Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/45

 RANSOM

RAXTOUL

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RANSOM, Truman Bishop, soldier and educa- tor, was born iu Woodstock, Vt., Sept. 20, 1802 ; son of Lieut. Amasa and Abigail (Root) Ransom ; grandson of George and Anna (Tiffany) Ransom, and a descendant of Joseph Ransom, the immi- grant, who settled in --^_ Lyme, Conn., early

in the eighteenth cen- tury. His father died in 1812 and he learned the tjade of chair maker and painter, at which he worked, 1815-21, at South Woodstock. His

mother was married, Jan. 13, 1822, to Jacob Kendall ; she died at Norwich, Vt., Jan. 29, 1841. Ransom was graduated from the American Liter- ary, Scientific and Military academy (now Nor- wich University, Northfield, Vt.), 1825, as civil engineer with high standing as a mathemati- cian. He taught mathematics and music in the insvitution (then located in Middletown, Conn. ) 182.5-29 ; helped to establish a school of a similar character in Orange, N.J., 1829-30; a second one in Fayetteville, N.C., 1830, and served for a time as instructor in mathematics in the U.S. navy. He was married, Feb. 2. 1830, to Margaretta Morrison Greenfield of Middletown, Conn. Their son. Col. Dunbar R. Ransom (1831- 1897), Norwich university, 1851, was an oflScerin the Federal army in the civil war, and Thomas Edward Greenfield Ransom (q.v.) was another son. Ill 1830 Truman B. Ransom became an as- sistant professor in Jefferson college, Washington, Miss., a leading military college in the south, and in August, 1832, on the death of President John Holbrook. Capt. Alden Partridge was ap- pointed his successor, Professor Ransom being given provisional charge of the institution until the arrival of the new president. The views of Captain Partridge on slavery and emoluments, the compensation of assistants, the control to be exercised by him, and his residence at the north during a great poi'tion of the j'ear, were all ob- jectionable, and he remained only a few months in charge of the college. Professor Ransom wa-s vice-president of Norwich university, and pro- fessor of natural and experimental philosophy, mathematics and civil engineering, 1834-35 ; president and professor of natural philosophy, practical and military science, political economj-, civil engineering and science of government, as successor to Capt. Alden Partridge, 1843-4G. serv- ing as a trustee, 1843-47 ; was major-general of

the Vermont militia, 1836-44 ; Democratic candi- date for representative in the 27th congress, 1840, and for lieutenant-governor of Vermont, 1846. He resigned the presidency of Norwich university in 1846 to volunteer in the 6th U.S. regulars. Col. Franklin Pierce, for service in the Mexican war. and did valuable recruiting service in New England. He was commissioned major of the 9th U.S. infantry, Feb. 16, 1847 ; promoted lieu- tenant-colonel and colonel, March 9, 1847 ; joined General Scott at Puebla, Mexico, Aug. 6, 1847, and was killed wiiile leading an assault on the west side of the hill crowning the fortress and castle of Chapultepec, Sept. 13, 1847.

RANTOUL, Robert, reformer, was born in Salem, Mass., Nov. 23, 1778; son of Robert and Mary (Preston) Rantoul. His father, at the age of sixteen, emigrated in 1769 from Kinrosshire, Scotland, where the family had been domiciled since 1360, and settled in Salem, Mass., out of which port he commanded privateers and merchantmen for William Gray and others, and sailing at the age of thirty on a Mediterranean voyage was lost at sea, with all on board, when in command of the ship Iris. The son engaged in business on his own account as a druggist at Beverly, Mass., in 1796. He was married, June 4, 1801, to Joannah, daughter of John and Eliza- beth (Herrick) Lovett of Beverly, Mass. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1809-20 and 1823-33, and state senator, 1821-23. He was a member of the state constitutional con- ventions of 1820 and 1853, and during the war of 1812 he served in the militia and coast guard, 1812-15, after which he became a member of the Massachusetts Peace society. He was an early opponent of tlie habittial use of strong drink, and became a life member of the Massachusetts Tem- perence society in 1812. He also opposed the re- tention of capital punishment. He was an en- thusiastic student and writer of local histor}*. He was one of the founders of a cliarity school at Beverly, which was the first Sunday School in America. For fifty consecutive years he filled a number of parocliial and town offices, writing the yearly reports to the town of the poor de- partment, for half a century, He died in Bev- erly. Mass., Oct. 24, 1858.

RANTOUL, Robert, Jr., statesman, was born in Beverly, Mass., Aug. 13, 1805; son of Robert Rantoul, the reformer (q.v.). He was gi-adu- ated from Harvard, A.B., 1826, A.M., 1829; studied law in Salem, Mass., and established himself in practice there in 1829, removing in 1830 to South Reading, Mass. He was married, Aug. 3. 1831, to Jane E., daughter of Peter and Deborah (Gage) Woodbury of Bever- ly, and removed in 1832 to Gloucester, Mass. He was the Democratic representative from Glou-