 1883 and in the Boston society of civil engineers in 1897. He invented and pat- ented in 1894 a solid metallic bridge flooring for railroad and highway bridges, which was extensively adopted in the United .States. He was married April 11, 1882, to Florence Louise, daughter of James Green of Providence, R.I.

FRANCIS, James Bicheno, engineer, was born in Southleigh, England, Jlay 18, 1815. He studied civil engineering under his father, a railway superintendent in Wales and England, and emi- gi'ated to America in 1833, obtaining employment with Maj. George W. Whistler, U.S. A., the civil engineer. In 1837 he was appointed engineer of the Locks and Canals company, Lowell, Jfass., and in 1845 was also made agent of the company. He built the Northern canal, 1846-48, and in 1850 provided against freshets by constructing safe- guards in tlie old canal which two years later saved the mills from destruction. He recon- structed the Pawtucket dam and applied hy- draulic lifts to the gi-eat gates of the Pawtucket canal. In 1885 after a continuous service of fifty years he resigned and became the consulting hydraulic engineer for the company. He was chosen a fellow of the American academy of arts and .sciences in 1844; a member of the American society of civil engineers in 1852, its jiresident in 1881 and an honorary member in 1892; a member of the Boston society of civil engineers in 1848 and its president in 1874; a member of the Amer- ican philosophical society; of the Bo.ston society of natural history; an honorary member of the JIanchester historical and genealogical society, of