Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/113

 RIDGELY

RIDPATH

commanded the Atalanta on the Paraguayan ex- pedition, 1857-58 ; the Santiago de Cuba in the West Indies, 1861-63, where he was successful in capturing several blockade runners ; was pro- moted captain, July 16, 1863, and commanded the Shenandoah in the bombardments of Fort Fisher, December, 1864, and January, 1865. He com- manded the Powhatan of the Pacific squadron from 1865, until transferred to the Lancaster in 1867. He was promoted commodore. July 25, 1866, and was a member of the board of naval examiners at Philadelphia, Pa., 1867-68. He died in Philadelphia. Pa.. May 5, 1868.

RIDGELY, Henry Moore, senator, was born in Dover, Del., in 1778 ; son of Dr. Charles Ridgely (1 738-85). He was admitted to the bar, and engaged in practice in Dover. He was mar- ried to Sally Ann, daughter of Gov. Cornelius P. and Ruhamah (Marim) Comegys of Kent county, Del. He was a Federalist representative from Delaware in the 12th and 13th congresses, Nov. 4, 1811, to March 2, 1815, and was elected to the U.S. senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Nicholas Van Dyke, serving from Jan. 33. 1827, to March 3, 1829. He died in Dover, Del.. Aug. 7, 1847.

RIDGELY, Nicholas, jurist, was born in Duver, Del., Sept. 30, 1762 ; son of Dr. Charles Ridgely (1738-1785), a native of Dover, who practised medicine there, 1758-85 ; frequently sat in the Delaware legislature after 1765 ; was pre- siding judge of the court of common pleas of Kent county, and previous to the Revolutionary war, of the quarter sessions, and was a delegate to the convention that framed the state constitu- tion in 1776. Nicholas received a liberal educa- tion, and engaged in the practice of law in Dover, 1783-1801. He served as attorney-general of the state, as a representative in the state legislature, and as chancellor of the state of Delaware, 1801- 30. He died in Georgetown, Del., April 1, 1830.

RIDGWAY, Robert, ornithologist, was born in Mount Carmel. 111., July 2, 1850 ; son of David and Henrietta James (Reed) Ridgway, and grand- son of Richard and Sarah Ridgway and of Joseph and Eliza (Bell) Reed. He was educated in the public schools, and at an earlj^ age turned his attention to natural history. He served as zoolo- gist to the U. S. geological exploration of the 40th parallel under Clarence King in California, Nevada, southern Idaho, and Utah, 1867-69 ; was occupied chiefly with government work, 1869-80, and was curator of the ornithological division of the U. S. National museum from July 1, 1880. He was married, Oct. 12, 1875, to Julia Evelyn, daughter of Horace and Elizabeth (Nichols) Per- kins of New York city. He was one of the founders of the American Ornithologists' union 'u 1883 ; its vice-president, 1883-98, and its pres-

ident, 1899-1900. He received the degree M.S., from the Indiana State university in 1884 ; was a member of the permanent ornithological com- mittee of the first international congress at Vienna in 1885, and an honorary member of the second congress Ornithologique International at Budapesth in 1891. He became a corresponding member of the Zoological society of London, and of the Academies of Science of New York, Dav- enport, la., and Chicago, 111.; a foreign member of the British Ornithologists' union ; an honorary member of the Nuttall Ornithological club of Cambridge, Mass., the Brookville, Ind., Society of Natural History, the Ridgway Ornithological club of Chicago, 111., and a member of the com- mittee of patronage of the International Con- gress of Zoology at London. He published more than 200 descriptive papers of new species and races of American birds, many of which ap- peared in the " Proceedings of the U. S. Na- tional Museum " ; several catalogues of North American and other birds contained in the mu- seum, and is the joint author with Professor Spencer F. Baird and Dr. Thomas M. Brewer of : A History of Northern American Birds (3 vols., 1874), and of The Water Birds of North America (2 vols., 1884), in which he wrote a large i^ortion of the technical parts. He also published : Eejjort on Ornithology of the Fortieth Parallel (1877) ; A Nomenclature of Colors for Natiiralists (1886) ; Manual of North American Birds (1887) ; Tlie Ornithology of Illinois (2 vols., 1889-1895), and The Birds of North and Middle America (8 vols., 1901).

RIDPATH, John Clark, educator, was born in Putnam county, Ind., April 26, 1840; son of Abraham and Sarah (Matthews) Ridpath 'of Montgomery county, Va. ; grandson of John and Mary (Cox) Ridpath and of Anderson and Naomi (Heavin) Matthews, and a descendant of the Ridpaths of Berwick-on-Tweed and of Samuel Matthews, colonial governor of Virginia. He at- tended the common schools ; engaged in teaching school and in tutoring, to assist in defraying the expense of a college education, and was graduated from Indiana Asbury (DePauw) university, A.B., 1863, A.M., 1866. He was married, Dec. 21. 1862, to Hannah Roxana, daughter of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Sill) Smythe of Greencastle, Ind. He was instructor in languages at the academj" at Thorntown, Ind., 1862-64; principal of the acad- emy, 1864-66 ; professor of languages in Baker university, Baldwin city, Kan., in 1866, and prin- cipal of the public schools in Lawrenceburg, Ind., 1867-69. He was professor of English literature and normal instruction in Indiana Asbury uni- versity, 1869-71 ; professor of belles-lettres and history, 1871-79. and vice-president, 1879-81. Hh secured the DePauw endowment from Washing-