Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/54

 HALL

HALL

HALL, Wilburn Briggs, naval officer, was boru in Fairtield district, S.C, Sept. 20. lf^;38; sou of James Gregg and Jemima Jones (Briggs) Hall ; grandson of Dr. Thomas Briggs, and a ilescendaut from the Lewises of Virginia. He was given a got)d classical education and was graduated from the U.S. naval academj- in 1859 at the head of his class, and receiveil for his academic standing a sword. He was assigned to the (.'mistdla/ion. Hag ship of the West Indian squadron. Capt. Williuni Inmau, being transferred to the Marion as acting master. On his return to the United States he was ordered in 1860 to the Xiagara, commissioned to carry the embassy to Japan. He was trans- ferred to the Conatellation at St. Paul de Loanda, and was flag-lieutenant and watch-officer. Dur- ing the voyage Captain Inman captured the slaver Cora and the vessel was placed in charge of Lieu- tenant Hall, who landed her 720 slaves at Moravia, Liberia, and brought the Cora to the United States. In March. 1861, he resigned his commis- sion and entered the Confederate States navy as commander of the Huntress, the first of the fleet of the new navy to float the Confederate flag. The ves.sel was soon after burned and he joined Commodore Tatnall in the battle of Port Royal, S.C, Nov. 7, 1861; subsequentl}' commanding one x)f the tliree steamers tiiat ran the blockade and furnished supplies to the garrison at Fort Pulaski, Ga. He then blockaded the river channels and planted the first submarine torpedoes used by the Confederates. As commander of the floating bat- tery at Charleston, S.C, Lieutenant Hall did effective service and he was transferred to the iron-clad Chicorn and subsequently to the Tusca- loosa as executive officer and to the Harrift Lane and gunboat \V<-hh as commander, serving in the Red River campaign as executive officer of the Missouri. He was then trans- ferred to Rich- mond, Va., as commander of midshipmen in the C.S. naval academy and during the

siege of Rich- mond he served in the trenches, and on the iron-clad Virrjinin in December, 1864, and January, 186.5. He was in Charles- ton, S.C, until the evacuation of that city, when he joined the army and surrendered with Johnston in North Carolina. He was major of engineers in the army of the Khedive of Egypt, and in charge of important surveys and military construction, 1874-80. He then returned to the United States, and established at Balti

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more, Md., a school of instruction for cadet engi- neers and for preparing boys for admission to the U.S. military and naval academies. He was U.S. consul at Nice, 1892-98. He was married to a daughter of Com. William Inman, under whom he served in the U.S. navy.

HALL, Willard, representative, was born in West ford, Mass., Dec. 24, 1780; son of Willis and Mehitabel (Poole) Hall: grandson of the Rev. Willard and Abigail (Cotton) Hall, and of Deacon William and Hannah (Nic)iols) Poole; great- grandson of Stephen and Grace (Willis) Hall, and great 2 grandson of Stephen Hall, who came from Coventry, England, to Cam bridge, Mass., about I6r)3, and was a brother of John Hall of Medford. He was graduated at Har- vard, A.B., 1799; A.M., 1814; was ad- mitted to the bar in 1803, and practised in Dover. Del., 1803-2;]. He was married to Junia, daughter of Chancellor William

Killen. She died in 1824, and he Avas married in 1826 to Harriet Hilliard. He was secretary of the state of Delaware, 1811-14, and 1821; a represen- tative in the 15th and 16th congresses, 1817-21 ; a state senator, 1822; and U.S. district judge for Delaware, under appointment by President Mon- roe, 1823-71. He revised the state laws in 1829, and suggested tl\e plan for the public school sys- tem adopted by the legislature. He was president of the Delaware Bible society, 1840-70, and was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1831. He published Laics of Ddaimre to 1829 inclu- sive (1829). He died in Wilmington, May 10, 1875.

HALL, Willard Preble, governor of Missouri, was born at Harper's Ferry, Va.. May 9, 1820; son of John and Stativa (Preble) Hall, grandson of Stephen ami i\Iary (Cotton) Holt Hall; great- grandson of the Rev. Willard and Abigail (Cotton) Hall; great^ grandson of Stephen and Grace (Willis) Hall; and great^ grandson of Stephen Hall, who came from Coventry, England, to Cambridge, Mass., about 1653. His grandfather and great-grandfather were graduates of Har- vard college in 1765 and 1722 respectively. His father, the inventor of Hall's carbine rifle, re- moved from Portland, Maine, to Harper's Ferry, where he was employed bj'tlie government in the arsenal, and from there to Missouri, probably in 1841. Willard was graduated at Yale in 1839, removed to St. Joseph, Mo., where he was a law-