Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/174

 OVERTON

OWEN

OVERTON, Edward, representative, was born in Towanda, Pa., Feb. 4, 1836 ; son of Edward and Eliza (Clymer) Overton ; grandson of Thomas and Mary (Bleasdale) Overton of Wales, and of Henry and Mary (Willing) Clymer, and a great- grandson of George Clymer (q.v.). Edward Overton. Sr., a native of Clithers, Lancashire, England, was educated for the law in London, was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, Pa., in 1818, and practiced in Wilkes Barre, Athens and Towanda, Pa. Edward Overton, Jr., was graduated at the College of New Jersey, A.B., 18.')6, A. M., 1859. and was admitted to the bar in 1838. He practiced in Towanda, and entered the Union army as major of the oOth Pennsylvania volunteers in September, 1861. He was promoted lieutenant -colonel in 1863. and commanded the regiment from that time until mustered out in October, 1864. He resumed practice in Towanda ; served as U.S. regi-ster in bankruptcy, 1867-76, and as president of Citizens National Bank of Towanda, Pa., and was a Republican representa- tive from the fifteenth Pennsylvania district in 1877-81. Hp died Sept. 18, 100?,.

OVERTON, John, jurist, was born in Louisa county, Va., April 9, 1766 ; a descendant of William and Mary (Waters) Overton. William Overton, a native of England, settled in Virginia previous to 1670. John was self-educated ; taught school in Virginia, later went to Kentucky where lie was admitted to the bar in 1787, and in 1789 removed to Tennessee, practicing at Nashville with Andrew Jackson, at that time district attor- ney. He was employed as an expert in straighten- ing out complications in the land titles in the dis- trict, and in modifying the land laws of North Carolina in conformity with the acts of 1777 and 1783. He was appointed judge of the superior court by Governor Sevier in 1804, to succeed An- drew Jackson, and was judge of the state supreme court, 1811-16. He purchased with Andrew Jack- son the Rice grant of land at the mouth of the Wolf river in 1794, and was influential in establish- ing the city of Memphis. He was active in promo- ting the election of General Andrew Jack.son to the Presidency, and was consulted by the Presi- dent during his two administrations. He owned the largest estate in Tennessee. He was the author of Overton's Reports 1701-1817 (1817), which contain the land laws of the state, and his de- cisions became the statute law of Tennessee. He died near Nashville, Tenn., April 12. 1833.

OWEN, Alfred, educator, was born in China, Maine. July 20, 1829 ; son of Sewell and Jane (Maxfield) Owen. He was graduated at Water- ville college, A.B., 1853. A.M.. 1856 ; was principal of the academy at Bridgton, Maine. 1854-56. and was graduated at the Newton Theological institu- tion in 1858. He was married, March 4, 1858, to

Elizabeth C. Stark of Waterville, Maine. He was ordained at China, Maine, Feb. 9, 1858 ; was pastor at Lynn, Mass., 1858-67 ; at Detroit, Mich., 1867-77, and at Chicago, 111., 1877-79: He was president of Denison university, Granville, Ohio, 1879-86, and during his administration all debts were paid ; the endowment was increased by $100,000 ; the publication of the Bulletin of the Scientific Laboratories of the University begun, and the admittance of the university to the Ohio branch of the Inter-State Oratorical association secured. He was president and professor of theology at Roger Williams university, Nashville, Tenn., 1887-95, resigning the presidency in 1895, but continuing to hold the chair of theology and metaphysics. He received the honorary degree D.D. from Kalamazoo college, Micliigan, in 1871. He was a frequent contributor to reviews and to the denominational press, and an occasional lecturer at several theological seminaries and ministers' institutes.

OWEN, David Dale, geologist, was born at Braxfield House, near New Lanark, Scotland, June 24, 1807 ; son of Robert and Anne Caroline (Dale) Owen, and brother of Robert Dale Owen (q.v.). He was educated under a private tutor, and trained in the use of carpenters' tools in the mechanical department connected with his father's mills. He attended the academy at New Lanark, the school of Emanuel von Fellenberg at Hofwyle, Switzer- land, and the Ander- sonian Institution at Glasgow, Scotland, where he studied science under Dr. Andrew Ure. He joined his father's community at New Harmony, Ind., in 1828, and with his brother Richard con- tinued the study of chemistry and made geological researches. He went to Eng- land in 1831 to

attend the lectures of Dr. Turner in the London university, returned to the United States in 1832 and was graduated at the Ohio Medical college in 1836. He accompanied Dr. Gerard Troost on the state survey of Tennessee during the sununer of 1836, and was appointed state geologist of Indiana in 1837. He was married, March 23. 1837, to Caroline C, daughter of Jo.seph Neif wlio had been associated with Pestalozzi in his educational movement in Switzerland. He made a preliminary reconnaissance of the .state of Indiana in 1837-38, and immediately published a

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