Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/372

 GRAHAM

GRAHAM

building of the dry-doclc and landing-ways. In 1861 lie volunteered in the service of the United States with several hundred men" who had worked under him in the navy yard. This com- pany formed the Excelsior brigade of which he finally became colonel. In 1862 he was commis- sioned brigadier-general for services with the Army of the Potomac. In the battle of Gettys- burg he was twice wounded and then taken pris- oner. After his release he commanded a gunboat flotilla under Gen. B. F. Butler on the James river and took part in the attack on Fort Fisher. At the close of the war he returned to the prac- tice of engineering in New York city and on Marcli 13, 1865, received the brevet of major-general of volunteers. He was chief engineer of the New York dock department, 1873-75; surveyor of the port, 1878-83, and naval officer, 1883-85. He died at Lakewood, N.J., April 15, 1889.

GRAHAM, David, lawyer, was born in Lon- don, England, Feb. 8, 1808. His father, a native of Ireland, left England for political reasons and settled in New York city. David was educated at Columbia college, studied law, practised in New York city and in 1842 was elected city corpo- ration counsel. He defended Bishop Benjamin T. Onderdonk before the house of bishops in 1844. He was professor of pleading and practice in the law department of the University of the city of New York, 1838-43, and subsequently with David Dudley Field and Arphaxad Loomis revised the rules of practice, jileadings, forms and proceed- ings of the court of record imder the new con- stitution adopted Nov. 3, 1846. He published Practice of the Supreme Court of the State of Nexo York (1832, 2d ed., 1836; first volume of 3ded., 1847) ; Xew^ Trials (1834) ; Courts of Laiv and Equity in the State of Neio York (1839) ; and an annotated edition of Smith's Chancer// rractice (2d Am. ed., 1842). He died in Nice, France, May 37, 1853.

GRAHAM, George, cabinet officer, was born in Dumfries, Va., in 1773. He was graduated at Co- lumbia in 1790 ; j^ractised law in Prince William county, Va., removed to Fairfax county and on the declaration of war against Great Britain in 1813 he recruited the " Fairfax light -horse " and commanded the ti'oop during the war. When General Armstrong retired from the war depart- ment in 1813, Graham took charge of the office as chief clerk and continued in that office under Secretaries James Monroe, 1814, William H. Crawford, 1815-16, and Isaac Shelby, 1817, and when the latter declined the nomination Mr. Graliam was secretary of war ad interim until the office was assumed by John C. Calhoun, the same year. He continued as chief clerk under Mr. Calhoun and in 1818 at the request of tlie secre- tary, visited the threatened French armed settle- ment at Orcoguises Bluffs, Texas, and finding

the colonists on Galveston island en route for the bluffs, he induced them to abandon their plans. He was president of the Washington branch of the Bank of the United States, 1819-33, and commissioner of the U.S. land office, 1823-30. He died in Washington, D.C., in August, 1830.

GRAHAM, George Rex, journalist, was born in Pliiladelphia, Pa,., Jan. 18, 1813. He learned the trade of cabinet maker, devoting his spare time to study. He was admitted to the bar in 1839, became the editor of the Saturday Erenintf Post and part owner of the establishment. He sold out his interest in 1846. having in 1839 piu-- chased Atkinson's Casket, a monthly literary mag- azine. He conducted that publication till 1841, when he united it with the Gentleman's Mayasine and combined the two under the name Graham's Magazine. He secured for this monthly as con- tributors, Bryant, Cooper, Longfellow, Poe and Taylor, and made it the best literary periodical published in the United States. In 1846 he pur- chased the North American and iu 1847 the United States Gazette, combining the two as the North American. Unfortunate stock speculations de- prived him of his property, but he subsequently regained possession of the magazine and con- ducted it till 1851, but with no great success. He then gained a precarious livelihood with his pen and through the benefaction of George William Cliilds. He became nearly blind, and died at Orange, N.J.. July 13, 1894.

GRAHAM, George Scott, lawyer, was born in Philadel])liia, Pa., Sept. 13, 1850; son of James H., and Sarah Jane (Scott) Graham. He was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, LL.B. in 1870, and practised law in Philadelphia. He was a member of the city select council, 1877- 80, and district attorney of Philadelphia from Jan. 1, 1881, to Jan. 1, 1899, having been elected six terras of three j'ears eacli, and four times without opposition. He was grand commander of Kniglits Templar in Pennsylvania, 1885-86, and professor of criminal law in the University of Pennsylvania from June, 1889, to June, 1899, when he resigned. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Lafayette college, Easton, Pa.; in 1889.

GRAHAM, Isabella, educator, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, July 39, 1743; daughter of Johu Maishall, an occupant of the estate once the property of Sir William Wallace. She ac- quired a thorough education and in 1765 was married to Dr. John Graham of Paisley, Scotland, a surgeon in the British army. She came to America with her hu.sband and was with his regiment at Fort Niagara, Canada, 1766-70. In 1770 slie accompanied her husband to the Island of Antigua, where in 1774 he died and she re- turned to her home in Scotland, where she found