Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/346

 LANG

LANGDON

LANQ, Margaret Ruthven, composer, was born in Boston, Mass., Nov. 27, 1867: daughter of Benjamin Johnson and Frances Morse (Bur- rage) Lang. She was educated in a private school in Boston, and at the age of twelve showed an aptitude for musical composition. She studied the pianoforte under her father, the violin under Louis Schmidt of Boston, and under Drechster and Abel in Munich, composition with Victor Gluth in that city, 1886-87. and took up the study of orchestration under G. W. Chadwick in Boston in 1887. Her Dramatic Overture, opus 12, was performed by the Boston Symphony orchestra in 1893; her overture Witichis, opus 10, was per- formed several times in Chicago under the direc- tion of Theodore Thomas; and her arias, Arinida and Sajppho were sung both in New York and Boston. Her compositions include: three over- tures, three arias, a cantata for solo, chorus and orchestra, a string quartette, five part-songs, a Te Deum, five violin pieces and more than sixty songs.

LANQDELL, Christopher Columbus, edu- cator, was born in New Boston, N.H., May 22, 1826; son of John and Lydia (Beard) Langdell; grandson of John and Margaret (Goldsmith) Lang- dell and of Joseph and Margaret (Mellen) Beard. His paternal great-grandfather.William Langdell, came to America from England and settled in Beverly, Mass., and his maternal grandfather came from Londonderry, Ireland, when a child, with his parents, who were among the first settlers of New Boston, He was a student at Pliillips Exeter academy, 1845-48; and at Harvard college, 1848-50, and he received from the latter his A.B. degree in 1870, as of the class of 1851, and the honoraiy degree of A.M. in 1854. He was a stu- dent in the Harvard Law school, 1851-54, receiv- ing the degree of LL.D. in 1853. He was a law- yer in New York city. 1854-70; Dane professor of law at Harvard, 1870-1900, dean of the law faculty, 1870-95, and in 1900 became Dane professor of law, emeritus. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Harvard and from Beloit in 1875. He is the author of: A Selection of Cases on the Law of Contracts (1870, enl. ed., 1877); Cases on Sales (1872); Summary of Equity Pleading (1817, new ed., 1883); Summary of the Law of Contracts (1879, 2d ed., 1880); Cases in Equity Pleading (1878), and articles in the Harvard Lcuo Review.

LANGDON, Chauncey, representative, was born at Farmington, Conn., Nov. 8, 1763; son of Ebenezer Langdon. He was graduated from Yale in 1787, and studied law at Litchfield, Conn., 1787-88. He removed to the New Hampshire Grants in 1788, and settled in the village of Cas- tleton. He became an influential citizen and served as register of probate, 1792-97; judge of probate, 1798-99; a representative in the state leg-

islature, 1813-14, 1817, 1819-20 and 1822, and was a Federalist representative from Vermont in the 14th congress, 1815-17. He served as state coun- cillor for one term in 1808, and was again elected in 1823, serving by repeated re-elections till his death. He was a trustee of Middlebury college, 1811-30, and president of the Vermont Bible so- ciety for many years. The honorary degree of A.M. was conferred on him by Middlebury college in 1803. He was married to Lucy Nona, daughter of the Eev. Elijah Lathrop of Hebron, Conn. He died in Castleton. Vt., July 23, 1830.

LANGDON, John, statesman, was born in Portsmouth, N.H., June 25, 1741; son of John Langdon, a farmer. He attended the school of Major Hale at Portsmouth, and was subsequently apprenticed to Daniel Rindge, a merchant of that place. On the expiration of his ap- prenticeship he made several sea voj'ages, first as supercargo and later in charge of his own vessel. Upon the outbreak of the Revolution he was a representative to the general court. With John Sullivan and others, he remov- ed the powder and military stores from Fort William and Mary to Newcastle in 1774. He was a delegate to the Continental congress in 1775-76. was elected agent of the Con- tinental navy in 1776. and a number of ships-of- war were built under liis direction, including the Raleigh, the Ranger, the America, and the Ports- mouth. He was in command of an independent company of volunteers with the rank of colonel, and in 1777 was elected speaker of the assembly of New Hampshire. When the means were needed to fit out and support a regiment to repel an anticipated attack of the British, he made a stir- ring address to the people and so roused their patriotism that a brigade was raised under General Stark which subsequenth^ defeated the Hessians at Bennington. Colonel Langdon par- ticipated in this battle; was engaged in the ex- pedition against the British in possession of Rhode Island in 1778, and was captain of a volunteer company in the army of General Gates that cap- tured Burgoyne at Saratoga. He was Conti- nental agent of New Hampshire and president of the state convention in 1779; was re-elected to the state assembly in 1783; and in 1787 was a delegate to the convention that framed the Federal con- stitution. He was governor of New Hampshire,

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