Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/61

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REAGAN

owned by the former. He made a Toyage to the Cliiua seas, for commercial purposes, over a course that had never been sailed before, and reached Canton in December, 1787, having been more than six months on the way. He discovered tw^o islands, naming them "Morris "and "Alliance," which form part of the Caroline group, and made the first out of season passage to China. He died at White Hill, N.J.. Ort. 26, 1788.

READ, Thomas Buchanan, artist and poet, was born in Chester county, Pa., March 13, 1832. After his father's death he was apprenticed to a tailor, but, disliking the trade, he secretly made his way to Philadelphia, where for a time he was employed in a cigar manufactory, and in 1837 went to Cincinnati. Ohio. There he lived with Shobal V. Clevenger (q.v.), the sculptor; became a sign-painter, and at times went to school. After spending a year in Dayton as employee in a theatre, he returned to Cincinnati and established himself as a portrait painter through the kindness of Nicholas Longworth. He was obliged, however, to earn a precari- ous living by sign-painting in various towns, by cigar-making, and by giving readings and dramatic performances. He removed to New York city in 1841, and soon after to Boston, Mass., where he began to devote himself to literary pursuits, and contributed poems to the Courier, 1843-44. He removed to Philadelphia, Pa., in 1846; traveled abroad in 1850, Jind in 1853 returned to Italy, where he remained for art-study in Florence and Rome until 1858, and after many visits to Philadelphia and Cincinnati, finally made Rome his permanent home. During the civil war he recited his National war-songs in the camps, and devoted the proceeds of his public readings to the comfort of the wounded soldiers. His paintings include: " The Spirit of the Waterfall"; " The Lost Pleiad "; " The Star of Bethlehem "; " Undine "; " Longfellow's Chil- dren "; " Cleopatra and her Barge "; " Sheridan's Ride "; portraits of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George M. Dallas, and Longfellow. He made his reputation, however, chiefly by his patriotic poetry, and is the author of: Poems (1847); Lays and Ballads (1848); The Pilgrims of the Great St. Bernard, a serial romance in prose; The Neio Pastoral (1854); The House hy the Sea (1856); Sylvia, or the Lost Shepherd, and other Poems (1857); ^4 Voyage to Iceland (1857); Rural Poems (London, 1857); Complete Poetical Works (1860); The Wagoner of the Alleghanies (1862); Sheri- dan's Ride and A Summer Story (1865) •, TJie Good Samaritan (1867); Poetical Works (3 vols., 1865; 1867). He died in New York city. May 11. 1872.

READY, Charles, representative, was born in Readyville, Tenn., Dec. 22, 1802. He was grad- uated from Greenville college, Tenn.; was ad-

njitted to the bar, and began practice in Miir- freesboro. He was a Whig rejjresentative in the state legislature in 1835; in the 33d, 34th and 35th congresses, 1853-59, and was defeated as the In- dependent candidate for the 26th congress by Robert Hatton in 1858. He was an active sup- porter of the Confederate States government; was identified with the organization of the judi- ciary of Tennessee, and by special permission twice presided over its supreme court. He re- ceived the degree of A.M. from Nashville uni- versity, and was a trustee of the institution. 1847-78. He died in Murf reesboro, Tenn., in 1878. REAGAN, John Henninger, statesman, was born in Sevier county, Tenn., Oct. 8. 1818; son of Timothy R. and Elizabeth (Lusk) Reagan;

grandson of Richard and (Shulz) Reagan

and of Joseph Lusk; great-grandson of Timothy Reagan, an Irishman? who was a soldier in the American Revolution and was wounded at Brandy wine, and a descendant of English, Irish, Welsh and German ancestry. He attended the Southwestern college, Marysville, Tenn.; Nancy academy; Boyd's Creek academy, and for two years worked in a tanyard, on a farm, on board a flatboat, managed a flouring and saw mill in Tennessee, and was overseer of a large planta- tion in Mississippi. In 1838 he went to Texas, joined the army of the republic, and took part in battles with the Cherokee Indians, July 15-16, 1839. He was deputy surveyor of public lands, 1839-43; was elected captain of a company of militia, and justice of the peace, and in 1846 was elected probate judge and lieutenant-colonel of Henderson county militia. He was temporarily licensed to practice law in 1846, and regularly licensed in 1848; was a represeirtative in the Texas legislature in 1847-48; judge of the 9th judicial district of Texas, 1852-57; a Democratic representative in the 35th, 36th congresses, 1857- 1861; presidential elector in 1860; a member of the secession convention of Texas in 1861; a dele- gate to the provisional congress of the Confederate States in 1861; postmaster-general of the Con- federate States, 1862-65, and sec- retary of the Confederate States treasury ad interim on the resignation* of Secretary Trenholm in 1865. He es- caped from Richmond with President Davis and was made a prisoner of war. May 10, 1865, with President Davis, Governor Lubbock, Col. Wil- liam Preston Johnston and Burton Harrison, and was taken to Macon, Ga., thence to Hampton