Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/322

 PHELPS

PHILIP

tion. 1858-59; commanded the steamer Vixen on the coast survey, 1859-61, and was attached to the fleet sent for the relief of Fort Sumter in 1861. He made a survey and chart of the Potomac river in 1861; was transferred to the Conrin for ser- vice in Nortli CaroUna waters in September, 1861; surveyed Hatteras Inlet, and liad several skir- mislies with Confederate gun boats. He received the thanks of the secretary of the navy for his services; was engaged in surveying Virginia waters in March, 1862; had several engagements with the Yorktown and Gloucester Point bat- teries, April. 1862; captured five and destroyed two Confederate vessels, and prevented the de- struction of White House, Va., May 4, 1862. He ascended the Matipony river during the battle of West Point, Va., May 7, 1862; made reconnois- sance charts of the Matipony and Pamunky rivers, and was promoted lieutenant-commander, July 16, 1862. He made a complete survey of the Potomac river from July, 1862 to March, 1863; commanded steamer Conrin in making surveys in anticipation of naval and militarj' movements, March, 1863 to December, 186-4; commanded the Sangus, December, 1864. to January, 1865; the Juniata at the capture of Fort Fisher, Jan. 15, 1865; the Lcnapee, of the Atlantic coast squad- ron. Marcii, 1865 to April, 1867. and was promoted commander, Aug. 5, 1865. He was stationed at the Mare Island navy yard, Cal., 1867-70; com- manded the xece\v\ug?,\\\\) Independence, 1870-71; the Saranac of the Noilhern Pacific station, 1871-73; was promoted captain, June 19,1871, and commanded the Mare Island navy yard, 1873- 77. He commanded the receiving ship Independ- ence, 1877-79; was promoted commodore, Jan. 13, 1879; commanded Mare Island navy yard, 1881- 83: South Atlantic station, 1883-84; was promoted rear-admiral. March 1,1884, and was placed on the retired list. Nov. 2, 1884. He is the author of Reminiscences of Waslnngton Territoi-y (1882). He died in New York city, Jan. 10, 1901.

PHELPS, William Walter, diplomatist, was born in New York city, Aug. 24, 1839; son of Jolin Jay and Rachel B. (Phinney) Phelps, and a descendant of William Phelps, Windsor. Conn., 1635. His father removed from Simsbury, Conn., to New York city and became prominent as an importing merchant and as the organizer and first president of the Delaware. Lackawanna and Western railroad company. William was grad- uated at Yale, A. B.. 1860. A. M., 1863, and was married, July 26. 1860. to Ellen, daughter of Joseph E. Sheffield of New Haven. Conn. He was grad- uated at Columbia, LL.B., 1863; settled in prac- tice in New York city, and became counsel for various banks, trust companies and railroad cor- porations. Upon the d^ath of his fatiier in 1«09, he devoted himself entirely to the management

of the family e.states and other private trusts. He declined the judgesliip of the 6th judicial district of New Y'ork in 1869, removed to Engle- wood, N.J., and was a Republican representative from the fifth district in the 43d, 48cli, 49th, and 50th congresses, 1873- 75 and 1883-89. He was a delegate to the Republican national conventions of 1880 and 1884; U.S. minis- ter to Austria, 1881- 82; U. S. minister to Germany, 1889-93, and lay judge of the ,'f court of errors and appeals of New Jer- sey'. He served on the committee on foreign affairs for three successive con- gresses, and repre- sented American interests at the International conference on the Samoan question in Berlin in 1889. He was a regent of the Smithsonian Institution; was influential in securing for the graduates of Yale a share in the government of the university; was a fellow of Yale, 1872-92, and received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Rutgers in 1889, and from Yale in 1890. He made gifts to Yale university aggregating $150,000. He was a prominent member of the leading clubs in New York city. His published speeches include: Franking Privileges (1874); Sound Cun-ency (1874); Civil Rights Bill (1875); Fitz- John Porter's Case (1884); Laskar Resolutions (1884); oration before General Grant and his cabinet at a Grand Army reunion on The Dangers of War at Paterson, N.J.; The Dangers of Peace, Decoration Day, Mount Holly, N. J. (1886); Tariff, address before the Agricultural Society of New Jersey (1884), and one on Congress before the New England society (1886). He died atTeaneck, near Englewood, N.J., June 17, 1894.

PHILIP or POMETACOM, Indian chief, was born in New England; son of Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, whose treaty with the colonists in 1621 was maintained for fifty years. Philip became chief sachem in 1662, two years after his father's death, and was apparently friendly with the English for many j'ears. although he always opposed Christianity, especially the work of John Eliot, and his example largely influenced his warriors. Many of his tribe became impatient at the frequent demands of the colonists for the purchase of lands, and the consequnt frequent quarrels made King Philip apprehensive for his own safety. In 1671 he was summoned with ids warriors to answer to the charge of secret plot-