Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/471

 HUNTER

HUNTINGTON

of his life by Col. L. Q. Washington will be found in Our Living Representative Men, from Official and Original Sources, by John Savage (1860), and an address published in the Southern Histor- ical Society Papers, Vol. XXV., pp. 193-205 (1897). He died at his home, Fonthill, near Lloyd's, Essex county. Va., July 18, 1887.

HUNTER, William, senator, was born in New- port, R.I., Nov. 26, 177-1; son of Dr. William and Deborah (Malbone) Hunter. His father was a surgeon in the British army, settled in Newport, R.I., in 1753, and was surgeon of Rhode Island troops serving at Crown Point, N.Y., where Baron Dieskau died in his tent. In 1756 he delivered in Newport the first course of anatom- ical lectures delivered in America, the tickets of admission being printed on the backs of play- ing cards. He was an adherent of the crown at the outbreak of the Revolution, and was obliged to leave Newport. He returned in 1776 and died there, Jan. 30, 1777. His mother was a daugater of Godfrey Malbone, of Ne%vport, and a descend- ant of Edward Wanton, the earliest ancestor of the Wanton family in America. William was graduated at Brown, A.B., 1791, A.M., 1794; studied law in the Inner Temple, London, Eng- land, was admitted to the bar in 1795, and prac- tised law in Newport, R.I., where he acquired a reputation as a brilliant sjjeaker. He was a state representative, 1799-1812, and speaker of the house, 1811-12. He was elected a U.S. senator in 1811 to succeed Senator Christopher G. Champlin, resigned ; filled out liis term of service, and in 1814 was re-elected for a full term, serving 1811-21. His course in advocating the Missouri compromise displeased his constituents and he failed of re-election in 1821. He was a represent- ative in the state legislature, 1823-25. President Jackson appointed him U.S. charge-d'aff aires to Brazil in 1834, and he was appointed to the position of minister plenipotentiary in 1841 at the request of Emperor Dom Pedro. In 1845 he returned to the United States. He received the degree of LL.D. from Brown in 1819, and was a trustee of the university, 1800-38. He was married to Mary, daughter of William and Sarah (Franklin) Rob- inson, of New York. Their son William (q.v) was assistant U.S. secretary of state. Senator Hunter died in Newport, R.I., Dec. 3, 1849,

HUNTER, William, diplomatist, was born in Newport. R.I., Nov. 8, 1805: son of the Hon. William and Mary (Robinson) Hunter. He entered the U.S. Military academy in 1822, and remained there two years, when he resigned on account of an affliction of his eyes. He became a lawyer, practising in New Orleans and then in Provi- dence, R.I. In 1829 he was appointed to a clerk- ship in the state department at Washington, through the friendship of his father with Presi-

dent Jackson and Secretary of State Martin Van Buren. His usefulness in the department insured his regular promotion in successive administra- tions, and in 1866, by special act of congress, he was made second assistant secretary of state. He had mastered the French and Spanish languages while studying law in New Orleans, and was made chief of the bureau in charge of the relations with Spanish America and Brazil in 1833 ; claims clerk in 1849 ; chief clerk of the department in 1852 ; assistant secretary of state ad interim in 1860. He served under twenty-three secretaries of state, 1829-86, and on three occa- sions was acting secretary. He was in the state department under sixteen Presidents, and his diplomatic correspondence would fill volumes. He was the author of many state documents promulgated over the signatures of the President and his secretary of state. He died in Washing- ton, D.C., July 22, 1886.

HUNTINGTON, Abel, representative, was born in Norwich, Conn., Feb. 21, 1777; son of Ezra and Elizabeth (Huntington) Huntington ; and grandson of John and Civil (Tracj-) Huntington, and of James and Elizabeth (Darby) Huntington. He studied medicine with Dr. Philemon Tracy, of Norwich, and received his diploma from the Con- necticut medical convention in April, 1797. In May, 1797, lie removed to East Hampton, L.I., N.Y., and achieved distinction in the practice of his profession. In 1820 he was a Presidential elec- tor, voting for James Monroe, and in 1821 he was elected a member of the New York senate. He was a representative in the 23d and 24th con- gresses, 1833-37, having been elected as a Jack- son Democrat ; collector of customs for the port of Sag Harbor by appointment of President Polk, 1845-49, and a member of the convention for revising the state constitution in 1846. He was married to Frances, daughter of George Lee, of Norwich, Conn. Their son, George Lee, became a physician in East Hampton, N.Y., and George Lee's son, Abel, also followed the profession of his father and grandfather. Abel Huntington, Sr., received the degree of M.D. from the regents of the University of the State of NewYork in 1853. He died at East Hampton, N.Y., May 18, 1858.

HUNTINGTON, Adoniram Judson, educator, was born in Braintree, Vt., July 6, 1818; son of the Rev. Elijah andLydia(Parmilee) Huntington of Connecticut. He prepared for college at Ran- dolph, Vt., spent his freshman year at Columbia college, N.Y. ; his sophomore and part of his junior year at Brown university ; and his senior year at the Columbian college, Washington. D.C., where he was graduated in 1843. He was a tutor at the Columbian university, 1843—16 ; professor of the Greek and Latin languages there.. 1846—49 ; pastor of the Baptist church, Lexington, Va.,