Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/249

 HERNANDEZ

HERRESHOFF

taught schools on the Oregon frontier, while assisting in tJie clearing away of the forests for a i)ioneer home, and tliereafter studied law. He was admitted to the supreme court of Oregon in 1866, and practised law in Roseburg, Ore. He was elected to the lower house of the state legis- lature in 1866, and was state senator in 1868 and 1871. He was appointed by President Grant re- ceiver of public moneys at the U.S. land oflfice at Roseburg, and served as such, 1871-73. He was judge-advocate, with the rank of colonel, in the state militia, 1882-84. He was a representative from Oregon in the 49th, 50tli, 51st, 52d, o3d and 54th congresses, 1885-97. and during this period lie Avas prominently identified with the waterway improvements of tiie nation, being a member of the river and harbor committee for a number of years, and of the committee on public lands, and was later chairman of the committee on arid lands. At the close of the 54th congress lie was appointed by President McKinley commissioner of the general land office.

HERNANDEZ, Joseph Marion, soldier, was born in St. Augustine, Fla. In 1822 on the or- ganization of Florida as a territory of the United States, Hernandez became an American citizen and was elected the first delegate to the 17th con- gress, serving from Jan. 3 to Marcli 3, 1823. He was then elected a territorial representative and was made speaker of the house. He was com- missioned brigadier-general of the Florida militia and served in the U.S. arfny in tJie Seminole war, 1835-38, commanding the expedition that caj)- tured Osceola, the Indian chief, in 1837. He was promoted brigadier-general of mounted volun- teers in July, 1837, and on September 10 took part in the battle near Mosquito Inlet. He died in Matanzas, Cuba. June 8, 1857.

HERNDON, William Lewis, naval officer, was born in Fredericksburg. Va., Oct. 25, 1813. He was warranted a midshipman from Virginia in 1828; was promoted passed midshipman in 1834; lieutenant in 1841, and commander in 1855. He served at various stations, took part in the Mexi- can war, and in 1851 was detached with direc- tions to explore the vallej^ of the Amazon to ascertain its commercial resources. He left his ship at Lima, Peru, crossed the Cordilleras, and followed the Amazon to its mouth. He returned to the United States in 1852, and in 1856 he took service in the Pacific Mail steamship line between New York and Panama in command of the Cen- tral America. He left Havana, Sept. 8, 1857, en route for New Yoi-k, with a full list of passen- gers, who were on their way liome from Cali- fornia with about $2,000,000 in gold. The ship met a cyclone, proved unseaworthy, and the women and children were saved by a passing brig through the discipline enforced by Captain Herndon, who

sent his watcli to his wife by one of the rescued passengers with a message that he could not leave the sliip while a soul remained on board. Tiie two vessels were separated by the storm, and Captain Herndon, standing on the paddle-box. signalling for lielp, went down with the ship and 426 passen- gers. His fellow-officers erected a monument tu his memory at the U.S. Naval academy at Annapolis. His daughter, Ellen Lewis, became the wife of Chester A. Arthur, the twenty-first President of the United States. His work. Volume I. of Ex- ploration of tiie Valley of the Amazon was pub- lished by the government in 1854. His death occurred at sea off Cape Hatteras, N.C.. Sept. 12, 1857.

HERNE, James A.,actor-playwiiglit, w;>s born at West Troy. N.Y., Feb. 1, 1839. He attended the public schools in Albany, N.Y., until 1852, and was employed in a brush factory. 1852-59. In the latter year lie appeared in a small travelling com- pany presenting " The Dog of Moiitargis," in which he played the seneschal. Subsequently he played at Baltimore, Md., becoming the leading man of the Holliday Street theatre. He began his career as a star in San Francisco. Cal. He married Kath- erine Coi'coi-an, of San Francisco, Cal.. an actress, and had three daughters, all of whom followed their father's profession. After 1878 he appeared exclusively in his own {(reductions. His first im- porcant i>lay. Hearts of Oaic, was originally pro- drced in San Francisco, Cal. It was followed by Minute Men; Drifting Apart; Margaret Fleming (1890); Shore Acres (1892); Griffltli Davenport (1898): Sag Harhor (1899), which acliieved re- markable success. All the plays deal with simple country life, and o%ve their success largely to the excellent stage management and scenic eff'ects. He died in New York citv, June 2, 1901.

HERON, Matilda, actress, was born in the north of Ireland. Dec. 1. 1830. She came with her par- ents to Philadelphia, studied under Peter Richings and appeared on the stage there, Feb. 17, 1851, as Bianca in •" Fazio." Slie played next in the West and in California, went to New York in 1857, and added Camille to her other successes. In that year she married Robert Stoepel, from whom slie a) ter- ward separated. She played a year in London . re- turned to New York, and made her last appeara nee at Bootii's Theatre, as Medea, in 1876, at her daugliter's benefit. Her greatest successes weie in emotional parts, especially Camille. She died in New York citv. IMarch 7. 1877.

HERRESHOFF, Charles Frederick, agricul- turist, was born in Providence. R.I.. July 26, 1809; son of Charles Frederick and Sarah (Brown) Herreshoff. His fatlier, an accomplislied linguist and mu^^i(•ian, was born in Minden. Prus- sia, anil his mother was a daughter of Jolm