Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/81

 FENNER

FEN WICK

Deo. 24, 1774. For many years he was clerk of the court of common pleas in Providence, and was governor of the state of Rhode Island, 1790- 1805. He died in Providence, R.I., Oct. 15, lb05.

FENNER, James, governor of Rhode Island, was born Lu Providence, R.I., Jan. 22, 1771; son of Gov. Arthur Feuner. He was graduated from Brown with the highest honors of his class in 1789 and for several years was a representative in the Rhode Island general assembly. He was elected to the U.S. senate in 1805 and held the seat during the two sessions of the 9th congress, 1805-07, when he resigned to accept the office of governor of Rhode Island, in which capacity he served, 1807-11, 1824-31 and 1843-45. He was presidential elector, 1831 and 1837 ; and president of the Rhode Island constitutional convention, 1842. In November, 1792, he was married to Sarah, daughter of Sylvanus and Freelove (Whipple) Jenckes. The honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him by Brown in 1825. He died in Providence, R.I., April 17, 1846.

FENTON, Lucien Jerome, representative, was born near Winchester, Ohio, May 7, 1844; son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Smith) Fenton; grand- son of Jeremiah and Rosanna (Lawrence) Fenton, and of Barnabas and Elizabeth (Rees) Smith. His first ancestor in America was Samuel Fenton, He attended the normal school at Lebanon, Ohio, and the Ohio university at Athens. On Aug. 11, 1862, he enlisted in the 91st Ohio regiment and served until disabled by a gunshot wound at the battle of Winchester, Va., Sept. 19, 1864. He held various offices in the town and county, and in 1880 was appointed to a position in the custom house at New Orleans, La. In 1884 he organized the Winchester (Ohio) bank. He was appointed a trustee of Ohio university in 1892, and in the same year was a delegate to the Republican national convention. He was a Republican repre- sentative from the lOtli district of Ohio in the 54th and 5r,tli congresses, 1895-99.

FENTON, Reuben Eaton, governor of New York, was born in Carroll. Chautauqua county, N.Y., July 1, 1819; son of George W. Fenton. He attended the district school and Fredonia academy, studied law in Jamestown, N.Y., and in 1839 established liimself as a covmtry mercliant. He afterward added to his business that of a dealer in lumber. He was colonel of the 162d regiment, N.Y. state militia, was supervisor of the town of Carroll, 1846-53, and in 1859 was elected to the state assembly as a Democrat. He was a representative in the 33d congress, 1853-55, and voted against his party on the Kansas-Ne- braska bill. This cost liis re-election in 1854, but in 1856 he was elected to the 35th congress by the new Republican party, and he was re-elected to the successive congresses including the 38th,

serving 1857-65. He was governor of the state of New York, 1865-69, and U.S. senator as successor to Edwin D. Morgan, from Slaroh 4, 1869, to March 3, 1875. He was chairman of the commis- sion appointed by President Hayes to take part in the international monetary conference at Paris, France, 1878-79. He was president of the First national bank of Jamestown, N.Y., and helped to establish the Swedish orphanage there. He was married In 1838 to Jane, daughter of John Frew. She died in 1840, and in 1844 he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Joel Scudder of Victor, N.Y. Their son, Reuben Eaton Fenton, succeeded to the business of his father. Governor Fenton died at Jamestown, N.Y., Aug. 25, 1885.

FENWICK, Benedict Joseph, R C. bishop, was born at Leonardtown, St. JIary's county, Md., Sept. 3, 1782. He was descended from the Fenwicks of Fenwick Tower, Northumberland, England. His first ancestor in America, Cuth- bert Fenwick, was a prominent jurist of Jlary- land. His cou.sin, Edward Dominic Fenwick (1768-1832), was a pioneer Dominican missionary. Benedict was educated at Georgetown college, 1793-1805, and at the College of St. Sulpice, 1805 -08. He was ordained to the priesthood at Georgetown, D.C., March 12, 1808, and was sta- tioned at St. Peter's church. New York city, 1808-17. He visited Thomas Paine during his last illness at the urgent request of the dj-ing man. He founded the New York literary institute and made the plans and designs for St. Patrick's ca- thedral, of which he began the erection in Mul- berry street. In 1816 he was made vicar general

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and in 1817 was president of Georgetown college and rector of Trinity church, (H'orgetown, D.C. He was .sent to Charleston, S.C, in 1818, to recon- cile differences between the French and English Catholics in the diocese and on his return to Georgetown in 1832 he was appointed procurator general of the Society of Jesus in the United States. On Nov 1, 1825, he was consecrated at Baltimore, Md., by Archbishop Marechal, bishop of the diocese of Boston, which at that time era- braced the whole of the territory of New Eng- land, but had only four churches. He opened parocliial schools in Boston, built the convent and