Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/338

 health department, 1881-92; sanitary expert of the New York state board of health, 1881-95; member of the board of health of New Brighton, Staten Island, N.Y., 1886-92, and held other important local offices. He was made associate editor of the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical club in 1888; was elected a member, fellow and curator of the New York Academy of Sciences in 1892; a member of the Natural Science Association of Staten Island, of which he was one of the founders; member and fellow of the Geological Society of America; member and fellow of the Botanical Society of America, which he helped to found, and member and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was a commissioner and then chairman of the Port Richmond, N.Y., boulevard commission from 1897, also commissioner and vice-president of the Richmond county, N.Y., park commission. He received the degree of Ph.D. from the Columbian university, Washington, D.C, in 1897. He is the author of frequent contributions to scientific periodicals; numerous works upon the geology and botany of Staten Island, Long Island, Block Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket: The Flora of the Amboy Clays; monographs of the United States geological survey, volume xxxvi., edited from the manuscript notes of Prof. John Strong Newberry; also The Later Extinct Floras of North America; monographs of the U.S. geological survey, volume xxxv., edited under the same circumstances. He is also joint author with Dr. N. L. Britton of The Flora of Richmond County, N.Y. (1879).

HOLLIDAY, Frederick William Mackey, governor of Virginia, was born in Winchester, Va., Feb. 22, 1828; son of Dr. Richard John McKim and Mary Catherine (Taylor) Holliday, and grandson of William and Margaret (Duncan) Holliday and of Samuel and Catherine (Mackey) Taylor. His paternal grandfather was a native of the north of Ireland, and his maternal great-grandfather emigrated from England. He prepared for college at Winchester academy, Virginia, and was graduated from Yale in 1847. He studied law for one year at Winchester, and was graduated from the law department of the University of Virginia in 1849. He settled in practice at Winchester, was elected prosecuting attorney for Winchester and Frederick county, Va., in 1852, and was a member of the Confederate States congress, 1862-65. He served in the Confederate army in the civil war as captain of the 33d Virginia infantry and was assigned to Gen. Thomas J. Jackson's brigade. He was promoted colonel in 1862, and in August of that year lost his right arm at the battle of Cedar Run. He resumed the practice of law in Winchester in 1865, and was governor of Virginia, 1878-82. He retired to private life, devoted himself to study, took an active interest in local affairs and travelled extensively. He was married in 1868 to Hannah Taylor, daughter of Dr. Thomas McCormick, and after her death to Caroline Calvert, daughter of Dr. Richard H. Stuart. He wrote several works of travel, printed for private circulation. He died in Winchester, Va., May 29, 1899.

HOLLINS, George Nicholas, naval officer, was born in Baltimore, Md., Sept. 20, 1799, son of John and Janet (Smith) Holiins. His uncle, Gen. Samuel Smith, was an officer in the American army during the war of 1812 and commanded the troops at the disastrous battle of North Point, Md., Sept. 12, 1814. George received a warrant as midshipman in the U.S. navy in 1814 and served on board the Erie in the operations in Chesapeake bay in 1814; was on the President under Decatur and was captured and imprisoned till the close of the war. He was again with Decatur in the Algerine war where he succeeded in capturing an Algerine frigate and was presented with a Turkish saber for his valor. He served successively on the Guerrière, the Columbas, the Franklin, the Washington, the Ontario,, the Peacock and the Cyane. While he was on the Ontario, as second lieutenant, the vessel was caught in a violent gale eastward of the Barbadoes, and was in danger of being lost. Lieutenant Holiins was called from the mess table by the captain, who gave him charge of the deck. Such a tribute from the commander of a vessel to the nautical skill of an officer below the rank of first lieutenant was unprecedented in the records of the navy, and on the arrival of the vessel in the United States, a card commending his skill and seamanship was published by the crew. On another occasion while first lieutenant of the Peacock he displayed great skill in