Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/61

 NELSON

NELSON

Nelson (q.v.). He was graduated at the College of William and Mary in 1811, and was admitted to the bar in 1813. He settled in i^ractice in Fredericktown ; was a Republican representa- tive to the 17th congress, 1821-23 ; was appointed U.S. minister to Naples by President Jackson, serving. 1831-32, and attorney -general in Presi- dent Tylers cabinet, to succeed Hugh S. Legare and served, 1843-45. He died in Baltimore, Md., Jan. 8, 1860.

NELSON, Knute, senator, was born in Vosse- vangen parish, Norway, Feb. 2, 1843. He immigrated to the United States with his mother in 1849, and resided in Chicago, 111., 1849-50, and in Walworth and Dane counties, Wis., 1850-71, He was graduated from Al- bion academy, Wis., in 1865 ; enlisted in the 4th Wisconsin infantry, and served, 1861-65, being wounded and taken prisoner at the siege of Port Hudson, La., June 14, 1863. He was admitted to the bar in member of the Wisconsin as- sembly, 1868-69. He removed to Alexandria, Minn., in 1871 ; was county attorney for Douglas county, 1872-74 ; state senator, 1875-78 ; presi- dential elector on the Republican ticket in 1880 ; was a member of the state board of University regents, 1882-93, and a Republican representative in the 48th, 49th and 50th congresses, 1883-89. He was governor of Minnesota, 1892-94, U.S. senator, 1895-1901, and by re-election, 1901-07. In the senate he was chairman of the committee on improvement of the Mississippi river and its tributaries.

NELSON, Rensselaer Russel, jurist, was born in Cooperstown, N.Y., May 12, 1826 ; son of Judge Samuel and Catherine Ann (Russell) Nel- son ; grandson of John Rogers and Jean (Mc- Arthur) Nelson and of John and Elizabeth (Williams) Russell, and a descendant of John Nelson, who emigrated from Ballingarry, Ireland, and settled in Salem, N.Y., in 1762. He was graduated at Yale, 1846 ; was admitted to the bar in 1849 ; began practice in Buffalo, N. Y. : in 1850 removed to St. Paul, Minn., and engaged in practice there. He was appointed associate judge of the supreme court of Minnesota terri- tory in 1857, and upon its admission as a state was appointed district judge of Minnesota by President Buchanan, May 11, 1858, holding the office until May 16, 1896, when he resigned. He was at the time the oldest Federal judge in the service of the United States. He was married, Nov. 3, 1858. to Emma, daughter of Washington Beebee of New York state. In 1901 he was made the candidate of the Democratic party in the Minnesota legislature for U.S. senator.

NELSON, Roger, soldier, was born in Fred- ericktown, Md., in 1735 ; son of John Nelson. He entered the Continental army and was com- missioned 2d lieutenant of the 5th Maryland regiment in 1779. He was promoted 1st lieu- tenant, July 15, 1780, was seriously wounded and left for dead, and made a prisoner at the battle of Camden, S.C., Aug. 16, 1780. He was ex- changed in December, 1789, and transferred to Baylor's regiment of Continental dragoons, Nov. 9, 1782, where he served till the close of the war. After the war lie became prominent as a lawyer ,• was elected a representative from Maryland in the 8th congress to take the place of Daniel Hiester, deceased, and was re-elected to the 9th, 10th, and 11th congresses, serving from Nov. 5, 1804, till May 14, 1810, when he resigned to ac- cept the appointment of associate justice of the 5th judicial circuit of Maryland. He died in Fredericktown, Md.. June 7, 1815.

NELSON, Samuel, jurist, was born in Hebron, Washington county, N.Y., Nov. 10, 1792; son of John Rogers and Jean (Mc Arthur) Nelson. He was graduated at Middlebury college in 1813, studied law in Granville, N. 5^., under Chief- Justice Savage and was admitted to the bar in 1817. He settled in practice in Cortland, N.Y., and in trying his first suit won his case through superior knowledge of tlie law by which he obtained a stay. He was a presiden- tial elector on the Monroe and Tomp- kins ticket in 1820 and postmaster of Cort- land, 1820-23. He was married in 1819

to Pamella, daughter of Judge Andrew S. Wood of Bath. N.Y., and secondly, in 1825, to Catharine Ann, daughter of Judge Russell of Cooperstown, N.Y. In 1829 he made his home at Fenimore, where he was a friend and neiglibor of Cooper, the novelist. He was a member of the state con- stitutional conventions in 1822 and 1844 ; judge of the sixth circuit court of New York, 1823-31 ; associate justice of the supreme court of New York, 1831-37, and chief justice, 1837-45. He was appointed associate justice of the U.S. su- preme court by President Tyler in 1845, as suc- cessor to Justice Smith Thompson, deceased, and served until October, 1872. when he re- signed. When the"Dred Scott" decision was pronounced by the U.S. supreme court in 1857. he concurred with Chief-Justice Taney. In 1871

^y^^****^^ /^£^(J/^i}