Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/467

 LINN

LINN

LINN, James, representative, was born in Somerset county, N. J., in 1750; son of Judge Alexander Linn. He was graduated at the Col- lege of New Jersey, A. B., 1709, A. M., 1772. He studied law; was ai)pointed 1st major in Colonel Sterling's 1st regiment of Somerset militia, Feb. 3. 1776; was dejnit}' from Somerset county to the slate legislature in 1776. and resigned liis commis- sion as lieutenant-colonel in the militia, June 28, 1781. He practised law in Trenton, N.J.; was a member of the state legislature, 1793-97; a Dem- ocratic rei)resentative from New Jersey in the 6lh congress, 1799-1801, and gave the casting vote of the New Jersey delegation for Thomas Jefferson for President in 1801. He was super- visor of revenue by appointment of Jefferson, 1801-05, and secretary of state for New Jersey, 1805-20. He diei', in Trenton, N.J., Dec. 29, 1820.

LINN, John, representative, was born in Hard- wick township, Warren county, N.J., Dec. 3, 1763; son of Joseph and Martha (Kilpatrick) Linn. Hi'j father removed to Sussex county and established a farm which he called "Harmony Vale." He was married May 19. 1791, to Martlia Hunt, and had fourteen children. He was a judge of the court of common pleas, 1805-21. and a rep- resentative from Sussex county, N.J.. in the 15tli and 16th congresses, 1817-21. He died in "Wash- ington. D.C., Jan. 5. 1821.

LINN, John Blair, clergyman, was born in Shippensburg, Pa., March 14,1777; son of the Rev. William and Rebecca (Blair) Linn. He was graduated from Columbia college, A.B., 1795, A.!M., 1797, and received the honorary degree of A.M. from Union college in 1797. He studied law in the office of Alexander Hamilton, and while in New York city wrote an unsuccessful drama " Bourville Castle, or the Gallic Orphan," (1796). He studied theology with the Rev. Dr. Theodoric Romeyn (q.v.) of the Dutch Reformed cluircli in Schenectady, N.Y., where he had his first charge, being licensed to preach in 1797. He bei-anie an associate pastor in the First Presbyte- rian cliurcli, Pliiladelpliia, in 1799. He was mar- ried in 1799 to Esther Bailey, daughter of Col. John Bailey of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Uni- versity of Pennsylvania gave him the honorary degree of D.D. in 1803. Besides two volumes of miscellanies (1798), he is the author of poems: The Death of Washington (ISOO); The Poicer of Genius (1801); Sermon on the Death of Dr. E icing; Reply to Dr. Priestley's Comparison between Soc- rates and Christ (1803); and Valerian, an in- complete poem publislied p(jsthumously by his brother-in-law. Charles Brockden Brown (1805). He died in Philadelpliia, Pa., Aug. 30, 1804.

LINN, John Blair, editor, was born at Lewis- burg, Pa., Oct. 15. 1831; son of John F. and Margaret Irvine (Wilson) Linn; grandson of John

Blair Linnof Plattsburg. N.Y., and grand-nephew of the Rev. William Linn. He was graduated at Marshall college. Pa., A.B., 1848, A.M., Ib53, and was admitted to the bar in 1851. He was district attorney of Sullivan county, 1852-53, and prac- tised law in Lewisburg, 1854-62. He served as 1st lieutenant, 51st Pennsylvania regiment. Col. John F. Hartranft, 1862-63, practised law in Lewis- burg, 1863-71, and in Bellefonte, Centre county, 1871-73. He was deputy secretary of the com- monwealth, 1873-78, and secretary of the com- monwealth, 1878-79. He was married Oct. 22, 1857, to Julia J., daughter of F. W. Pollock of Milton, Pa., and secondly Nov. 21, 1867, to Mary E. D., daughter of Hunter AVilson, of Centre county. He is the author of: Annals of Buffalo Valley (1877); and History of Centre and Clinton Coun- ties (1883). He edited Duke of York's Laws 1672- 82 and Laics of the Province 1682-1700 (1879); with Dr. W. H. Egle, Pennsylvania, Archives, 2d series, vols. I. to XII.. of which vols. X. and XL con- tain History of the Pennsylvania Z,t»e (1874-80). He died in Bellefonte, Pa., Jan. 1, 1899.

LINN, Lewis Fields, senator, was born in Kentucky, near Louisville, Nov. 5, 1795; son of

and Anne Nancj- (Hunter) Dodge Linn,

and half-brother of Henry Dodge (q.v.), by whom he was educated, his parents both dying in 1806. He studied medicine in Louisville and in 1816 removed to Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Ter., where he jiractised his profession. He was elected to the state senate in 1827; served in the Black Hawk war under Gen. Henry Dodge, 1831-32, and was a member of the commission to decide the disputed Missouri land titles, and he voted to confirm the French and Spanish grants in 1833. He was ap- pointed by Governor Dunklin, U.S. senator in 1833 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Alexander Buckner, and was twice elected to the office, serving 1833-43. In the sen- ate he favored the acquisition and colonization of new territorj' and was the author of the Oregon bill which was the party measure of the Demo- cratic campaign of 1844. He also cliampioned the long deferred act of refunding the fine im- posed hy Judge Hall on General Jackson in 1815. He died in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., Oct. 3, 1843.

LINN, William, educator, was born in Ship- pensburg. Pa.. Feb. 27, 1752; son of William and Susanna (Trimble) Linn, and grand.son of Wil- liam Linn, who with his son William came from the North of Ireland in 1732, and settled in the township of Lurgan, Cumberland county, Pa. William 3d was graduated at the College of New Jersey. A.B.. 1772. A.M., 1775; studied tlieology with the Rev. Dr. Robert Cooper, and was cliap- lain of the 5th and 6th battalions. Continental army. He was pastor of the Presbyterian church. Big Spring (Newville), Pa., 1777-84; at Eliza-