Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/20

 ERSKINE

ESPY

resentative in the 45tli, 46th and 47th congresses, 1877-83, and U.S. pension agent at Pittsburg, 1883-87. He died in Pittsburg, Pa., April 7, 1891.

ERSKINE, John, jurist, was born at Strabane, Tyrone, IreliUid, Sept. 13, 1813. He was taken in 1821 to America, wiiere he was educated, with the exception of the years 1837-32, wlien he attended school in liis native country. He removed to Florida in 1843, and after teaching school for four years he was admitted to the bar in 1846. He removed to Atlanta, Ga., in 18.55, and in 186.5 was appointed by President Johnson, U.S. district judge for the district o£ Georgia. In April, 1882, when the state was divided he was made judge of the southern district, and retired in Decem- ber, 1883, being succeeded by Judge Emory Speer. He died in Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 27, 189.5.

ERVIN, James, representative, was born in Williamsburg district, S.C, Oct. 17, 1778. He was graduated from Brown university in 1797, was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1800, and practised law at Pee Dee, S.C. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1800-04; solicitor of the northern district of the state, 1804-16, and a representative in the 15th and 16th congresses, 1817-21. He died near Darling- ton Courthouse, S.C, July 7. 1841.

ERVINQ. Qeorge William, diplomatist, was born in Boston, Mass., in 1768; son of George and Lucy (Winslow) Erving. He was educated at Oxford, and then returned to his native countr}-. He was appointed U.S. consul at London, Eng- liuul, and in 1804 was sent to Spain as charge d' affaires, where he remained until 1808. He was U.S. sjjecial minister to Denmark in 1811-13, and envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Spain, 1814-19. He translated: The Alphabet of the Primitive LaiK/iiaiji' af Sjiaiii, imd A Pliil- o.iophicd! K.i-iiiiiiiintUiii nf llw A II I iquitij and C'rvil- ization of tin' lUmqur I'loplr (lS-i',j). He died in New York city. July 23, 18,50.

ESHER, John Jaeob, clergymai^, was born in Strasburg, Alsace, Dec. 11. 1823. His parents came to the United States in 1830, and settled near Warren, Pa, Iii 1836 they removed to Illi- nois. John Jacob was licensed to preach in the Evangelical church in 1845, became presiding elder of Wisconsin in 1849, was a founder of Northwestern college, edited some of the church puljlications, in 1863 was elected bishop, and was reelected for two successive terms. He visited foreign countries for missionary work. He wrote an account of his travels, a treatise on syste- matic tlieology and a catechism. He died in Chicago, April 16, 1901.

ESLING, Charles Henry Augustine, author, was born in I'hiladeiphia, Pa., Jan. 21, 184."); son of Joseph Jeremiah and Mary A. (Holahan) Esling; grandson of Nicholas 2d, and a direct

descendant in the sixth generation of John George Esling, a native of the Rhenish Palati- nate, who settled in Philadelphia in 1740. On the maternal side he descended from Cornelius Holahan of Mount Cuba on the Red Clay, Dela- ware, an eaily .settler of that state, and from Henry Way of Dorchester, Mass., who came to America with Gov. John Winthrop in 1630. He was educated at St. Joseph's college, Philadel- phia; Georgetown university, D.C., and at the law department of the University of Pennsyl- vania. He was admitted to the bar in 1869, and besides practising law, lectured and travelled extensively in European counties. He repre- sented the Primate and Catholic laity of the United States, at the Golden Episcopal jubilee of Pope Pius IX., 1877. He is the author of; Melo- dies of Mood and I'ense; Poems (1894). He trans- lated from the Italian: The Life of St. Germaine Cousin, The Shepherdess of Pibrac; and from the French, a volume of legendary tales. He also contributed many original articles and poems to periodical literature.

ESPY, James Pollard, meteorologist, was born in Westmoreland county. Pa., May 9, 1785; son of James Espy and grandson of George and Jean (Taylor) Espy, emigrants from Ireland about 1729. He was christened James. He was taken by his parents to Kentucky at a very early age, and in 1808 was graduated from Transyl- vania universit3', Lexington. He then studied law and taught school in Xenia, Ohio. He was for several years principal of the Cumberland, Md., academy, and while there was married to Margaret Pollard, whose maiden name he as- sumed. In 1817 he went to i'hiladeiphia, Pa., as instructor in classics and mathematics in the Franklin institute, and there conducted researches and experiments in meteorology. He was elected chairman of the committee on meteorology of the Franklin institute, and lectured there and else- where. He resigned his position as teacher to devote himself to the science of meteorology. He contributed to the Journal of the Franklin insti- tute a series of pajjers on the subject, which attracted the attention of scientists in America and Eurojie. In 1836 he was awarded by the American philosophical societj' the Magellanic premium for an anonymous memoir. In 1840 he was invited by the British association to submit his theorj' of storms, and in September delivered an exhaustive pai)er before that body. Shortly afterward he lectured before the French acad- emy of sciences, and his communication was referred to a committee of three of the most eminent scientists in that body. The committee complimented Mr. Espj' on his research, and sug- gested that he be placed by the United States government in a position to continue his work.