Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/263

 HIBBEX

HIGHBORN

and Eunice (Talcott) Hibbard and a cousin of Ellery Albee Hibbard. He was graduated at Dartmouth, in 1835, receiving his A.B. degree in 1843 and that of A.M., 1846. He was admitted to the bar and practised at Bath, N.H. ; was clerk of the house of representatives, 1839-48 ; member and speaker, 1844-45 ; state senator, 1846-49, and president of the senate, 1847-48 ; and a repre- sentative in the 31st, 32d, and 33d congresses, 1849-55. He died at Bath, N.H., July 28, 1873.

HIBBEN, John Qrier, educator, was born in Peoria. 111., April 19, 1861 ; son of the Rev. Samuel and Elizabeth (Grier) Hibben ; grandson of Samuel Eutrekiu and Margaret (Galloway) Hibben and of John Cooper and Elizabeth (Per- kins) Grier ; and a descendant on his father's side of Walter Buchanan, who came from county Tyrone, Ireland, settling on Marsh Creek, Pa. ; and on his mother's side, of the Rev. Robert Cooper, D.D., chaplain in the war of the Revo- lution. He was graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1882, and was a student at the University of Berlin, Germany, 1882-83, and at Princeton Theological seminar^', 1883-86, He was licensed by the Presbytery of Peoria in 1885, and ordained by the Presbytery of Carlisle, May 19, 1887. He was a stated supply at the Second Presbyterian church, St. Louis, Mo., in 1886 ; and pastor at Falling Spring church, Chambersburg, Pa., 1887-91. He was instructor in logic and psychology at the College of New Jersey (Prince- ton), 1891-93; assistant professor of logic, 1893- 97, and was elected Stuart professor of logic at Princeton university in 1897. He received the degree of Ph.D. from the College of New Jersey (Princeton) in 1893. He is the author of In- ductive Logic (1896) and The Problems of Philoso- phy (1898).

HIGHBORN, Philip, naval officer, was born in Charlestown, Mass., March 4, 1839 ; son of Philip and Martha (Gould) Hichborn ; grandson of Philip and Betsey (Hopkins) Hichborn and of Solomon and Betsey (Proctor) Gould ; and a de- scendant of Thomas Hichborn, who settled in Boston in the 17th centiiry, and of Zaccheus Gould, who came from England to New England about 1638. He was graduated at the Charlestown high school in 1855 and at once indentured to the government under Master Shipwright Melvin Sim- mons of the Charlestown navy yard. For steady application he was awarded by Secretary Toucey with a two j'ears' course in theoretical training in ship construction, calculation and design, under special instruction by direction of the naval de- partment. On reaching his majority March 4, 1860, he started on a sea voyage to California by way of Cape Horn on the clipper ship Dash ing Wave, serving as carpenter of the vessel. He was first employed by the Pacific Mail steamship company

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in San Francisco and shortly after under his old master, who had been promoted naval constructor, and stationed at the Mare Island navy yard. In two years he was made master mechanic of the station. He declined the position of assistant naval constructor in 1863 as the pay was not equal to that he was then receiving. On June 26, 1869, he accepted the commission of as- sistant naval con- structor with the rel- ative rank of lieuten- ant, his appointment being credited to Cal- ifornia. In 1870 he was ordered to the Portsmouth navy yard. On March 12, 1875, he was promot- ed naval constructor with the relative rank of captain, after a competitive exam- ination in which he stood first. He was then assigned to League Island navy yard, Philadelphia. He was a member of the board of inspection and sur- vey, 1875-81, and a member of the first naA'al advisory board in 1881, and became prominentl}' identified with the designing and construction of the new naval vessels. In June, 1884, he visited Europe under instructions from Secretary Chan- dler and his i-eport on European dock-yards was of much value to the profession. The same year he was ordered to Washington as assistant to the chief of bureau of construction and repair, and on Sept. 7, 1893, he was promoted to be chief constructor with the relative rank of commodore, succeeding Chief Constructor T. D. Wilson, re- signed, and he became the res^wnsible director of the building of the new United States navy. His term of appointment being four years he was re- appointed, Sept. 7, 1897, his tei'm of service to exi)ire by age limit, March 4, 1901. Among his inventions is the Franklin life-buoy, which was adopted generalh' in the United States and other navies of the world. He was elected a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers of America. His article "Sheathed and L^^nsheathed Ships," published in the Proceed- iHflfs of the Naval Institute, April, 1890, was widely copied and commented on ; and in 1898 the neces- sity of his iilan for sheathing ships was demon- strated in the war with Spain. After which all vessels authorized by congress were required b'v law to be sheathed and coppered. In 1899 he was made an honorary member of the Institution of Naval Architects of England. He became promi- nent in Masonry, attaining the 33d degree.