Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/438

 PRICE

PRIESTLEY

PRICE, Thomas Lawson, representative, was born near Danville, Va., Jan. 19, 1809; son of • Major Price, a wealthy tobacco planter ; grand- son of William Price, and a descendant of Eng- lisli ancestry, who settled in Virginia in the seventeenth century. On the death of his father in 1S31, he removed to Missouri, and in 1833 located in JelTerson City. He was married, first in 1830, to Lydia Botton of Casewell county, N.C. : and secondly, April '20, 1854, to Caroline v.. daughter of Isaac Long of Page county, Va. He invested in real estate in both St. Louis and Jefferson City, and in 1838 started the first stage line between those points and carried the U.S. mail. Subsequently he controlled all the im- of the state penitentiary. He was the first mayor of Jefferson City, 1839-40 ; was defeated as a candidate for state senator in 1845 ; was ap- pointed brevet major-general of the 6th division of the Mis.souri militia in 1847, and was elected lieutenant-governor of the state on the Demo- cratic ticket in 1849. He headed the Benton faction at the Democratic national convention in Cincinnati. Ohio, in 1856, when they were re- fused admission. He represented Cole county in the state legislature in 1860, and in 1861 adhered to the Union cause and was appointed brigadier- general of state militia by Gen. John C. Fremont, Sept. 21, 1861, for the term expiring July 17, 1862. He was elected a representative to the 37th con- gress to take the place of John W. Reid, expelled, serving from Jan. 21. 1862, to March 3, 1863 ; was defeated for the 38th congress in 1862 and for governor of Missouri in 1864, and was a delegate to the Democratic national conventions of 1864 and 1868. He was also a delegate to the Union convention at Philadelphia in 1866. He was in- fluential in inducing the state to lend its aid to the construction of the Iron Mountain and the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroads ; was a con- tractor in the construction of the Missouri Pacific and the Kansas Pacific railroads, and a fund commissioner and director of the latter road. He died in Jefferson City, Mo., July 16, 1870.
 * >ortant stage lines in the state, and was a lessee

PRICHARD, Sarah Johnson, author, was born in Waterbury, Conn., Jan. 11, 1830; daughter of Elizur Edwia and Betsey Jeanette (Cooper) Prichard ; granddaughter of David, Jr., and Anna (Hitchcok) Pritchard, and of Asa and Hannah (Botsford) Cooper, and a descendant in the seventh generation from Roger and Elizabeth (Prudden) Pritchard and in the eighth generation from John and ^lary Cooper. She was a student at Waterbury academy ; at Dwight Place semi- nary. New Haven, Conn., 1846-47, and was gradu- ated from Mrs. Emma Willard's seminary. Troy, N.Y., in 1849, subsequently devoting herself to literature and historical research. She served as

vice-president of the Mattatuck Historical society, and was elected a member of the American His- torical society. She is the author of: Marthci's Hooks mid Eyes (1859); Hugh's Fire on the Moim- fam (1861) ; Nat's Shoes (1862); Keimy Carle's Uniform (1863); Joe and Jim (1865): The Old Stone Chimney (1865); Margies Matches (1866); Faye Mar of Stone Cliff {ISQS); Rose Marhury (1870); Shawney and the Lighthouse (ISll) ; Avnt Sadie's Cow (1872); History of Waterbury, 1674- 17S4 (1896) ; The Only Woman in Totcn (1898), and many magazine articles and stories.

PRIEST, Ira Allen, educator, was born in Mechanicsville, Vt., May 20, 1856; son of Darius D. and Emaline (Graves) Priest ; grandson of Ethan and Hannah (Dawley) Priest and of Ly- man and (Richardson) Graves, and a de- scendant of Elijah Priest, a veteran of the Revo- lution, who was a descendant of Degorie Priest of the Mayflower. He was graduated at Tufts college, Medford, Mass., Ph.B., 1884, A.M., 1887, and S.T.B., 1887 ; and was married, June 23, 1887, to Eva N., daughter of Jesse and Belle (Shepherd) Hall of Lacon, III. He was ordained to the ministry at Monson, Mass., in October. 1887. and was pastor of Universalist churches at ^Monson, 1887-89; Adams, 1889-92; Newtonville, 1892-96; Akron, Ohio, 1896-97, and president of Buchtel college, Akron, Ohio, 1897-1901. In 1903 he was engaged in reading law in Akron, Ohio. He re- ceived the degree of D.D. from Tufts college in 1898, and was commissioned chaplain in the Ohio national guards in 1899.

PRIESTLEY, Joseph, scientist, was born at Fieldhead, near Leeds, Yorkshire, England

March 13, 1733 ; son of Jonas and (Swift)

Priestley. His father was a woolen cloth-dresser, and his mother died in 1740. He was adopted by his aunt, Mrs. Keighley, in 1742, and was edu- cated under her direction. He attended the theological academy at Daventry, Northampton- shire, 1752-55, intending to become a dissenting minister ; preached for a time in an obscure meeting-house in Suffolk, but was not successful, owing to his Arian views. He taught school at Nantwich, Cheshire, 1758-61, and was tutor in languages and belles-lettres at a new dissenting academy at Warrington, Lancashire, 1761-67. He was married in 1762 to a daugliter of Isaac Wilkinson, an iron-master near Wexhani, Wales. While at Warrington, he was ordained to the dissenting ministry and preached in the chajiel there. He met Benjamin Franklin about this time and became greatly interested in the study of electricity; and when, 1767-73, he was settled over a church at Leeds, he divided his time between the study of theology and of science. For five years he held the position of literary companion to the Earl of Shelburne, and was