Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/525

 MOTT

MOTT

served as medical inspector of the department of Virginia on the staff of Gen. Edward O. C. Ord, and was mustered out of the service with the brevet rank of colonel, July 27, 1865. He was a founder of the Bellevue Hospital Medical college, professor of surgical anatomy there, 1861-72, and of clinical and operative surgery, 1872-89. He was surgeon for various hospitals in New York, was influential in establishing St. Vincent's hospi- tal in 1849, and was a member of several scientific and other societies. He was married in April, 1851, to Arabella Upson daughter of Thaddeus Phelps of New York city, and their son, Valen- tine Mott, was the fourth of the family in the direct line to adopt the profession of medicine. He died in Yonkers, N. Y., Aug. 12, 1889.

MOTT, Qershom, soldier, was born at Lamber- ton, N. J., April 7, 1822 ; son of Judge Gershom and Phoebe Rose (Scudder) Mott ; grandson of Capt. John and Eleanor (Johnston) Mott and of John and Mary (Keen) Scudder, and a descendant of Adam (New York, 1644, Long Island, 1657) and Jane (Hulet) Mott. He attended the Trenton, N.J., academy, and in 1836 became a clerk in a New York store. He served throughout the Mexi- can war, was commissioned 2d lieutenant, 10th U.S. infantry, April 23, 1847, and was mustered out, Aug. 22, 1848. He was married, Aug. 8, 1849, to Elizabeth Smith. He was collector of the port of Lamberton, 1849-53 ; teller of the Bordentown Banking company, 1855-61 ; lieutenant-colonel of the 5th New Jersey volunteers, 1861-62, and was promoted colonel of the 6th New Jersey volun- teers. May 8, 1862. At the second battle of Bull Run, Aug. 29, 1862, he was wounded, and was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers, Sept. 7, 1862. On his return to duty, Dec. 4, 1862, he was given command of 2d brigade of New Jersey volunteers, and then of the 3d brigade, 2d divis- ion, 3d array corps. He was again wounded. May 3, 1863, at Chancellorsville. He commanded the 4th division, Hancock's 2d corps, in the battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, and the 3d brigade, 3d division, Hancock's corps, at Cold Harbor, June 1, 1864. He was brevetted major-general, Sept. 9, 1864, for capturing the enemy's outposts and lines, and over one hundred men. At Petersburg, Deo. 31, 1864, he commanded the 3d division, 2d army corps, and was stationed on the Jerusalem turnpike south of Petersburg. He was wounded at Amelia Springs, Va., April 6, 1865 : commanded the provisional army corps after peace was declared, and was a member of the Wirz commission at Washington, D.C. He was promoted major-general of volunteers, Dec. 1, 1865, to rank from May 26, 1865, and resigned Feb. 20, 1866. He served as paymaster of the Camden and Amboy Railroad company 1866-73 ; conducted an iron foundry under the name

of Thompson & Mott, and was appointed major- general in the national guard of New Jersey in 1873. He was treasurer of the state of New Jersey, 1875, keeper of the state prison, 1876-81; member of the Riparian commission, 1882-84; director of the Bordentown Banking company and the West Jersey and Atlantic Railroad com- pany, and a member of the Society of the Cincin- nati. He died in New York city. May 29, 1884.

MOTT, Henry Augustus, chemist, was born at Clifton, Staten Island, N.Y., Oct. 22, 1852 ; son of Henry Augustus Mott, and grandson of Dr. Valentine and Louisa (Dunmore) Munns Motte. He was graduated at Columbia college, M.E. and Ph.B., 1873, and Ph.D., 1875. Devoting himself to technical chemistry, he was consulting chemist to the manufacturers of various food preparations, and invented a process to prevent the crystal- lization of butter, which made the manufacture of artificial butter successful. He also exposed the adulteration of baking powders with alum. He was chemist and examiner of the food pur- chased for the Indian bureau by the U.S. govern- ment and was often called into court to testify as an expert, notably in the Fleming murder trial and in the defence in the Shakespeare case, under instructions from the French government. He was professor of chemistry in the New York Medical college and hospital for women, 1881-86 ; chemist to the New York Medico-Legal society, 1890-96, and was employed by the government to examine the food supplied to the Indian de- partment. Under the auspices of the board of education he delivered an annual course of free lectures on chemistry in the public schools of New York city, 1890-96. He was the first to claim that the wave theory of sound is incorrect and he also upheld the theory of the entitative nature of force. His writings include : TJie Chemisfs Man- ual (1878); Was Man Created? (1880); Tlie Air we Breathe and Ventilation (1881) ; Tlie Fallacy of the Present TJieory of Sound (1885) ; Matter^ Ether and Energy, and Yachts and Yachtsmen of America. He died in New York city, Nov. 8, 1896.

MOTT, James, reformer, was born in North Hempstead, L.I., N.Y., June 20, 1788; son of Adam and Anne (Mott) Mott ; grandson of Adam and Sarah (Willis) Mott, and of James and Mary (Underbill) Mott, and a descendant of Adam and Elizabeth (Richbell) Mott. James was educated at the Friends boarding school. Nine Partners, N.Y., 1797-1807, and was a teacher there until 1809, when he removed to Philadelphia, Pa., and became a clerk in Thomas CoflSn's nail store, being made a partner six months later and con- tinuing as such until 1815. He was married, April 10, 1811, to Lucretia Coffin, daughter of his partner. He served as clerk in Barker's bank, Wall street, New York city, for six months in