Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/389

 LEAMING

LEARNED

LEAMINQ, Thomas, patriot, was born in Philadelphia. Pa., Aug, 20. 1748. He studieil law with John Dickinson and practised in Pennsyl- vania and in New Jersey until 1776. He was a member of the convention that met June 10, 1776, to declare the independence of the colony of New Jersey, and draw up a constitution, as framed July 2, 1776. After finishing tiie work he re- turned to Philadelphia, joined the Continental army, and organized a battalion in New Jersey, which he drilled, officered and equipped. Upon his return to Philadelpiiia he joined the 1st city troop of light horse which acted as body-guard to General Washington, 1776-77, and he participated in the battle of Germantown, Oct. 4, 1777. He entered the mercantile house of A. Bunner & Co. as the mone5"ed ])artner in 1777, and the firm continued to import large quantities of ammuni- tion and accoutrements, which they supplied to the army at a time when the government had neither funds nor credit. The firm subscribed for the relief of the Continental army £6000 of the £260,000 obtained from the merchants of Philadelphia. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1797.

LEAR, Tobias, diplomatist, was born in Ports- mouth. N.H., Sept. 19, 1762; son of Capt. Tobias and Mary (Stilson) Lear, and grandson of Capt. Tobias and Elizabeth (Hall) Lear. He "was grad- uated from Harvard, A.B., 1783; engaged in teaching, 178-1-86; was private secretarj- to "Washington and tutor to his adopted children at Mount Vernon, 1786-98; visited Great Britain. 1793-9-4, and was military secretary to General "Washington, with the rank of colonel, 1798-99. He was present at "Washington's death-bed, and by his will was given the free rent of the farm which he then occupied on the Potomac, near Mount "S'ernon, for the remainder of his life. He was consul-general at Santo Domingo in 1801, and at Algiers, 1804-12. In 1805 he .served as a commissioner with Commodore Barron to con- clude a treat}' of peace witii Tripoli, which was effected by agreeing to pay §60,000 for the release of two hundred pri-soners. His action was ap- liroved by the government at Washington, but censured by U.S. Naval Agent Eaton, by Com- modoi'e Isaac Hull, U.S.N., by Ilamet Caramelli, the deposed bey, and by the war party in the United States. In 1812 he was appointed bj' President Madison accountant to the war depart- inent at Washington, D.C., where he .served until his death. He was thrice married: first, April 18, 1790, to Mary, daughter of Col. Pierse Long, of Portsmouth, N.H., who died in 1793; sec- ondly, Aug. 22, 1795, to Frances (Bassett) Wash- ington, daughter of Col. Burwell Bassett, of New Kent county, "^^a., and widow of Col. George Augustine Washington; and thirdly, to Frances

Dandridge Henlej', a niece of Mrs. Washington. He is the author of: The Last Words of Wash- ingioii. He died in Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 1816.

LEARNED, Amasa, representative, was born at Killingly, Conn., Nov. 15, 17."50: a descendant from William Learned, the emigrant in 1680. He was graduated from Yale in 1772. studied theologj'. and was licensed to preach. He was a representative from Connecticut in the 2d and 3d congresses. 1791-95: was a member of the con-' vention which ratified the constitution of the United States; a delegate to the state constitu- tional convention in 1818, and for several years a representative in the state legislature. He mar- ried Grace Hallam. He received the degree of A.M. from Yale in 1783. He died in New Lon- don. Tonn.. May 4. 1825.

LEARNED, Marion Dexter, educator, was born near Dover, Del., July 10. 1857; a son of Hervey Dexter and ]Maiy Elizabeth (Griffith) Learned, He was graduated at Dickinson Col- lege in 1880, and was professor of languages in Williamsport Dickinson Seminary from 1880 to 1884. In the latter year he entered Johns Hopkins University. He studied in Germany in 1885, and became instructor in German at Johns Hopkins in 1886. He was associate profes- sor of German there from 1887 to 1895, and re- ceived the degree of Ph.D. in 1887. He mar- ried Annie Mosser, of New Cumberland, Pa., June 26, 1890. He is the author of The Penn- sylvania German Dialect; The Saga of Walther of Aquitaine; German- American Turner Lyrics; History of the Germans in Maryland; Pastorius Beehive; Frailigrath in America; Amei'icaiia Germanica; German as a Culture Element in American Education; Erzishungs-hlcitter; Bis- inarck's Service to German Culture; and Leiter der Ahteilung fi'ir lioheres Schidivesen, Padagog- iscli e Mon a tschefte.

LEARNED, Walter, author, was born in New London, Conn., June 22, 1847; son of Joshua and Jane E. Learned. He received a common-school education, and became a banker in his native city. He married Alice F. Beck- with June 1, 1871. He is the author of Between Times, a volume of poems (1889); has translated Ten Tales and The Pivals from Coppee (1890); and has edited Treasury of Favorite Poons (1801) and Treasury of Favorite American Poems (1S97).

LEARNED, William Law, jurist, was born in Nert- London. Conn., July 24, 1821; son of Eben- ezer and Lydia (Coit) Learned; grandson of Amasa(q.v.) and Grace (Hallam) Learned and of Joshua (q.v.) and Ann B. (Hallam) Coit, and a de- scendant of William Learned, who emigrated from England and settled in Charlestown, Mass.,