Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/317

 KREMER

KROEGER

KREMER, George, representative, was born in Daui»liin county, Pa., in 1775. He practised law in Lewisburg. He was a representative from Pennsylvania in the 18th, 19th and 20th con- gresses, 1823-29. On Jan. 28, 1825, in the midst of the excitement attending the decision of the presidential election, an anonymous letter ap- peared in the Columbian Observer, Lewisburg, in which ''a member of the Pennsylvania dele- gation " charged a bargain in the house of repre- sentatives to secure the election of Jolm Quincy Adams, by which Henry Clay, for his support, was promised the portfolio of state. Mr. Claj', on receiving the paper, pronounced " the mem- ber, whosoever lie may l)e, a base and infamous calumniator, a dastard and liar; and if he dare unveil himself and avow his name, I will hold him responsible, as I here admit myself to be, to all the laws which govern and regulate men of honor." Mr. Clay caused the letter to be read before the house, Feb. 3, 1825, and demanded an Investigation. A committee with Mr. Webster as chairman was appointed to investigate "who wrote the letter" hoping to implicate Representa- tive Ingliam, an enemy of Mr. Adams but the authorship was acknowledged by Mr. Kremer, who avowed himself ready to prove the accuracy of his statements and his readiness to meet the inquiry- and abide the result, but the committee dropped the subject. Mr. Kremer was renomi- nated and re-elected, and Mr. Adams and his secretary of state were defeated in 1828. Mr. Kremer died in Union county. Pa., Sept. 11, 1854.

KREUSI, John, mechanical engineer, was born in S>vitzerland, in 1843. He received his profes- sional education in his native country, and im- migrated to tiie United States in 1870. He found employment with Thomas A. Edison at Melno Park, N.J., in manufacturing the first telegraph transmitters used in the New York stock ex- change. He soon became Mr. Edison's confiden- tial helper He perfected the phonograph from rude drawings and oral instructions given by Edison, and the instrument he constructed was the first in which Edison spoke. He invented the conduit system by which telegraph, tele- phone and electric-light wires are encased in iron tubes and placed underground. He became chief mechanical engineer of the electric company originally organized by Mr. Edison, and invented much of the apparatus used by the company. He died in Schenectady, N.Y.. Feb. 22, 1899.

KRIBBS, George Frederic, representative, was born in Clarion county, Pa., Nov. 8. 184G; son of George and Susanna (Scheffcr) Krihbs; grandson of Christian and Marie (Gutenkunst) Kribbs (or Krebs) and of John and Barbara (Best^ Scheffer, and great-grandson of Adam Scheffer, who came from Holland, and served in

the Revolutionary war. His grandfather, Cliris- tian Kribbs, came from Strassburg, near Alsace, wlien eight years old, about the close of the Revo- lution, landing at Philadelphia, Pa., with his father's family, who were bound out as redemp- tionists to pay their passage. George Frederic Kribljs passed his early life on a farm, and was graduated from Muhlenburg college, Allentown, Pa., in 1873. He was admitted to the bar in 1875; was editor of the Clarion Democrat, 1877-89, and was a representative from the twenty-eighth dis- trict of Pennsylvania in the 52d and 53d con- gresses, 1891-95. After the expiration of his term he resumed the practice of law at Clarion, Pa.

KRIEHN, George, educator, was born in Lex- ington, Mo., Ai)ril 19, 1868; son of G. A. and Amelia (Mej'er) Kriehn. He was graduated from William Jewell college in 1887; studied history and art at Berlin, Freiburg, Zurich and Strassburg, Germany, and in Florence, Italy, 1887-92, and received the degree of Ph.D. from the University of Strassburg in 1892. He was a fellow of Johns Hopkins university by courtesy, 1892-93; an in- structor of history there. 1893-94, and assistant professor of art and economic history at Leland Stanford, Jr., university, 1894-99. He was elected a member of the American Historical association. He is the author of: The English Rising in 1450 (1892); English Popular Upheavals in the Middle Ages (1894); The English Social Revolt in 13S1 (1901).

KRinriEL, John Lewis, artist, was born in Ebingen, Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1787. He emigrated to America and settled in Philadel- phia, Pa., in 1810, with the intention of engaging in business with his brotiier, but took up art in- stead. He first painted portraits, but on seeing a copy of Wilkie's "Blind Fiddler" turned his attention to portraying the humorous, and also to painting historical pictures. Just before his death he received a commission to paint a large canvas "The Landing of William Peiin." He was president of the Societj- of American Artists. Among his works are: The Pepper-Pot Woman; Tlie Cut Finger; Blind)iutn's Buff; Election Day; The Fourth of July at Old Centre Square; Going to and Returning from Boarding School; The Country Wedding; Perry's Victory. He was drowned near Germantown, Pa., July 15, 1821.

KROEGER, Adolph Ernst, author, was born in Schwabstadt, duchy of Schleswig, Germany, Dec. 28, 1837; son of the Rev. Jacob and Julia (Meyer) Kroeger. His father immigrated to the United States from Germany with his family in 1848, and settled at Davenport, Iowa. Adolph was employed in a banking liouse in Davenport; was connected with the New York Times as a trans- lator, 1857-60, and served on the staff of General