Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/173

 THURSBY

THURSTON

Garfield, at that time a representative in con- gress, but Garfield being elected President, Thur- nian was succeeded by John Sherman. Mr. Thur- man once more gave his attention to his law prac- tice, but he always retained a lively interest in pol- itics; was a delegate to the Democratic national conventions, and was a prominent candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1876, 1880 and 1884. He was nominated by acclama- tion Democratic candidate for Vice-President by the St. Louis convention of 1888, on the ticket with Grover Cleveland for President. He died in Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 12, 1895.

THURSBY, Emma Cecelia, concert and ora- torio singer, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Feb, 31, 1854; daughter of John Barnes and Jane Ann (Bennet) Thursbj'; granddaughter of John and Hannah Ann (Galbreath) Thursby and of Jacob and Elizabeth (Van Cott) Bennet. She attended the Moravian seminary, Bethlehem, Pa., began vocal training with Julius Meyer; was subse- quently a pupil of Achille Errani, and in 1873 continued her vocal training under Lamperti and San Giovanni at Milan, Italy. She completed her d'atorio studying under Rudersdorf in Boston, Mass., and under Maurice Strakosch. Miss Thursby sang in Plymouth church, Brooklyn, 1874-75; in the Church of Divine Paternity, 1876- 77, and at Broadway Tabernacle, New York city, 1878; traveled with Patrick S. Gilmore's orches- tra, 1876; with Theodore Thomas, 1877, and toured the United States, Canada and Europe with Maurice Strakosch, 1879-87. She made her last tour in the United States as a soloist in 1893, with the Theodore Thomas orchestra, and then established herself as a teacher of concert, ora- torio and operatic singing in New York city. Slie was a member of the Association of Artists and Musicians of Paris, and her repertory in- cludes all the oratorios, and operatic and concert arias, especially Mozart arias in which she made her reputation as a vocalist in Europe.

THURSTON, John Mellen, senator, was born in Montpelier, Vt., Aug. 21, 1847; son of Daniel Sylvester and Ruth (Mellen) Thurston; grand- son of Moses Thurston and of John and Ruth Mellen. His father removed with the family to Wisconsin in 1854, and in 1863 died of hardships incident to his service in the Federal army. He thereupon assumed the care of the family, and with money earned trapping and fishing, attended Wayland university, 1866-68, and in 1869 was ad- mitted to the bar. He began practising law in Omaha, Neb., in 1869, and on Dec. 25, 1872, was married to Martha, daughter of Luther and Clara M. Poland, of Omaha, Neb., and a niece of Luke P. Poland (q.v.) of Vermont. He was a member of the board of aldermen in Omaha, 1872-74: was city-attorney, 1874-77, and a representative in the

Nebraska legislature, 1875-77. He was a presi- dential elector on the Garfield and Arthur ticket in 1880; a delegate-at-large to the Republican national convention at Chicago, 111., in 1884, and was unsuccessful Republican candidate for judge of the 3d judicial district of Nebraska in 1885, and in February, 1888, became general solicitor of the Union Pacific railroad. In 1888 he was temporary chairman of the Republican national convention at Cliicago; was president of the Republican league of the United States, 1889-91, and in 1893 was unsuccessful candidate for U.S. senator. He was U.S. senator from Nebraska, 1895-1901, and chairman of the Republican con- vention at St. Louis, Mo., 1896. His first wife died, March 14, 1898, and he was married second- ly, in November, 1899, to Lola, daughter of Maj. William J. Purman, U.S. representative from Florida in the 43d-44th congresses, 1873-77. Sen- ator Thurston was U.S. commissioner for the Louisiana Purchase exposition, 1903.

THURSTON, Robert Henry, engineer and educator, was born in Providence, R.I., Oct. 25, 1839; son of Robert Lawton and Harriet (Taylor) Thurston; grandson of Peleg and Ruth (Lawton) Thurston, and a descendant of the Thurstons of York and of Kent, England, Robert

Thurston being mas- ter of the mint about 1670. He was grad- uated from Brown university, C.E. and Ph.B., 1859; was em- ployed in the engine shops of Thurston, Gardner and Co. un- til 1861, when he en- ^~ tered the U.S. naval f/ engineer corps, serv- ing throughout the war on various ves- sels, and participat- ing in the battle of Port Royal, the siege of Charleston and in the South Atlantic squadron. He was assistant professor of natural and experi- mental philosophy, and lecturer on chemistry and physics at the U.S. Naval academy, Annapolis, Md., 1865-71; professor of mechanical engineer- ins at Stevens Institute of Technology, 1871-85, and was appointed director of Sibley college, Cornell university, and university professor of mechanical engineering in 1885. He was twice married: first, Oct. 5, 1865, to Susan Taylor, daughter of Nathaniel and Susan (Taylor) Glad- ding, of Providence; and secondly, in August, 1880, to Leonore Boughton, daughter of Eli Henry and Olive (Wood) Boughton, of New York. The honorary degree of A.M. was conferred upon

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