Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/162

 OSBORNE

OSBORNE

mitted to the bar in 1861. At the outbreak of the civil war he organized a company of artillery in Watertowu, N.Y., was oommissioued its captain and was assigned to the 11th army corps. He served through the war as chief of artillery in various army corps, and of the Army of the Ten- nessee and was three times wounded. He was commissioned colonel in 1865, and was appointed assistant commissioner of the Florida bureau vi refugees, 1865-66. He practised law in Tallahas- see. Fla.; was appointed register in bankruptcy in 1867; was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1867, and drew up the constitution which was adopted. He was a Republican state senator and wa3 elected June 30, 1868, by the Florida legislature, U.S. senator with A. S. Welcli, drawing the long term expiring March 3, 1873. H^- died in New York city, Dec. 18. 1898. OSBORNE, Edwin Sylvanus, repres. ntative, was born in Bethany, Wayne count}-, la., Aug. 7, 1839; son of Sylvanus and Lucy (Messinger) 0.s- borne; grandson of Cooper and Hannali (Oakley) Osborne. His great-grandfather, Thomas Os- borne, was a soldier in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war and was mortally wounded in the battle of JMonmouth, and liis first ancestor in America, John Osborne, emigrated from England and settled in East Windsor, Conn., in 1645. Edwin S. Osborne was graduated from the University of Northern Penn- sylvania. Bethany, Pa., in 1858 and from the National Law school of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1860. He was admitted to the bar at Wilkes- Barre, Pa., Feb. 26, 1861, and in April joined the 8th regiment infantry, Pennsylvania volunteers. He served with General Patterson's division and was honorably mustered out, July 29. 1861. In August. 1862, he recruited a company and joined the 149th Pennsylvania volunteers, being com- missioned captain, Aug. 30, 1862. In September he h.is appointed judge advocate and served as such for the command of General W^adsworth, 1st corps. Army of the Potomac, until February, 1863, when, at his own request, he rejoined his regiment and participated in the battle of Get- tysburg. In the first day's battle this regiment forming part of Stone's " Bucktail " brigade, 3d division, 1st corps, succe.ssfully held an advanced position for four hours against the repeated as- saults of greatly superior numbers, meanwhile executing the movement of " changing front to rear" under heavy fire, and sustaining in the battle a loss of seventy-five per cent of its efTec- tive strength. Captain Osborne was afipointed brigade inspector. Aug. 27, 1863, and assigned to duty in General Wadsworth's divi.sion. He dis- tinguished himself in leading a charge in the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, and again in the assault on Petersburg, June 18, 1864. He was commis-

sioned major of the 149th Pennsylvania, March 2. 1865, was several times mentioned in orders for gallantry and skillful handling of troops in battle and was three times brevetted for meritorious conduct. In April, 1865, Major Osborne was re- lieved froni duty in the inspection department and appointed judge advocate at Washington. In June, 1865, he was sent to Andersonville and other Confederate prisons to investigate the charges of cruelty to prisoners on the part of those late in command. In July, 1865, he pre- ferred charges of murder against Capt. Henry Wirz of Andersonville prison and drew the spec- ifications of the indictment under which that ofl[icer was found guilty and executed. He was honorably mustered out, July 21, 1865, and re- turned to the practice of law. He was major- general of the 3d division. National Guard of Pennsylvania, 1870-78; was prominent in re- organizing the militia system of the state; com- manded the forces that quelled the riots in Scranton, Pa., in 1871, and Susquehanna Depot, Pa., in 1874, and prevented a similar outbreak at Hazleton, Pa. He was commander of the De- partment of Pennsylvania, G.A.R., in 1883, and was a delegate to the Republican national con- vention at Chicago in 1888. He was representa- tive-at-large from Pennsylvania in the 49th and 50th congresses, and from the 12tli congressional district in the 51st congress, serving, 1885-91. During his service in congress he defended the policy of protection and advocated the subsidizing of American ships. He was married to Ruth Ball of Pittston, Pa., Oct. 12, 1865, and their son, John Ball Osborne, born June 24, 1868, Yale, A.B.. 1889, was U.S. consul at Ghent, Belgmm, 1889-94, and joint secretary of the reciprocity commission of the United States, Oct. 18, 1897. Their second son, William Headley Osborne, born in 1870, graduated from the U.S. Military academy in 1891, served in the campaign against Santiago in the war with Spain as lieutenant in the 1st U.S. cavalry, and died of typhoid fever in the military camp at Montauk Point, N.Y., Aug. 23, 1898. General Osborne died in Washington, D.C., Jan. 1, 1900.

OSBORNE, John Eugene, governor of Wyom- ing, was born in Westport, Essex county, N.Y., June 9, 1860; son of John C. and Mary E. Os- borne. His grandparents were English. He worked on a farm summers, attended the district and high school winters, was api)renticed to a druggist in Burlington, Vt., in 1876, and was graduated from the medical department of the University of Vermont in 1880, after liaving at- tended the winter course of lectures, 1877-80. In 1881 he removed to Rawlins, Wyo., where he es- tablished a wholesale and retail drug store. He was appointed assistant surgeon of the Union