Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/77

 ^'EWTON

NEWTON

soui-ces of the Black Hills of Dakota, with a me- moir by Prof. John S. Newberry (1880). He died in Deadvvood, Dakota, Aug. 5, 1877.

NEWTON, Hubert Anson, mathematician, was born in Sherburne, N.Y., March 19, 1830; son of William and Lois (Butler) Newton, and a descendant of Thomas Newton, a carpenter, who settled in Fairfield, Conn., as early as 1639. He was graduated at Yale, A.B., 18.10, A.M., 1853, studied mathematics, 1851-53, and was a tutor in mathematics at Yale, where he was in charge of the chair of mathematics during the illness and after the death of Prof. Arthur D. Stanley, 1853-55, succeeding to the chair after one year's study at Paris. He was married, Apdl 14, 1859, to Anna C, daughter of the Rev. Joseph C. Stiles. He directed his earlier years to special studies in modern higher geometry, but later devoted him- self to the problems of meteoric astronomy. Through his investigation the stream of meteors was connected with the comet of 1866 as soon as the orbit of that comet was completed. He was regarded as one of the highest authorities on meteors in the world. In 1864 lie introduced into the arithmetics of the United States a table of the metric system of weights and measures. He was an original member of the National Academy of Sciences; a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, and of the Royal Piiiiosophi- cal Society of Edinburgh; president of the Con- . necticut Academy of Arts and Sciences; vice-pres- ident in 1875. and president in 1885 of the Ameri- can Association for the Advancement of Science; a member of various other societies, and director of the Yale university observatory, 1S82-84. He received the degree LL.D. from the University of Michigan in 1868, and was awarded the Law- rence-Smith medal by the National Academy of Sciences for his study of meteoric bodies. He was an associate editor of the American Jovrnal of Science; published in 1804 a memoir upon the sporadic meteors; contributed to cyclopaedies, and his scientific papers were published in the Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences and in the American Journal of Sciences. He died in New Haven, Conn., Aug. 12, 1896.

NEWTON, Isaac, naval architect, was born at Sohodack Landing, Rensselaer county, N.Y., Jan. 16. 1794; son of Abner Newton, an officer in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war. He attended the district school, learned the ship- building trade in Hudson, N.Y., and engaged in building sailing vessels for the river and whal- ing trades. He built many of the first steamboats used on the Hudson river; was the founder of the People's line between Albany and New York, and extended his business to the great lakes. He was the first to substitute anthracite coal for wood as fuel on a steamboat. He subse-

quently turned his attention to building ocean steamers for the Collins and other lines. He was also a pioneer in railroading and one of the pro- jectors of the New York Central, the Lake Shore and the Michigan Southern railroads. He died in New York city, Nov. 22. 1858.

NEWTON, Isaac, agriculturist, was born in Burlington county, N.J., March 31, 1800. He attended the common schools and engaged in farming in Delaware county. Pa., where he was recognized as a model farmer. He was a mem- ber of various agricultural associations and was frequently a delegate to the meetings of the U.S. Agricultural society. He proposed the establish- ment of a national department of agriculture to each recurring administration from Harri- son, 1841, to Lincoln, 1861, finally succeeding in inducing President Lincoln to adopt the measure in 1862, and served as U.S. commissioner of agriculture, 1862-67. He died in Washington, D.C., June 19, 1867.

NEWTON, Isaac, engineer, was born in New York city, Aug. 4, 1837: son of Isaac Newton, the naval architect (q.v.). He attended Hamilton college and took a course in civil engineering, and one in medicine at the University of the City of New York, but received no degrees. He was employed as an engineer at the Delamater iron works in New York city, an^ was subsequently associated with his father as assistant engineer of the People's line of Hudson river steamers, and as chief engineer of the Collins line between New York and Liverpool. In 1861 he entered the U.S. navy as first assistant engineer on board the Roa- noke. He assisted Capt. John Ericsson in the construction of the Monitor, and acted as its engineer on the voyage to Hampton Roads. During the engagement with the Merrimac. March 9, 1862. he had charge of the engines and

turret, and at the risk of his life repaired the deranged ventilating apparatus, thereby saving the lives of the stokers in the boiler rooms. He was supervising constructor of ironclads in New York city until 1865. when he resigned from the navy. He was appointed by congress in 1869 to investigate and report on the condition of the U.S. navv. He assisted Gen. George B. McCell-