Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/300

 AVAIT

WAITE

Conn., and matriculated at Washington (Trinity college) in the class of 1835 (A.B. and A.M., 1851); was admitted to the bar in 1836, and was married in 1!>42. to Mrs. Elizabeth Harris, who died in ISG^S. liaviug tliree children, lie was ap- pointed aide-de-camp on the staff of Governor Cleveland in 1842 ; was state's attorney for New London county, 1843-44 and 1846-54 ; the unsuc- cessful Democratic candidate for lieutenant- governor of Conneticut, 1^54, 1855, 1856 and 1857 ; the first elector-at-large on tiie Lincoln and John- son ticket, 1864 ; state senator, 1865-66 ; president pro tempore, 1866 ; a representative in the state legislature, 1867, 1871 and 1873 ; speaker, 1867, subsequently declining that position, and was again an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant- governor in 1874. He w-as a representative from the third Connecticut district in the 44th con- gress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of H.H. Starkweather, Jan. 28, 1876. and served by re-election in the 45th-49th congresses, 1877-87. He received the honorary degree of A.M. from Yale in 1871, and that of LL.D. from Howard university, D.C.. inl883and from Trinity in 1886. H,^ died in Norwich. Conn., April 21. 1899.

WAIT, Samuel, educator, was born in Wash- ington county. N.Y., Dec. 19, 1789. He was or- dained to the Baptist ministry at Sharon, Mass., June 3, 1818 ; was one of the first students at Co- lumbian college, Washington. D.C.. 1821-22; a tutor there, 1822-26, and principal of its prepara- torys chool, 1822-2.5. In February, 1827, he went to North Carolina on a collecting tour for the col- lege, became pastor of a church in Newbem, N.C., organizing a Baptist convention in Green- ville, N. C, in 1830 and serving as its first corres- ponding secretary, 1830-34. He organized churches throughout tlie state, 1830-33, and established the Reconler. the first Baptist periodical in the state, at Raleigh. In December, 1832, he was instru- mental in founding a manual labor school at Wake Forest. N.C., and was its first principal, 1834. During his administration the manual labor system was abandoned and a college charter procured in 1839, in which year Wake Forest college building was completed. In June, 1846, he resigned. He was pastor in Caswell county, N.C.. 1846-51 ; president of a young ladies' semi- nary in Oxford, N.C., 1851-.56, and in the Litter year made his home with his daughter, Mrs. J. B. Brewer, at Wake Forest. N.C. He received t!ie honorary degree of A.M. from Waterville (Colby) college. Maine, 1822, and from Colum- bian college. 1834. and that of D.D. from Wake Forest college, 1849. He died in Wake Forest, N.C, July 2*5. 1*^67.

WAITE, Davis Hanson, governor of Colorado, was Ixjrn in Jame-^town, N.Y., April 9, 1825 ; son of Joseph and Olive (Davis) Waite ; grand-

son of Silas Waite, and of Samuel and Deborah (Chapin) Davis, and a descendant of Howard Kawson of Mendon. His father removed from Wardsboro, Vt., to Jamestown, N.Y.. in 1814. He attended the common schools and Jamestown academy ; studied law with his father ; was ad- mitted to the bar, 1846, and practised in James- town, removing in 1850 to Fond du Lac, Wis., and in 1851 to Princeton. Wis., where he was en- gaged in the mercantile business until 1857. He was married first, Sept. 15, 1851, to Frances E., daughter of Robert and Celia (Cook) Russell of Sanquoit, N.Y..and secondly, Jan. 8, 1885, to 3Irs. Celia O. Maltby, daughter of John M. and Jane E. (Cook) Crane, and widow of Daniel Maltby. Mr. Waite was a Republican member of the Wisconsin legislature, 1856 ; an instructor in tlie high school at Houston, Mo., 1859-60, where he met with disfavor on account of his antislavery views, and removed to Warren. Pa., in 18(50. returning in 1861 to Jamestown, N.Y., where he edited the Chmitauqua Democrat, a Republican organ, of which he was part proprie- tor, 1861, and the Jamestown Journal for a num- ber of years previous to 1876, of which he was also proprietor. He conducted a ranch and prac- tised law in Lamed, Kan., 1876-79, serving as a member of the legislature in the latter year ; continued practice in Leadville, Col., 1879-81, and subsequently in Aspen, Col., where he edited the Union Era, a reforiu paper, 1881-91, and was first superintendent of public schools in Pitkin, Col., 1881. He was a delegate to the St. Louis, Mo., conference, 1892, which organized the People's party, and to the People's national con- vention at Omaha, Neb., in the same year, and was elected governor of Colorado as a Populist, serving, 1893-94. He was officially defeated for re-election in 1894, although his friends declared that his popular majority was over 3000. but the official vote was never recounted. He is said to have refused $20,000 if he would cease his war on the gambling establishments of Denver.' He held valuable mining property at Cripple Creek and devoted the last two years of his life to its de- velopment. He left a widow and three children : Austin. Josephine and Frank Hanson. He died at his home at Aspen. Col.. Nov. 27. 1901.

WAITE, Henry Matson, j<irist. was born in Lyme, Conn., Feb. 9, 1787 ; son of Remick and Susannah (Matson) Waite ; and a descen- dant of Thomas Waite, who immigrated from England to Massachusetts about 1663. He was graduated from Yale, A.B., 1809 ; studied law with Judge Matthews and Gov. Roger Griswold ; was admitted to the l»ar in 1812 : and practised in Middletown and in Lyme. He was a repre- sentative in the state legislature in 1815 and for many years following ; state senator, 1832-33 ;