Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/317

 GILLETTE

GILLETTE

romance languages in the University of the city of New York in 1H90. He was elected a member of the American society of church liistory, was class historian at the imiversity and vice-presi- dent of tlie Pliilomathean.

GILLETTE, Edward Hooker, representative, was born in Bloomtield, Conn.. Oct. 1, 1840; son of the Hon. Francis and Elisabeth Daggett (Hooker) Gillette. He attended the public schools of Hartford, Conn., and the State agricult- ural college at Ovid, N.Y. In 1803 he removed to Des Moines, Iowa, where he edited the Iowa Trihtiue, and also engaged in farming and manu- facturing. For a number of years lie was chair- man of the national committee of the National Greenback party and was a delegate to the na- tional conventions that nominated Peter Cooper, James B. Weaver, Benjamin F. Butler, A. J. Streeter and James B. Weaver a second time, for the Presidency. In 1878 he was elected a repre- sentative in the 4(th congress from the capital district of Iowa, running upon the greenback or U.S. vs. Bank money issue. Mr. Gillette became %vell known as an advocate of financial and landre- forms and the initiative and referendum; was an active supporter on the rostrum of William J. Bryan for President in 1896, and was candidate of the three silver parties in Iowa for auditor of state in 1898.

GILLETTE, Francis, senator, was born in Bloonifield (then a part of Windsor), Hartford county. Conn., Dec. 14, 1807; son of Elder Ashbel and Acsah (Francis) Gillette, and a descendant of the two brothers, Nathan and Jonathan Oillette, who came from France to New England in 1630, and settled first in Dorchester, Mass., then removed to Windsor, Conn., when that place was settled in 1635, and became proprietors there. Francis was graduated at Yale in 1829 valedic- torian of his class. He studied law with Gen. W. W. Ellsworth, but on account of ill health decided to become a farmer. He was a represent- ative in the state legislature, 1832 and 1836; and the unsuccessful candidate of the Liberal party for governor of Connecticut in 1841, and of the Liberal and Free-Soil parties for several gubernatorial elections. In 1854 he was elected by a coalition of the Whigs, Temperance men and Free-soilers to fill the vacancy in the U.S. .senate ■caused by the resignation of Truman Smith, and he served from May 25, 1854, to March 4, 1855. He was an active anti-slavery advocate, and introduced into the state legislature a proposition to strike the word " white " from the state con- stitution. He was an early menilier of the Republican party, and a silent partner in the Eren- imj Press of Hartford, the first paper in the state to support the new party. He was a prominent promoter of the cause of education, and a trustee

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and for many years president of the state normal school. He married in 1834, Elisabeth Dag.t;cU. daughter of Edward and Elisabeth (DaKj^rU) Hooker, and a descendant of Thomas Hooker. He died in Hartford. Conn., Sept. 30, 1879.

GILLETTE, William, actor-playwright, was born in Hartford. Conn., July 24. 1854; sim of the Hon. Francis and Elisabeth Daggett (Hooker) Gillette. He was graduated from the Hartford high school in 1873, and afterward studied at the University of the city of New York, at Boston university, and at the Monroe college of ora- tory, Boston. During his college days he often acted small parts at the local theatres, and in 1876 made his professional dSbut as District At- torney in" The Gilded Age" at the St. Charles theatre. New Orleans, La. He soon returned north and se- cured an engagement with John T. Ray- mond's company, playing in " The Gilded Age " at the Union Squai'e theatie, New York. and the Globe theatre, Boston. The sea.sons of 1876, 1877 and 1878, he was a member of Ben McCauley 's stock company in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Louisville, Ky., and subsequently spent a season with a travelling company. He devoted his leisure to writing "' The Professor," and secured its presen- tation at the Madison Square theatie, New York city, June 1, 1881, with himself in the title I'ole. Then, in collaboration with Mrs. Frances Hodg- son Burnett, he dramatized " Esmeralda," which was brought out at the same theatre in the fol- lowing season. After acting for the season of 1883-84, as Buxton Scott in " Yoimg Mrs. Win- throp," he produced. Sept. 29, 1884, at the Com- edy theatre, New York city, '' Digby's Secretary " his adaptation of Van Moser's " Der Bibli- othekar." A rival version called "The Private Secretary " was produced at the same time by A. M. Palmer's company at the Madison Square theatre, and subsequently the two plays were united under the latter name, iu the title role of which Mr. Gillette appeared over one thousand times. The next work, "Held by the Enemy," had its original production at the Criterion thea- tre, Brooklyn. N.Y., Feb. 22, 1886, and its first New York production on August 18 of the same year, at the JIadison Square theatre, with Mr. Gillette as Thomas Henry Bean. Then followed an adaptation of ''She," brought out at Niblo's Garden, New York city, 1887; '"A Legal