Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/134

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
104
FITCH
FLETCHER


Providence, R. I., since 1884. He is a member of the board of missions of the diocese of Rhode Island, warden of St. Mary's orplianage. East Providence, and a trustee of Berkeley school. Provi- dence, since 1886. In June, 1888, he was elected bishop of the diocese of Pond du Jjac, but declined. He has published '"A Memorial Sermon on Gen- eral Grant " (Providence. 1885) ; " The Real Pres- ence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist " and '• The Mission of the Masonic Order" (1886): "An Un- corrupt Life " (1887) ; and several sermons.

FITCH, Ashbel Parmelee, congressman, b. in Mooers, Clinton co., N. Y., 8 Oct., 1848. His father, Edward, a grandson of .labez Pitch, a Revolutionary officer, was a successful lawyer in New York city and a member of the legislature. The son was educated in the New York public schools, at Will- iston seminary, Easthampton, Mass., and at the Universities of Jena and Berlin. He .studied law at Columbia law-school, was admitted to the bar in 1869, and devoted himself to corporation prac- tice. He declined a Republican nomination for congress in 1884 on the ground that he was not in sympathy with high protection, but in 1886 was a successful candidate in opposition to Gen. Egbert L. Viele, a high-protection Democrat. He left the Re- publican party on the tariff issue, but was re-elected as a Democrat in 1888, 1890, and 1892, and in 1893 was chosen comptroller of New York city. In 1897 he was renominated, this time as a Republican, but was not re-elected. In congress Mr. Pitch took an active part in the contest for an international copy- right law, also against the ship subsidy bill and the William McKinley tariff bill.

FITZGERALD, Louis, financier, b. in New York city, 31 .May, 1838. Educated in the schools of his native city, he early entered on a business ca- reer, in which he has been singularly successful. In 1857 he became a member of the 7th regiment, and marched with it to the defence of Washington in 1861. Later he was commissioned 1st lieuten- ant of the 11th New York infantry, serving through the war, at the close of which he was lieutenant- colonel of the 1st Mississippi. Returning to New York, he re-entered the 7tn, becoming lieutenant- colonel, and in 1883 he was appointed brigadier- general, commanding the 1st brigade until his resignation, January, 1898. During his success- ful administration 6 regiments of infantry, 2 bat- talions of artillery, and 1 squadron of cavalry were provided with admirable armories, and the convenient parade-ground at Van Cortlandt park secured for all time for the purpose of the New York National guard. Por many years Gen. Fitz- gerald has been president of the Mercantile trust company, and is recognized as one of the leiwling financiers of Wall street, having lieen active in the reorganization of several of the most im|)or- tant railway corporations of the country.

FITZGERALD, Oscar Penn, M. K. bishop, b. in Caswell county, N. C., 24 Aug., 1839. He en- tered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, was a missionary in the California mines in 1855-'7, and subsequently edited the " Pacific Methodist," " Christian Spectator," and " Califor- nian Teacher " in San Pranci.sco. He was super- intendent of public instruction of California in 18G7-'71, and under his administration the State university was founded and the normal school or- ganized and permanently established. He became president of the Pacific Methodist college in 1873, and in 1878 was appointed editor of the Nashville " Christian Advo{-atc," the organ of the Methodist Episcopal church, south. In 1890 he was elect- •ed bishop, and resides in Nashville. Bishop Fitz- gerald is the author of " California Sketches " (3 vols., Nashville, 1879); " The Class Meeting" (1880); "Christian Growth " (1881); •' Glimpses of Truth" (1883); "Dr. Summers: A Life Study" (1884); " Centenary Cameos " (1885) ; " The Life of McFer- rin " (1890) ; and " The Epworth Book " (1898).

FITZPATRICK, Charles, Canadian lawyer, b. in Quebec. 19 Dec, 1853. He was educated at the Quebec seminary and Laval university. At the latter he took, in 1876, the Dufferin medal in the law faculty. lie was called to the bar of Quebec, and in 1873 was appointed a queen's counsel. In 1879 and in 1887 he was crown prose- cutor for the city and district of Quebec. When Louis Ricl was tried for treason and nmrder in 1885 at Regina, Mr. Fitzpatrick was engaged as one of the counsel for the defence. He sat in the legislature of Quebec from 1890 to June, 1896, when he resigned and sought the suffrages of the electors of Quebec county for the house of com- mons. He was elected by a large majority, and became in Mr. Laurier's ministry solicitor-general of Canada. Mr. Pitzpatrick's practice at the Quebec bar has been large and remunerative.

FLAGLER. Daniel Webster, soldier, b. in Lockport, N. Y.. 24 June, 1835; d. at Port Mon- roe, 29 March, 1899. He was a direct descendant of John Plagler, whe came from Holland in 1733 and settled in Duchess county ; was graduated from the U. S. military academy and apj)ointed brevet 2d lieutenant, and 3d lieutenant of ord- nance. 34 June, 1861. He was made 1st lieuten- ant on 3 Aug. following, serving throughout the civil war, nuiinly with the Burnside expedition to North Carolina and with the Army of the Poto- mac. In 1863 he was promoted captain and at the close of the war he received the brevet of lieu- tenant-colonel for distinguished service in the field and for faithful service in the ordnance de- partment during the war. He was made major in 1874 and lieutenant-colonel in 1881. He was in command of the Rock island arsenal from 1871 until 1886, and had charge of its construction. In 1877 the government puhlished at Washington his history of the arsenal. He was promoted brigadier-general in January. 1891, and was made chief of the ordnance department. In its report on the conduct of the war with S|)ain the investi- gating commi.ssion said of the work in his bureau: "The testimony shows that the ordnance depart- ment was untiring in its work, both before and during the war, and that every effort was ma<le by its ofTicers properly to arm and etjuip the troops. The delays that occurred were none of them of serious import, and it was l)eyond the powerof the department to prevent them."

FLETCHER, Alice Cunningham. ethnologist, b. in Boston, Mass., about 1845. She was care- fully educated, and. after study among the archaeo- logical remains of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, went to reside among the Omaha Indians, in- vestigating their customs and traditions under the auspices of the Peabody museum of American archaeology and ethnology of Harvard. In 1883 she was appointed liy the secretary of the interior to allot the Omahas their lands in severalty, and brought to the Indian schools at Carlisle and Hampton a large party of their children and two married couples. Under the care of the Wom- an's national Indian association Miss Fletcher es- tablished a system by which small sums of money were lent to such Indians as wished to buy tracts of land and build houses. At the request of the Indian bureau she prepared an exhibit for the New Orleans exposition showing the progress of