Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/116

 lilKER

KILEY

Half Lives (1890) : Tlie Children of the Poor (1802); Nibsn/s Christmas (\^0':i): Out of Mulberry Street (1898); .1 Ten Years' War (1900); TJie Making of an American (1901); The Pottle with The Slum (l".tO;{>; Children of the Tmiements (liiOS) and nuiiKTous coiitrihutioiis to i>eiiodicals.

RIKER, James, historian, was born in New York city. May 11. 180,' ; son of James and Eliza- \n>{h (Van Arsdale) Rikor ; grandson of Daniel and Deborah (Leverick) Riker and of Jolm and Mary (Crawford) Van Arsdale, and a descendant of Abraham and (Irietie (Harmensen) Rycken (or de Rycke). In 10:J8 Abraham Rycken emi- grated from Holland to New York, where he re- ceived an allotment of land from Governor Kieft, and about 101-2 he engaged in trade. James Riker was educated in (."ornelius institute ; was principal of a public school in ll.-irlem. N.Y., 1850-58, and was clerk in the office of the American Home Mi.s,sionary society, 1858-63. He was employed in the U.S. revenue service, 1864-67, and from 1869 until his death resided in Waverly, N.Y., where in 1885 he established a library and became its librari;m. He was elected to membership in several historical and other societies, and is the author of: -4 Brief History of the Riker Family (1851); Tlie Annals of Newtown (1852): Harlem: its Origin and Early Annals (ISSl); The Indian History of Tioga County in the Gazetteer of Tioga County (1888); A Dictionary of the First Settlers of New Xetlterliinds Prior to the Year 1700, in preparation (1889), and many historical pam- phl.-ts. He died in Waverly. N.Y., July 15, 1889.

RILEY, Benjamin Franklin, clergyman and educator, was born in Pineville, Ala., July 16. 1849 ; son of Enoch and Sophronia Irving (Autrey) Riley, and grandson of Jeremiah and Jane Riley, and of Alexander and Parthenia Autrey. He was graduated from Erskine college, S.C., in 1871 ; attended the Southern Baptist Theological seminary and Crozer seminary ; was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1872. and was pastor at Carlowville, Ala., in 1870; Albany, Ga., 1877-79; Opelika, Ala., 1879-84 ; editor of the Alabama Baptist, 1885, and pastor at Livingston, Ala., 1884-88. He was married, June 21, 1876, to Emma, daughter of Dr. J. L. Shaw of Belleville, Ala. He was president of Howard college, Ala., 1888-93; professor of English literature at the University of Georgia, 1893-1900, and pastor at Houston, Texas, from 1900. He received the de- gree of D.D. from the University of Alabama in 1884, and from Erskine college in 1888 : and was made a fellow of the Society of Science, Letters and Art. London, in recognition of his paper on " The Difficulty of Preserving Pure English in the United States." read before that body. July 19, 1898. His jiublished works inclu<le : History of Conecuh County, Ala. (1884); Alabama as It

Is (1888); History of Bajytists of Alabama (1893); History of Baptists of the Southern States East of the Mississi2)pi{18d7y, and numerous pamphlets and contributions to periodicals.

RILEY, Bennett, soldier, was born in Alex- andria, Va., Nov. 27, 1787. He was appointed an eftsign of rifles in the U.S. army, Jan. 19, 1813 ; was promoted lieutenant, March 12, 1813; served throughout the war of 1812; was i)roinoted cap- tain, Aug. 6, 1818; major. Sept. 26, 1837; lieu- tenant-colonel, Dec. 1, 1839, and bre vetted colonel for his services at Chakotta, in the Florida war, June 2, 1840. He commanded the 2d infantry at Vera Cruz, the 2d brigade of Twiggs's division in the Mexican valley, and was brevetted briga- dier-general, U.S.A., April 18, 1847, for gallantry at Cerro Gordo, and major-general, Aug. 20, 1847, for Coiitreras. General Scott credited a certain victory for the American army to the bravery he displayed in battle. He was placed in command of the Pacific department, with headquarters at Monterey, Cal., in 1848, and was military governor of California from April to December, 1S49, when the state constitution was adopted and Peter H. Burnett (q.v.) became governor. lie was pro- moted colonel of the 1st U.S. infantry, Jan. 31, 1850. and died at RufTalo, N.Y.. June 9. 1853.

RILEY, Charles Valentine, entomologist, was born in London, Eng., Sept. 18, 1843. He attended the College of St. Paul. Dieppe. France, 1854-57, and a private school at Bonn, Prussia, 1857-60. He emigrated to America in 1860, and settled in Kankakee county, 111., where he ob- tained employment on a stock farm. In 1863 he removed to Chicago, 111., and be- came a reporter on the Evening Journal, and later on the Prairie Farmer. He was editor of the en- tomological depart- ment of the latter paper, and became well known among the agriculturists of the west. He en- listed with the 134th Illinois volunteers in May, 1864, and served until November, 1864, when lie re.sumed his work with the Pi-airie Farmer. He was appointed first state entomologist of Mis- souri in 1868. He was chief of the United States entomological commission to study and solve the problem of the extinction of the Rock}' Mountain gra.sshopper. A fter five years, having completed the work, the commission was discontinued. He was U.S. entomologist, 1878-79 and 1880-95, and

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