Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/137

 O'HARA

OLDEN

near Guerryton, Ala, June 6, 1867. By direction of the legislatui'e of Kentucky, his body was re- interred in the state military cemetery in Frankfort, Ky., Sept. 15, 187-1, and a monument erected to his memory.

O'HARA, William, R. C. bishop, was born at Dungiven, county Derry, Ireland, April 14, 1816. He came to the United States with his parents in 1820, and settled in Philadelphia, Pa. He at- tended Georgetown college, D.C., and took an ex- tended course of study at the Urban college of the Propaganda at Rome, Italy. He was or- dained priest at Rome, by Cardinal Fransoni, Dec. 21, 1843, and on his return to the United States served as rector of St. Patrick's church in Philadelphia, 1843-56. He was afterward pro- fessor in the Seminary of St. Charles Borromeo, and rector of the seminary. He was made vicar- general of the diocese of Philadelphia in 1860, and was appointed first bishop of Scranton, Pa., in 1868, which diocese vvas fonned from a part of the diocese of Philadelphia. He was consecrated in the cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, Philadel- phia, July 12, 1868, by Bishop Wood, assisted by Bishop Elder of Natchez and Bishop Lynch of Charleston. He added 51 priests to the diocese, and built 24 new churches, 12 convents, 46 stations, one college and several lesser educational institu- tions. He died in Scranton, Pa., Feb. 3, 1899.

O'KANE, Michael Aloysius, educator, was born in county Clare, Ireland, July 12, 1849 ; son of Michael and Bridget (Casey) O'Kane. He was brought to America by his parents in 1852, flnd received his education in the public schools of Spencer, Mass. He entered Holy Cross col- lege, Worcester, Mass., in 1865, the year of its incorporation ; joined the Society of Jesus, July, 1867, and went to Woodstock college, Md., where he pursued theological and philosophical studies, completing his course in 1876. He was professor of classics in Georgetown college, D.C., 1876-82 ; prefect of studies there, 1882-86, vice-president, 1886-87 ; rector and master of novices in the Novitiate at Frederick, Md., 1887-89, and presi- dent of the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, 1889-93. He was then transferred to the Mission- ary Band, and became superior of the band, hav- ing his headquarters at St. Francis Xavier, New York city.

O'KELLY, James, founder of the " Ciiris- tian" church, was born in 1735. He first ap- pears in history as a member of the Methodist church in North Carolina and Virginia, where he was presiding elder, 1782-92. He was a member of the " Christmas Conference "' of the Methodist church held in Baltimore in 1784, and also of the conference of presiding elders at Baltimore, Dec. 1, 1789, where he attempted the defeat of certain measures favored by Bishop Asbury, and

in consequence of which a second conference was called, but as only ten elders appeared, the point at issue remained unsettled 2)^'o tevipore. O'Kelly secured the co-operation of Thomas Coke, Wesley's ambassador, through correspondence, and Bishop Asbury finally consented to a general conference, which assembled, Nov. 1, 1792. To this conference O'Kelly introduced a resolution transferring the power of appointment from the bishop to the conference, to which also any minister dissatisfied with his assignment might appeal. This resolution being defeated, he with- drew from the Methodist conference with twenty or thirty other ministers and above a thousand members, and organized the Republican Methodist church, its members to be known as Christians or Christian Connection. This church gained a large following in tlie fields of his labor as presiding elder in North Carolina and Virginia, over which region he exerted a great influence, notwithstanding the fact that he denounced slavery. The first conference of the dissenters was held, Dec. 25, 1793, at Manakin, N.C., at which they adopted the name of Christians and agreed that they should acknowledge no head over the church but Christ, and no creed but the Bible. They held a second conference, Aug. 4, 1794, and the great Cane Ridge revival occurred in 1801, which largely increased their members. Elder O'Kelly died, Oct. 16, 1826.

OLCOTT, Simeon, senator, was born in Bol- ton, Conn., Oct. 1, 1735; son of Timothy and Eunice (White) Olcott ; grandson of Timothy Olcott of Coventry and Bolton, Conn., and a des- cendant of Thomas Olcott of England, who im- migrated to America in June, 1635, and became an original proprietor of Hartford, Conn. Simeon Olcott was graduated at Yale, A.B., 1761, A.M., 1765 ; studied law under Daniel Jones of Hinsdale, N.H., and settled in practice in Charlestown, N.H., in 1764. He was a select- man of Charlestown, 1769-71 ; a member of the general assembly at Portsmouth, 1772-75 : a judge of probate in 1773 ; chief justice of the court of common pleas, 1784-90 ; judge of the superior court, 1790-95, and chief justice, 1795-1801. He was married in October, 1783, to Tryphena, daughter of Benjamin and Hannah (Olmsted) Terry of Enfield, Conn. He was elected by the Federalist legislature of New Hampshire in 1801, to complete the term of Samuel Livermore, U.S. senator, resigned, and served from Dec. 7, 1801, till March 3, 1805. He received the honor- ary degree A.M. from Dartmouth college in 1773, and was a trustee of that institution, 1784-93. He died in Charlestown. N.H., Feb. 22, 1815.

OLDEN, Charles Smith, governor of New Jersey, was born in Princeton, N.J., Feb. 19. 1799 ; son of Hart and Temperance (Smitii)