Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/354

 MEEKISON

MEIGS

while laboring for his support, continued his studies, making a specialty of natural history. He assisted Dr. D. D. Owen on the geological sur- vey of Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 18-18-49, and Prof. James Hall, in the paleontological work of New York state at Albany, 1852-58. During the summer of 1853 he was engaged with Dr. F. V. Hayden in exploring and collecting fossils, and he spent two summers on the geological sur- vey of Missouri. He was connected with the Smithsonian Institution, Wasiiington, D.C., 1858- 76. He devoted himself to investigating and re- porting on the organic remains gathered by the government exploring expeditions, and when Dr. Hayden organized the geological survey of the Rocky Mountain region, Mr. Meek was entrusted with the invertebrate paleontology. He also in- vestigated the paleontology of Illinois, Ohio, Cali- fornia and other territories. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Science in 1870. and of several scientific societies, to the pro- ceedings of which he contributed, and also to vari- ous state and national geological reports. He pub- lished through the Smithsonian Institution with Ferdinand V. Hayden : Paleontology of the Upper Missouri (1865); Check List of the Invertebrate Fossils of North America (1864); and Report on the Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary Fossils of the Upper Missouri Country (1876) ; and with Professor Hall, Cretaceous Fossils from Nebraska (1856). He died in Washington. D.C., Dec. 21,1876.

MEEKISON, David, representative, was born in Dundee! Scotland, Nov. 14, 1849. He came to America with his parents in 1855, and settled at Najx^leon, Ohio, where he attended the public schools, learned the printer's trade and finally' studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1873. He held several local offices, was county prose- cuting attorney, probate judge, 1881-88, and in 1886 established the Meekison bank at Napoleon. He was mayor of Napoleon, 1890-97, and a Demo- cratic representative in the 55th and 56th con- gresses, 1897-1901, and after the expiration of his term was made president of the First National bank at Najwleon.

MEES, Arthur, musical director, was born in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 13, 1850 ; son of the Rev. Konrad and Eliza (Adams) Mees. After having been graduated from Concordia college. Fort Wayne, Ind., he devoted himself to music. He studied under Theodore C. F. Weitzmann and Heinrich Dorn at Berlin and later at Leipzig. He was married, Jan. 28, 1897, to Susan Marguerite Howell, of Alfred, N. Y. He was conductor of the Cincinnati May Festival chorus ; assistant con- ductor of the American opera ; assistant con. ductor of the Chicago orchestra ; and in 1901 was conductor of the Albany Musical associa- tion, the New York Mendelssohn Glee club, the

He was professor Ky., high school.

Orange Mendelssohn Union and other choral or- ganizations. He is the author of : Chorus and CJioral Music, and wrote annotated programs for the New York Philharmonic society, 1887-96, and for the Chicago orchestra, seasons of 1896-97 and 1897-98. In 1901 the honorary degree of Dr. Mus. was confjMied on him by the University of Alfred, N.Y.

MEES, Carl Leo, educator, was born in Col- umbus, Ohio, May 20, 1853 ; son of the Rev. Konrad and Eliza (Adams) Mees. His father came to the United States from Germany in 1845. Carl was prepareil for college at Columbus, Ohio ; was assistant chemist in the Ohio geological sur- vey, 1871-74 ; a student in Ohio State university, 1875 ; graduated from the Starling Medical college, M.D., 1876, and took a postgraduate course at the universities of Berlin and South Kensington, of science at the Louisville, 1876-80; professor of physics and chemistry at the Ohio university, 1881-87 ; and was elected professor of physicsat Rose Polytechnic institute, Terre Haute, Ind., in 1887, and president in 1895. He was made a member of the American Associa- tion for the Advancement of Science in 1876 ; the American Physical society ; the National Geo- graphic asssociation ; the Society for the Advance- ment of Engineering Education, the Academy of Science, and other scientific societies. The de- gree of Ph.D. was conferred on him by Rose Polytechnic institute in 1892.

MEIGS, Josiah, educator, was born in Middle- town, Conn., Aug. 21, 1757 ; son of Return and Elizabeth (Hamlin), grandson of Janna and Han- nah (Willard), great-grandson of John and Sarah (Wilcox), greats-grandson of John and Tanizin (Fry), and great'-grandson of Vincent Meigs, who came from England to America with his sons John and Mark about 1640, was at New Haven, Conn., as early as 1644, and settled at Milford, Conn., in 1650. Josiah was graduated from Yale, A.B., 1778, A.M., 1781, and was tutor there, 1781-84. He was married Jan. 21, 1782, to Clara, daughter of Col. John Benjamin, and had nine children. He was admitted to the bar in 1783, and in 1784 with Daniel Bowen and Eleuthe- ros Dana, established the New Haven Gazette, and was city clerk, 1784-89. He removed to Bermuda, where, while attempting to defend the owners of vessels belonging to the United States that had been captured by British privateers, he was accused of treason, but was acquitted on trial, and in 1794 returned to the United States, He was professor of mathemathics and natural philosophy at Yale college, 1794-