Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/153

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GREENHALGE
GRIFFIN
121


He became chief justice of the state in 1846. and was reappointed in 1853, retaining the office until 1860, when he became chancellor. Owing to his zeal in the discharge of his duties, his health failed, and he was obliged to resign the latter oflice in 1866, a year before the expiration of his term. His opinions as chief justice of the su- preme court and as chancellor are characterized by thorough research, great force of argument, and lucidity of expression. Judge (jreen was president of the board of trustees of Princeton theoh)gical seminary, and from 1850 until his death was a trustee of the college there, of which he was a liljeral benefactor. The degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him by his ulmu mater. — His son, Charles Ewing, b. iii Trenton, !t Oct., 1840; d. there, 23 Dec, 18!)". He was graduated from Princeton in 1860, was licensed as a lawyer in , was chancery reporter. 1863-'77, and was also register in l>ankruptcy for several years. As one of the residuary legatees of his uncle, John Cleve Green, he devoted much attention toa<lvanc- ing the interests of the Lawrenceville school, Princeton theological seminary and university, being a trustee of those institutions. In 1892 the latter conferred iiiion him the dejin-e of Lti. D.

GREENHALGE, Frederick Thomas, lawyer, b. in Clitheroe. England, 19 July, 1842; d. in Low- ell, Mass., 5 .Marcii, 1896. He removed with his parents to Lowell in 18.50. and was employed there in the mills of the Merrimack print-work.s. He entered Harvard in the class of 186!!, but, his fa- ther dying, was obliged to leave college to earn his support. He. however, receiveil his degree from Harvard in 1870. He was admlttcKl to the Mid- dlesex bar in 1865, and began public life as a member of the common council of Lowell. Later he was a memlwr of the school-boanl, and mayor of the city, member of the legislature, and, 1889- '90, a member of congress, lie was a delegate to the national Republican conventions of 1884 and 1890. and in the latter year chairman of the Re- publican state convention. He was elected gov- ernor of Masisachu setts successively in 1893, 1894, and 189.5, the last time bv 60.000 'majority. See his •' Life," bv James K. N'esmilh (Boston, 1897).

GREER, barid Hiiiiiiiiell, clergyman, b. in Wheeling, W. 'a.. 20 March, 1844. He was gradu- ated at Washington college, studied theology at the Protestant Episcopal seminary at Gambier. Ohio. He was ordained priest at Alexandria, Va.. in 1868. and became rector of Trinity church, Covington, Ky. He went abroad in 1871, and on his return was elected rector of (Jracc church. Providence, K. I., ami entered uixm his work there on 15 tk'pt., 1872. Heorganizeil .several missions in connection with the parish church, and was deputy from the dio- cese to four successive general conventions. He ac- cepted the rectorship of .St. ISartholomew's church. New York city, in 1888. He is a broad church- man, and an eli>r|uent extemporaneous preacher.

GRIIILEY, Charles Vernon, naval officer, b. in Logansport. Ind., 2ii June, 1845: d. in KoW, Japan, 4 June. 1898. He was appointed an acting midshipnum from Michigan, 26 Sept., 1860, and remaineil at the V. S. naval academy until Octolx-r. 186;J. when he was made an ensign and attached to the steamship '"Oneida." of tlie West fiulf 8i|U8dron, from 186;{ to 186.5. He was on boanl his ship in the battle of Mobile bay on 5 Aug., . At the close of the war, having served in a number of engagements, he was altiu-hed to the steam-slof>p " Brf>oklvn," of the Hrazilian squad- ron, anil later was al>oard the " Kearsarge." He was promoted to lieutenant on 21 Feb., 1867, and lieutenant-commander one year later and assigned to the " Michigan," and afterward to the " Monon- gahela." He was executive officer of the flag-ship "Trenton," of the European squadron, and was made commander in March, 1882. He was for a time assigned to the torpedo sta- tion, and also to the Boston navy- yard. He was made commander of the " James- town " in 1884, and later was in- spector of light- houses at Buffalo. He became cap- tain in March. , and was ordered to the Asiatic squadron, where he was assigned to the " Olvmpia." On

Suntiav, 1 May,

, the American fleet attacked and destroyed the entire Span- ish squadron in the bay of Manila. .Tust be- fore the naval battle began t'apt. Gridley took his station in the conning tower, with Com- modore Dewey on the bridge. As the flag-ship led the fleet into the bay, and when the "Olym- pia " drew near the Sjianish ships, Dewey gave the order, "You may nre, Gridley, when you are ready," and the conflict began. At the time of the action Capt. Gridley was very ill, but he in- sisted on actively commanding )iis ship. Soon afterward his malady l>ecame aggravated and he obtained sick leave, dying a few <lays after leaving the •'(.>lynipia" to return to the United States. His widow an(l daughter were present at the Dewey celebration in New York in Septend)er, 1899.

GRIFFIN, Appletnn Prentiss Clark, bibli- ographer, b. in West Wilton. N. H.. 24 July, 18.52. He was educated in the public schools of his na- tive state and under private tutors, and engaged in library work, serving as custodian of the slielves in the Boston public library from 1871 till 1890. and as keefier of books from the latter dale till 1894. From 1895 till 1897 he was engaged in pre- paring a full descriptive catalogue of Imoks from Washington's library in the Boston Athenn-um, and also examined and reported on the manu- scripts of that institution. Since 1897 he has been assistant librarian of the library of congress, Washington. He has published " Discovery of the Mississippi." a bibliographical account (New York. 1883); "Index of Articles upon American Local History in Colle<-tions" (Boston, 1880); "Bib- liography of the Historical Publications issued bv the N'ew England Slates " (189.5): "BilJiogra- pliy of American Historical .Societies" (Washing- ton, 1896); " Index of the Literature of American liocal History in Collections pul)lished in 1890-'95 " (Boston. 1896); and " Catalogue of the Washing- ton Collection in the Boston Alhemeum " (1897).

GRIFFIN, Samuel Paine, navigator, b. in Savannah, (ia., in 1826: d. in .s[iinwall. Panama, 4 July, 1887. He was graduated at the U. S. naval academy at the head of his class, served through- out the Mexican war in California waters, and in 1840 was in the first U. S. arctic expedition lliiil, was sent out to search for Sir John traiiklin. He' resigned from the navy in 1854. engaged in busi- ness in New Orleans, and during the civil war was