Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/177

 McKEEVER

McKEEVER

having been elected the first president of Bowdoin college in July, 1801. He was inaugurated in a pine grove on the campus, there being no building to hold the assemblage, September, 1802, having meantime visited Harvard, Brown, Yale and Williams colleges in company with John Abbot, whom he had selected as professor of ancient languages and classical literature. President McKeen, besides teaching mental and moral phil- osophy, filled the anticipated chairs of mathe- matics and of chemistrj^ mineralogy and natural philosophy, until 1805, when Parker Cleveland was inaugurated as professor of those branches. ^President McKeen held his first commencement in September, 1806, and he had matriculated forty- four students and given the bachelor's degree to seven besides conferring the bachelor's or mas- ter's degree ad eundem on fourteen recent grad- uates of Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth. He was stricken with painful disease which kept him from his college duties the next school year and ended his life ; and he was succeeded by the Rev. Jesse Appleton. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Dartmouth in 1803. He contributed scientific articles to the Transactions of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and pub- lished a few sermons. He died in Brunswick, Maine, July 15, 1807.

McKEEVER, Chauncey, soldier, was born in Baltimore, Md., Aug. 31, 1829 ; son of Com. Isaac and Mary Flower (Gamble) McKeever. He was graduated at the U.S. Military academy in July, 1849, and brevetted 2d lieutenant, 1st artillery. He served in Florida, 1849-50 ; was promoted 2d lieutenant and assigned to the 3d artillery, July 27, 1850. He was on leave of absence on his father's flagship the Congress in Brazilian waters, 1850-51 ; was assistant professor of mathematics in the U.S. Military academy, 1851-55 ; promoted 1st lieutenant, Dec. 24, 1853 ; was on frontier and garrison duty, 1855-60, and on leave of absence, 1860-61. He was instructor in artil- lery to Miij. W. T. Sherman's command, Wash- ington, D.C., May 28 to June 12, 1861; and was assistant adjutant-general on the staff of Generals Heintzelman and McDowell in the de- fence of Washington and the battle of Bull Run, and of General Fremont in the western depart- ment until Nov. 20, 1861. He was promoted captain of staff, Aug. 3, 1861 ; was mustering officer for the District of Columbia, chief of stafif of the 3d army corps, and served in the Virginia peninsular campaign with the Army of the Poto- mac. He served in the northern Virginia cam- paign, in the defences of Washington, 1862, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel and assistant ad- jutant-general, U.S. volunteers ; and was on special duty in the war department and as as- sistant in the provost-raarshal-general's bureau,

1863-66. He was promoted major and assistant adjutant-general, July 17, 1862. He was brevet- ted lieutenant-colonel, Sept. 24, 1864, for services during the war ; colonel, March 13, 1865, for " diligent, faitliful and meritorious services in the adjutant-general's department " ; and briga- dier-general, March 13, 1865, for " faithful and meritorious services during the war." He was promoted assistant adjutant-general with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, March 3, 1875, and was assigned to the department of San Francisco. Hfe was promoted colonel, Feb. 28, 1887, and was retired, Aug. 31, 1893, by operation of law. He married Fanny, daughter of William Chauncey, of New York city. She died in Washington, D.C., in 1900, and left three daughters, two of whom accompanied their father to Europe where he visited the salt springs for his health. He died at Reichenhall, Germany, Sept. 4, 1901.

McKEEVER, Isaac, naval officer, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., April 6, 1794. He removed to New Orleans with his fatlier when quite young and entered the U.S. navy as midshipman, Feb. 1, 1809. He was promoted lieutenant, Dec. 9, 1814, and commanded one of the five gunboats captured by the British fleet at Lake Borgne, La. , December, 1814. He co- operated with the army in the capture of Pen- sacola in 1818» and on April 2 "~ of that year, U.S S ST. LOUIS

through strategy, he captured two leaders of the Seminoles, Francis the prophet, or Hellis Hojo, and Chief Himollemico, who had captured and tortured Lieutenant Scott, and they were promptly hanged by General Jackson, April, 1818. For this service Lieutenant McKeever was thanked in general orders. In 1825 he was en- gaged against pirates in the West Indies in com- mand of the Sea Gull. He was married in 1828 to Mary Flower Gamble of Philadelphia. Ue was promoted master commandant in 1830 with the title of captain. He commanded the Lexing- ton, Brazil station, and while at Buenos Ayres in 1833 was made government diplomatic agent, the U.S. consul being absent, and he represented the U.S. government during the revolution of that year. While on a cruise in the Pacific in com- mand of the Falmouth in 1833 he received the commission of captain, and in 1840 was ordered home. He commanded the U.S. corvette St. Louis in the East India squadron in 1845, and when at Kororarcka, New Zealand, he succeeded in saving the lives of 150 Christians connected