Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/171

 OTIS

OTIS

OTIS, Harrison Gray, journalist, was born near Marietta, Ohio, Feb. 10, 1837; son of Stephen (born Litchfield, Conn., 1784) and Sarah (Dyar) Otis; grandson of Barnabas (1756-1850) and Meliitable (Turner) Otis; great-grandson of Joseph Otis, who was born in Plymouth, Mass., and married Lit- tle, and a descendant of James Otis (Hing- ham, 1635) from the Otis stock in America is descended, including James Otis, the Revolutionary pa- triot, and Harrison Gray Otis,the senator, for whom he was named. Barnabas Otis, his grandfather, serv- ed thirteen months • in a New Hampshire battalion, and was wounded, discharged and pensioned; and Stephen Otis, his fatlier, removed with the New England Colonization company to Ohio in 1800, built a block house at Marietta, and was joined by his father, Barnabas Otis, and family from East Poultney, Vt. Harri- son Gray Otis was partially educated in the common schools of Ohio, and learned the printer's trade. He married Eliza A. Wetherby at Lowell, Ohio, Sept. 11, 1859. He enlisted as a private in the 12th Ohio volunteers in 1861; was promoted four times and served in that regiment until 1864, when he was transferred to the 33rd Ohio Veteran Volunteers, in which he was promoted captain. He was twice wounded in battle and was brevetted major and lieutenant-colonel for gallant and meritorious conduct, having partici- pated in fifteen actions during the war. Subsequently he was appointed 2d lieutenant in the U.S. army, but declined. He was official reporter of the Ohio house of representatives, 1866-67; was foreman of the U.S. government printing office, 1869-70, and later an emploj-ee of the U.S. patent office, resigning as chief of division in 1876. He removed to California in that year, edited the Santa Barbara Press, 1876-79, and was special U.S. treasury agent in charge of the Seal Islands of Alaska, 1879-81. He became editor of the Los Angeles Times in 1882. At the beginning of the Spanish-American war he was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers, May 27, 1898. He served against the Filipino insurgents in Luzon, commanding the 1st brigade, 2d division, 8tli army corps, and led his brigade at the capture of Caloocan, Feb. 10, 1899, being brevetted major-general for meritorious conduct there, March 25, 1899. After taking

part in the campaign against Malolos, the Filipino capital, he resigned, was honorably discharged, returned to Calif oi-nia and resumed his newspaper work.

OTIS, James, orator and patriot, was born in West Barnstable, Mass., Feb. 5, 1725; son of James (1702-1778) and Mary (AUyne) Otis; grand- son of Judge John Otis (1657-1725) and of Joseph Allyne of Plymouth, Mass., and greats-grandson of John Otis, who came from Hingham, England, in 1636 with his family and founded the town of Hingham, Mass. James Otis was tutored by the Rev. Jonathan Russell of Barnstable and was graduated from Harvard college, A.B., 1743, A.M., 1746. He studied law in the office of Jeremiah Gridley, 1745-48; was admitted to the bar in 1748, and began practice in Plymouth, Mass. He removed to Boston in 1750, soon attain- ing a high rank in his profession, and was appointed advocate-general under the crown. He was married in 1755 to Ruth, daughter of Nathaniel Cunningham, a Boston merchant. He was dlosely identified with the pre-Revolutionary movements and upon being asked to furnish the revenue officers with writs of assistance, refused and resigned his office, acting as counsel for the merchants in their protests against issuing writs, and accepting no fee. The case was argued before Chief-Justice Hutchinson in 1761, Otis's opponent being Jeremiah Gridley, his legal preceptor. He spoke for five hours in answer to Mr. Gridley's defence of the measure, and in his speech, which has been characterized as one of the greatest of modern times, embodied all the relations between the colonies and Great Britain. John Adams declared that on that day " the child of Independ- ence was born," that "the oration breathed into the Nation the breath of life." The court reserved its decision until the next term

when it granted the ||l^ | writs. In May, 1761, l^Lsl]

Mr. Otis was elected

a representative in ISfeit^ '"'W the Massachusetts fe..V^i!i'ft^^ ' legislature, where fy he served, 1761-70; ^->^|- opposed the stamp -^^^Wfe** act in 1765; was ouo STATE house

the mover for the

stamp act congress and a delegate to the same in New York city in October, 1765, and was a mem- ber of the committee that prepared an address to parliament. He was elected speaker of the house in 1767, but his election was not confirmed by Governor Bernard, his political enemy. On