Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/35

 STEVENS

STEVENSON

Conte) Stevens ; grandson of Oliver and Eliza (Winn) Stevens and of Louis and Ann (Quarter- man) Le Conte, and a descendant of Guillaunie Le Conte, a French nobleman, who fled from France in 1685. and with many other Huguenots settled at New Rochelle, N.Y., in 1690, where he became a large landholder. Mr. Stevens was graduated from the University' of South Carolina, A.B., 1868. He was professor of chemistry in Oglethorpe college, Atlanta, Ga., 1870-72 ; of physical science in Chatham academy, Savanah, Ga., 1873-76, and attended the University of Vir- ginia, 1876-77. He was professor of mathematics at Cooper Institute, New York city, 1879-82 ; of mathematics and physics. Packer Collegiate in- stitute, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1882-90. He studied at the universities of Strassburg, Berlin and Zurich, 1890-92 ; was professor of physics at the Rens- selaer Polytechnic institute, 1892-98, and of the same at Washington and Lee university, Lex- ington, Va., from 1898. He was married, Aug. 29, 1900. to Virginia, daughter of John and Mary (Holt) Letcher of Lexington, Va. He received the honorary degree of Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1882. He invented several forms of physical apparatus and was elected a member of numerous scientific societies. He is the author of: Revision of Steele's Popular Physics (1888) and contributions to Appleton's " Physical Geog- raphy " and to various scientific publications.

STEVENS, William Bacon, fourth bishop of Pennsylvania, and 71st in succession in the Amer- ican episcopate, was born in Bath, Maine, July 13, 1815 ; son of William and Rebecca (Bacon) Stevens ; grandson of William and Catharine (Whittemore) Stevens, and great-grandson of Benjamin and Martha (Bailey) Stevens. His father was a lieutenant in the war of 1812, and was commandant at Fort Preble, Portland, Maine ; his grandfather was in the sea service in the Patriot cause in the Revolution, and his maternal ancestors seiwed in Queen Anne's war. He at- tended school in Boston and Phillips Andover academy ; traveled for his health west and south ; made a sea voyage around the world from Boston to the Sandwich Islands in 1834, thence to China, where he was in the hospital at Canton for six months, and reached home in 1836. He was grad- uated from Dartmouth. M.D., 1838, also from the L'niversity of South Carolina the same year. He engaged in practice in Savannah, Ga., 1838-41 ; was state historian of Georgia, 1841, and the fol- lowing year abandoned the medical profession for theological study. He was admitted to the diaconate of the Protestant Episcopal church, Feb. 28, 1843, and was advanced to the priest- hood, Jan. 7, 1844. He organized Emmanuel cliurch, Athens, Ga., and served as rector of the same, 1844-48, acting as a delegate to the general

convention of 1847, In addition to his ministe- rial duties, he held the ciiair of belles-lettres, ora- tory and moral philosophy in the University of Georgia, 1843-48. He was rector of St. Andrew's churcii, Philadelphia, Pa., 1848-62; consecrated assistant bishop of Pennsylvania, Jan. 2, 1862, by Bishops Hopkins, Alfred Lee, Alonzo Potter, assisted by Bishops H. W. Lee, Horatio Potter, Clark and Odenheimer, and upon the death of Bishop Alonzo Potter, succeeded to the bishopric of Pennsylvania in 1865, in which year the diocese was divided, the western counties constituting the diocese of Pittsburg. A second division, the erection of the diocese of Central Pennsylvania, was mad in 1871. Bishop Stevens frequently visited Europe in his official capac- ity as bishop in charge of the American Episcopal churches on the continent, 1868-74 ; attended the Pan-Anglican conferenceof 1878, held in London, England, where he delivered the closing sermon, in St. Paul's church, and in 1886, at his request, was given an assistant; Bishop Whitaker (q. v.) of Nevada, being elected to tlie position and suc- ceeding him as bishop in 1887. Bishop Stevens was married, Jan. 1, 1838, to Aletiiea, daughter of Edward Coppee, M.D., of Savannah. Ga. She died in May, 1868, and he was married, secondly, in September, 1869, to Anna Maria, daughter of the Hon. John N. and Ruth Ann (Butler) Conyng- ham of Wilkes Barre, Pa. He received the hon- orary degree of D.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1848, and that of LL.D. from Union college in 1869. In 1854 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical society. His publications include : Discourses before the Historical Society of Georgia (1841); Historical Collection of Georgia (1841-43); History of Geor- gia (2 vols., 1847); Parables of the Xew Testament Unfolded (1855); Tlie Boio in the Cloud (1855); Home Service (1856) ; The Lord's Day (1857) ; History of St. Andrew's Church, Philadelphia (1858); Sabbaths of Our Lord (1872): Serynons (1879), and other fugitive contributions to the press. He died in Philadelphia. Pa., June 11. 1887. STEVENSON, Adlai Ewing, vice-president of the United States, was born in Christian county, Ky., Oct. 23, 1835 ; son of John T. and Eliza (Ewing) Stevenson ; grandson of James and Elizabeth (Brebard) Stevenson and of Alvin and Sophia (Wallis) Ewing. He removed with his parents to Bloomington, 111., in 1852, matriculated at Centre college, Danville. Ky., in the class of 1856 ; and was admitted to the bar in 1858. He was master in chancery, 1860-64, and district-attorney, 1865-69. He was married. Dec. 20, 1806, to Letitia, daughter of tiie Rev. Lewis W, Green, D.D., of Danville. He was a Demo-