Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/450

 PRUYN

PRYOR

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member of the New York senate in 1S61-62, and devoted liis s;iliiry to the poor of Albany. He was a Dtiiiocratic representative from the four- teenth New York district in the 38th congress, liaving been elected to complete the term of Erastus Corning, resigned, and was re-elected to the 40th congress, serving 1B63-65 and 1867-69, He wjis married first, Oct. U'2, 1840, to Harriet Corning, daugliter of Thomas and Mary Rug- gles (Weld) Turner, and secondly, Sept. 7, 1865, to Anna Kenn. daughter of the Hon. Amasa Junius and Harriet Langdon (Roberts) Parker of Albany. N.Y. He was a commissioner for the building of the new state capitol, 1865-70, and on July 7, 1869. laid the first stone. He was a regent of the University of the State of New York, 1844- 77: succeeded Hon. GerritY. Lansing as chancel- lor, serving 1862-77; was president of Albany Institute. 1857-77, founder and president of the New York State board of charities, 1867-77; president of the board of commissioners of the state survey, 1876-77; a trustee of St. Stephen's college at Annandale, N.Y., 1860-77; a member of the Centennial commission, 1871-76, and of the Association for the Codification of the Law of Nations. He was a corresponding member of the New York Historical society, honorary mem- ber of the Wisconsin Historical society; a member of the American Geographical and Statistical society, of the Literary Fund society of London, and of the Union club and the Century associa- tion of New York. He received the honorary degree A.M. from Rutgers college in 1835, LL.D. from Union college in 1845, and from the Uni- versity of Rochester in 1852. He died at Clifton Springs. N.Y.. Nov. 21. 1877.

PRUYN, Robert Hewson, diplomatist, was born in Albany, N.Y., Feb. 14, 1815; son of Cas- parus F. and Anne (Hewson) Pruyn; grandson of Francis C. and Cornelia (Dunbar) Pruyn and of Robert and Elizabeth (Fryer) Hewson, and a descendant of Francis Pruyn, the immigrant, 1665. He was prepared for college at Albany academy, and was graduated at Rutgers. A.B., 18.33, A.M., 1836. He stu.lied law in the office of Abraham Van Vechten of Albany and was at- torney and counsellor for the corporation of Albany, and a member of the municipal council, 1836-39. He was married. Nov. 9. 1841. to Jane Ann, daughter to Gerrit Yates and Helen (Ten Eyck) Lansing of Albany, N.Y. He was judge- advocate-general of the state. 1841-46 and 1851; a member of the assembly 1848. 1849. 18.50 and 1854, serving as speaker firn tempore in 1K50, and as speaker in 18.54. and as adjutant-general on the staff of Gov. Myron H. Clark in 18,55. He was appointed U.S. minister resident to Japan by President Lincoln. Oct. 21. 1861. as successor to Townsend Harris, resigned, and during his ad-

ministration he maintained that the Tj-coou was the real ruler of Japan and should be so recog- nized, in order tluit foreign intercourse could be guaranteed without awaiting treaties ratified by the Mikado. During his service in Japan he had full power, and when the daimio of Ciiosiu fired on the American merchant steamer Pembroke in 1863 he proceeded to use the U.S. navy to prevent a repetition of the outrage. Commodore Mc- Dougall in the Wyoming sank a brig and blew up a steamer and then ran the gauntlet of Japanese shore batteries, Straits of Simonosaki. and sub- sequently the Takiang, a chartered steamer, carrying the guns and a crew from the U.S.S. Jainestoum, with the allied naval forces of Great Britain, France and Holland, whose vessels had been similarly treated, demolished the fortifica- tions of Chosiu and captured the guns. This action of the allied powers was questioned, but the prompt suppressing of outrages postponed the intended dethronement of the Tycoon, en- abling him to observe his treaty stipulations, and the incident cost the Japanese government an indemnity of $3,000,000 and secured immediate foreign intercourse. Mr. Pruyn returned to the United States in 1865; was the Republican can- didate for lieutenant-governor of New York in 1866, and was made president of the state con- stitutional convention of 1872. He was a trustee of Rutgers college: president of the board of directors of the Dudley observatory; vice-presi- dent of the board of trustees of the Albany Medical college, and a member of the executive committee of the State Normal school at Alban3^ He received the degree of LL.D. from Williams in 1865. He died in Albany, N.Y., Feb. 26. 1882. PRYOR, Luke, senator, was born in Madison county, Ala., July 5, 1820. His father was a native of Virginia. He studied law under Judge Daniel Coleman, and was admitted to the bar in 1841, practising in Athens, Limestone county, in partnership with E. J. Jones, R. C. Brickell, and George S. Houston. He married a daughter of Capt. John Harris of Limestone county; and represented the county in the Ala- bama legislature in 1855, in order to secure privileg:es for the railroad from Nashville to Montgomery, of which he was a projector. He supported the Confederate States government, 1861-65, opposed the reconstruction measures of the U.S. government, 1865-70. and was appointed to the U.S. senate in January, 1880, by Governor Cobb, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Geortxe S. Houston. Dec. 31, 1879. When the legislature met in November, 1800, he declined to be a candidate to complete the unexpired term. He was a Democratic representative from the eighth Alabama district in the 48tli congress, 1883-85. He died in Athens, Ala., Aug. 5, 1900.