Claiborne county. Miss., 5 Sept., 1850. He was of Irish descent, and his father, James Chamberlain, was a colonel in the Revolutionary army. Jeremiah worked on his father's farm till 1809, when he was sent to school at Gettysburg, Pa., and in 1814 was graduated at Dickinson. He was licensed to preach by Carlisle presbytery in 1817, and, after a year spent in missionary work in the west and south, was ordained pastor of the Presbyterian church in Bedford, Pa. Here he remained till 1822, when he became president of Centre college, Danville, Ky., then in its infancy. In a short ad- ministration of three years he placed the college on a firm basis, filled it with students, and ob- tained a new charter, authorizing the establish- ment of a theological seminary in connection with it. In 1825 he accepted t he presidency of Louisi- ana college, at Jackson, La. He found this insti- tution in an unorganized state, and, receiving little aid from the state authorities, he resigned his office in 1828 and established an academy of his own in the same town, also organizing a Presbyterian church there. He now formed the project of estab- lishing a Presbyterian college in the south. The presbytery of Mississippi favored his plans, and in 1830 he became president of the newly founded Oakland college, Claiborne co., Miss. Here he la- bored with great success for twenty years. He was stabbed to the heart by a student for some fancied grievance. The murderer was found dead two days afterward, and was supposed to have poisoned himself.
CHAMBERLAIN, Joshua Lawrence, soldier, b. in Brewer, Me., 8 Sept., 1828. His grandfather, Joshua Chamberlain, was a colonel in the war of
1812, and his father, of the same name, was second
in command of the troops on the Maine frontier
in the “Aroostook war.” He attended, in his
boyhood, the military academy of Maj. Whiting at
Ellsworth, was graduated at Bowdoin in 1852, and
at Bangor theological seminary in 1855. He was
licensed to preach, but never assumed the ministerial
office, as he was called in that year to a
tutorship at Bowdoin. He was professor of rhetoric
there from 1856 till 1862, became also instructor
in modern languages in 1857, and in 1861 was
made professor in this department, holding the
chair till 1865. In 1862 he obtained leave of
absence from the trustees, intending to go abroad
for study, but with their permission entered the
National army as lieutenant-colonel of the 20th
Maine infantry. He became colonel in 1863, and
was promoted brigadier-general on the field by
Gen. Grant, 18 June, 1864, for his gallantry on
that occasion. Gen. Grant, in his “Memoirs,”
describing the movement against Petersburg, says:
“Col. J. L. Chamberlain, of the 20th Maine, was
wounded on the 18th. He was gallantly leading
his brigade at the time, as he had been in the
habit of doing. He had several times been
recommended for a brigadier-generalcy for gallant and
meritorious conduct. On this occasion, however, I
promoted him on the spot, and forwarded a copy
of my order to the war department, asking that
my act might be confirmed and Chamberlain's
name sent to the senate for confirmation without
any delay. This was done, and at last a gallant
and meritorious officer received partial justice at
the hands of his government, which he had served
so faithfully and so well.” Gen. Chamberlain was
again wounded at Quaker Road, on 29 March, 1865,
and on the same day was brevetted major-general
of volunteers for his conduct in the first successful
assault on Lee's right flank. He commanded two
brigades of the 1st division of the 5th corps, lead-
ing the advance, in the operations that ended in
Lee's surrender, 9 April, 1865, and was designated
by the commissioners in charge of the ceremonial
to receive the formal surrender of the arms and
colors of the Confederate army. He was engaged
in twenty-four pitched battles, including Antietam,
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg,
Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Five
Forks, and was six times wounded, thrice severely.
After resuming his professorship for a few months,
he was elected governor of Maine in 1866, and
thrice re-elected, serving till 1871. He was chosen
president of Bowdoin college in 1871, and also
held the professorship of mental and moral
philosophy from 1874 till 1879. He was made
major-general of the state militia in 1876, and by his wise
and vigorous action in January, 1880, did much
toward averting civil war, which had become
imminent on account of the contest between the
republicans and “fusionists,” and the total absence
of a state government. In 1878 he visited Europe
as a member of the U. S. commission to the Paris
exposition of that year. He resigned the presidency
of Bowdoin in 1883, but continued to lecture there
on public law and political economy until 1885.
He has delivered numerous public addresses,
several of which have been published, including that
at the centennial exhibition, entitled “Maine; Her
Place in History” (Augusta, Me., 1877). A special
edition of his Paris report on “Education in
Europe” was published by the government
(Washington, 1879).
CHAMBERLAIN, SeLah, engineer, b. in Brat-
tleboro, Vt., 4 ftlay, 1812 ; d. in Cleveland, 27 Dec,
1890. He received a common-school education,
spent two years in a store in Boston, and then went
to western Pennsylvania ami became a contractor
for the construction of the Erie extension of the
Pennsylvania canal, and afterward of the Ohio and
Pennsylvania and Wabash and Erie canals, and in
1845 of the canal improvements along the St. Law-
rence river in Canada. He next built the Rutland
and Burlington railroad in Vermont, and parts of
the Lake Champlain railroad, and then engaged
in the construction of the Cleveland and Pitts-
burg road, which was completed in 1851. He
constructed the La Crosse and Milwaukee railroad,
and operated it until his claims for construction
were satisfied. Pie also built the Minnesota Cen-
tral railroad, and was its president for several
years. The interest on bonds, taken by him in
payment for railroads built in Minnesota, was
repudiated by the state government, but in 1882
the claims were compromised by the payment of
half of the obligation. He aided in the consoli-
dation of the lines composing the Chicago, Mil-
waukee, and St. Paul system. In 1871 he began
the Cleveland, Lorain, and Wheeling road, of
which he was president. He also engaged in bank-
ing and the maiuifaeture of iron in Cleveland.
CHAMBERLIN, Brown, Canadian journalist, b. in P^relighsburg, province of Quebec, 26 March, 1827. He was graduated at JMcGill college, Montreal, in 1850, and received from it the degree of D. C. L. in 1867. He was admitted to the bar of Lower Canada in 1850, and began practice in Montreal. Conjointly with this, he entered upon journalistic work on the Montreal "Gazette." In 1867 he was elected to the house of commons for Missisquoi, and represented that constituency till 1870, when he was appointed cpieen's printer. He has been a colonel of militia, and for repelling a body of Fenian invaders at Eccles Hill, in 1870, he was created a companion of the order of St. Michael and St. George.
