Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/140

 THAYER

THAYER

of Philadelphia, 1867-74, and president judge of the court of common pleas of Phihidelphia from 1874 until 18U6, wlieu he resigned. He was appointed a member of the board of visitors to the U.S. Military academy, serving as president of the board, 1873, and was deputy to the General con- vention of the diocese of Pennsylvania for more than thirty years. He was married first in 1843 to Elizabeth, daughter of Tliomas K. and Mary Wallace: secondly, 1850, to Sophia Dallas, daughter of Edmund C. and Maria (Chew) Wat- mough:and thirdly, 1883, to Julia, daughter of the Rev. Reuben Lindsay and Elizabeth (Elliott) Cole- man. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from the Jellerson Medical college in 1893, and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1896. He became well versed in Grecian and Roman clas- sics and is the author of: The Duties of Citizen- ship (1863); TJic Great Victory, its Cost and its Value (1865); The Battle of Germantoivn (1878); Tlie Laic Considered as a Progressive Science (1870); On Libraries (1S7 1); The Life and Works of Francis Lieber (1873); The Philippines, or \Vliat is Demanded of the United States by the Obligations of Duty and National Honor (1898), and various translations, essays, poems, speeches and criticisms.

THAYER, Nathaniel, philanthropist, was born in Lancaster, Mass., Sept. 11, 1808; son of the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel and Sarah (Toppan) Thayer; grandson of the Rev. Ebenezer (Harvard, A. B., 1753, A.M., 1756) and Martha (Cotton) Thayer, and of the Hon. Christojiher Toppan of Hampton, Mass., and a descendant of John Cotton (1585) (q.v.), and of Thomas and Margerey Thayer, who came from Gloucestershire, England, and settled in old Braintree about 1630. As a partner in the railroad firm of John E. Thayer and Brother, of Boston, Nathaniel acquired large wealth. He was greatly interested in Harvard, contributing toward Thayer Commons, the dining-liall before Memorial Hall, and to the Tliayer herbarium, and at his personal expense the so-called Tliayer expedition to Brazil was undertaken by Professor Agassiz, resulting in extensive and important additions to the college museum of compara- tive zoology. In 1870 he erected Thayer Hall at Harvard as a memorial to his father and to his brother, John Eliot Thayer. It was also largely thnnigh Mr. Thayer's munificence that the First ciiurcli (Unitarian) was built on the corner of Marlborough and Berkeley streets, Boston, Mass., and his many gifts to his native town of Lancaster included a contribution of $20,000 toward its library building. Mr. Thayer was niarrie<l. June 10, 1846, to Cornelia, daughter of Gen. Stejihen Van Rensselaer of New York city. He was an overseer of Harvard, 18G0-GS, and a fellow, 1868-75, receiving the honorary de-

gree of A.M. from the university, in 1866; a member of the Massachusetts Historical society, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He died in Boston, March 7, 1883. THAYER, Syivanus, soldier, was born in Braintree. Mass. , June 9, 1785. He was graduated from Dartmouth college in 1807, and from the U.S. Military academy in 1808. He served on surveying and engineering duty, 1808-09 and 1811-12; was instructor in mathematics at the Military academy, 1809-11; promoted 1st lieuten- ant, July 1, 1812, and served in the war of 1812 as chief engineer of the Northern army under Gen. Henry Dearborn and of the right division under Gen. "VVade Hampton. He was promoted cap- tain of the corps of engineers, Oct. 13, 1813; was chief engineer of the forces under Gen. Moses Porter in the defences of Norfolk, Va., 1814-15, and was brevetted major, Feb. 20, 1815, for dis- tinguished and meritorious services. He was sent to Europe on professional duty and ex- amined fortifications, schools and military es- tablishments, and studied the operations of the allied armies before Paris on the fall of Napoleon, 1815-17. He was superintendent of the U.S. Military academy, 1817-33, and raised the school from its elementary condition, to one of the finest military schools in the world. He was brevetted lieutenant-colonel, March 3, 1823; pro- moted major, May 24, 1828, and brevetted colonel, March 3, 1833, for faithful service ten years in one grade. He was superintending engineer of the construction of Forts Warren and Independ- ence, Boston Harbor, Mass., 1833-46; general superintendent of harbor improvements and coast defences in Maine and Massachusetts, 1836- 43; was promoted lieutenant-colonel, July 7, 1838; was superintending engineer in Massa- chusetts, 1846-57, and president of the board of engineers for coast defences, 1837-57. He was promoted colonel, March 3, 1863, brevetted brig- adier-general, U.S.A., May 31, 1863, and retired, June 1, 1863. He was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1834, of the American Philosophical society in 1838, and of various other scientific societies. The honorary degree of A.M. was conferred on him by Harvard in 1825; that of LL.D. by St. Johns college, Jld., in 1830; by Kenj'un college, Ohio, in 1846; Dartmouth college in 1846, and by Har- vard university in 1857. He gave $300,000 for the endowment of an academy at Braintree, Mass.; $33,000 for a free library there, and §40,- 000 for a school of architecture and civil en- gineering at Dartmouth. He is the autiior of Papers on Practical Engineering (1844). His statue at West Point, inscribed "Father of the Military Academy," was unveiled June 11, 1883. He died in South Braintree, Mass., Sept. 7, 1872.