Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/410

 POTTER

POTTER

justice of the supreme court of New York and of the court of appeals. 1*^57-65. He was re- electoil in 1803, ami m 1870 caused the arrest of Henry Ray. a member of the New Yorlc assembly, for ignoring his court summons, and in conse- quence was himself tried for " high breach of privilege." but was vindicated on his own argu- ment. He was a trustee of Union college, 1865- 85, receiving the degree of LL.D. from there in 1867,; was presi'ient of the state judicial conven- tion in Rochester, N.Y., in 1870, and served as president of the Jlohawk national bank at Schenectady for several years. In 1886 lie pre- sented the New York Historical society with six volumes of the "State Trials of England,"' pub- lished in 1743, and of great value, being origin- ally the property of Sir William Johnson, Bart. He is tl>e author of: Potter's Dwai'ris (1871); Equity jHns2)ritdence, compiled and enlarged from the work of John Willard (1875); Potter on Curjjonitions (1879), and several pamphlets. He died in Schenectady. N.Y., Aug. 11, 1891.

POTTER, Robert Brown, soldier, was born in Schenectady, N.Y., July 16, 1829; son of Alonzo and Maria (Nott) Potter. He entered Union college in the class of 1849, but did not graduate; studied law, and practised in New York city. He was commissioned lieutenant- colonel of the 51st New York volunteer regiment in 1861, and was attached to Reno's brigade, Burn- side's army. He led the assault at Roanoke Island, receiving a severe wound at New Berne; took part in the battles of Cedar Mountain, Manassas, Chantilly, Antietam (where he was wounded), and Fredericksburg. He was pro- moted brigadier-general of volunteers, March 13, 1863, commanding a division at Vicksburg and in the siege of Knoxville, Tenn.; was brevetted major-general of volunteers in August, 1864; was severely wounded during the final assault on Petersburg, April 2, 1865, and on his recovery was given command of the Connecticut and Rhode Island district of tiie department of the east. He was married, Sept. 20, 1865, to Abby, daughter of John Austin Stevens, and on the same date was commissioned major-general of volunteers. He was mastered out of the volun- teer service in January, 1866, and was receiver of the Atlantic and Great Western railroad, 1866- 69. He died in Newport, R.I.. Feb. 19, 1887.

POTTER, Samuel John, senator, was born in Soutli Kiii->to\vn, R.I.. al>out 1751; .son of John and Elizal>eth (Hazard; Potter; grandson of John and Mercy (Robinson) Potter an<l of Stepiien and Mary (R^tbinson) Hazard, and a desoen<lant of Nathaniel Potter of Portsmouth, R.I. He married in 1765. Nancy Seager, and had ten children. He was deputy governor of Rhode Island from May, 1790, to February, 1799; lieutenant governor.

February to May, 1799, and again, 1800-03, and U.S. senator from Rhode Island from Marcli 4, 1803, until his death, being succeeded by Benja- min Hosvland (q.v.). He was a presidential elector, voting for Washington in 1792, and for John Adams in 1796. He died in Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 1804.

POTTER, William, diplomatist, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 17, 1852; son of Thomas and Adaline Coleman (Bower) Potter. Hisgreat- grandfatlier. Gen. Jacob Bower, was an officer in the Continental army, and an original member of the Philadelphia Society of the Cincinnati, and his great-great-grandfather. Col. Joseph Wood, served in the colonial army during the French and Indian war. He attended the University of Pennsylvania in 1870, and engaged in business with his father, becoming vice-president of the c.orporation of Thomas Potter, Sons & Co. He was twice married: first, on April 25, 1878, to Jane Kennedy Vanuxem of Philadelphia, and secondly, May 16, 1899, to Hetty Vanuxem, who died, Aug. 12, 1901. He was appointed by Presi- dent Harrison, special commissioner to negotiate a system of sea post offices with London, Paris and Berlin; was a delegate to the fourth con- gress of the Universal Postal union at Vienna in 1891, and was U.S. minister to Italy, 1892-94. He was a relief commissioner to Porto Rico dur- ing the Spanish-xVmerican war, and in 1902 be- came president of Jefferson Medical college of Philadelphia.

POTTER, WilUam Bleeker, mining engineer, was born in Sclienectady, N.Y., March 23. 1846; son of the Rt. Rev. Horatio Potter. He was grad- uated fronx Columbia college, A.B. in 1866, M.E., 1869; was assistant in geology there, 1869-71; assistant on the geological survey of Ohio, under Prof. Jolin D. Newberry, and was appointed pro- fessor of mining and metallurgy at Washington university, St. Louis, Mo., in 1871. He was elected president of the American Institute of Mining Engineers in 1888, and was a member of the leading scientific societies of the United States and Europe.

POTTER, William James, author, was born in North Dartmouth, Mass., Feb. 1, 1830; son of William ami Anna (Aiken) Potter; grandson of W^illiam H. and Patience (Thurston) Potter, and of Ebenezer and Chloe (Hatiiaway) Aiken, and a descendant of Nathaniel Potter, Aquidneck, R.I., 1638. He attended the Friends school. Provi- dence, R.I.; was graduated at the State Normal school, Bridgewater. Mass., and at Harvard in 1854, and studied in Germany. 1857-58. He was an usher in Bri.stol academy, Taunton, Mass., 1849-.50; instructor in the high school, Cam- bridge, Mass., 1854-56, and a student at the Har- vard Divinity school, 1856-57. He was ordained