Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/126

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HARRISON
HARRISON

influence throughout the south. He was the au- thor of an " Exposition of Some of the Laws of Latin Grammar (New York, 1852), and " On Greek Prepositions" (Philadelphia, 1848).


HARRISON, Hall, clergyman, b. in Anne Arundel county, Md., 11 ^iov., 1837. He was graduated at the College of St. James, Md., in 1854, and was an instructor there from that year till 1863. In 1865 he was ordained to the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal church at Concord, N. H., and was appointed assistant master in St. Paul's school, where he remained until 1879. In that year he became rector of St. John's church, Ellicott City, Md., which charge he has since re- tained. He edited " Evans on the Christian Doc- trine of Marriage " (New York, 1870), and pub- lished a " Memoir of Hugh Davey Evans " (Hart- ford, 1870), and a life of John B. Kerfoot, first bishop of Pittsburg (New York, 1886).


HARRISON, James Albert, philologist, b. in Pass Christian, Miss., 21 Aug., 1848. He was graduated at the University of Virginia in 1866, and went to Germany in 1871. He was professor of Latin and modern languages in Randolph- Macon college, Va., from 1871 till 1876, when he was appointed to the chair of English and mod- em languages in Washington and Lee university, Lexington, Va., which he now holds (1887). In 1883 he delivered ten lectures on Anglo-Saxon po- etry at Johns Hopkins university. He received the degree of doctor of letters at the Columbia col- lege centennial anniversary in 1887. He is chair- man of the editorial committee of the Modern lan- guage association, a member of the American philo- logical association, and the originator and editor of the " Library of Anglo-Saxon Poetry." His publi- cations include " Greek Vignettes " (1875) ; " Spain in Profile " (1878) ; " History of Spain " (Boston, 1881) ; " Beowulf," with Robert Sharp (Boston, 1883; 2d ed., revised, 1886); "Exodus and Dan- iel," with Prof. Theodore W. Hunt (Boston, 1885) ; " Story of Greece " (New York, 1885) ; and a •' Han- dy Anglo-Saxon Dictionary," with Dr. William M. Baskervill (New York, 1886).


HARRISON, James Thomas, lawyer, b. near Pendleton, S. C, 30 Nov., 1811 ; d. in Columbus, Miss., 22 May, 1879. His father, Thomas, a de- scendant of Benjamin Harrison, served as captain of a battery in the war of 1812, after which he was comptroller-general of the state. The son was graduated at the University of South Carolina in 1829, and studied law under James L. Pettigru. He removed to Macon, Miss., in 1834, and in 1836 settled permanently in Columbus. In 1861 he was a delegate to the convention of southern states in Montgomery, and served also in the Con- federate congress during the entire period of its existence. On the reconstruction of Mississippi he was elected to congress, but was refused admis- sion, and returned to his practice.


HARRISON, John Hoffman, physician, b. in Washington, D. C, 30 Aug., 1808 ; d. in New Or- leans, l9 March, 1849. He was graduated at the University of Maryland in 1831, and was resident- surgeon of its charity hospital from 1833 till 1836. In 1845 he established the " New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal," which he edited four years. He published an "Essay toward a Correct Theory of the Nervous System " (Philadel- phia, 1844), and contributed important articles to medical journals. Dr. Drake has noted his experi- ments with regard to yellow fever in his " Diseases of the Mississippi Valley " (Philadelphia, 1850-'4).


HARRISON, Joseph, engineer, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 20 Sept., 1810 ; d. there, 27 March, 1874. He had received but a partial common- school education, when his strong inclination for mechanical pursuits led his father to indenture him to learn steam-engineering. He began to build locomotives in 1834, and in 1840 designed for the Reading railroad an eleven-ton engine. Two Russian engineers, Col. Melnekoff and Col. Kraft, who were in this country to investigate its rail- way system, saw this engine, took traces of it, and introduced it into general use in Russia, where its value led to an official inquiry for its builder. The result was that Mr. Harrison was invited to Russia, and there in 1843 he, with Andrew M. East- wick, of Philadelphia, and Thomas Winans, of Baltimore, concluded a contract with the govern- ment to build the locomotives and rolling stock for the St. Petersburg and Moscow railway for $3,000,000. The Emperor Nicholas made the part- ners costly presents, and also gave Mr. Harrison the ribbon of the order of St. Ann, to which was attached a massive gold medal, at the time of the completion of the bridge across the Neva. After executing other extensive contracts with the Rus- sian government, Mr. Harrison returned to Phila- delphia in 1852, built a fine mansion, and col- lected in it many paintings and other works of art. Later he designed and patented the "Har- rison Safety-Boiler," and was awarded the gold and silver Rumford medals by the American acad- emy of arts and sciences. He wrote "The Iron- Worker and King Solomon," and published a folio containing this poem and some fugitive pieces, his autobiography, and many incidents of life in Russia (Philadelphia, 1869). He also wrote a paper on the part taken by Philadelphians in the invention of the locomotive, an account of the Neva bridge in Russia, and a paper on steam- boilers. He was a member of the American philo- sophical society, and of other learned societies.


HARRISON, Napoleon Bonaparte, naval officer, b. in Virginia, 19 Feb., 1823 ; d. in Key West, Fla.. 27 Oct.. 1870. He entered the navy as midshipman on 26 Sept., 1838, served in the Pacific squadron in 1847-8, and was in California during the Mexican war, serving as a volunteer in the expedition that rescued Gen. Kearny's command. In 1850 he was in the observatory in Washington, D. C, and in 1851-'2 was engaged in the coast survey. He was made lieutenant, 6 Jan., 1853, and appointed to the East Indian squadron. In 1862 he commanded the "Cayuga," the flag-ship of Captain Bailey, of the West Gulf blockading squadron, and led the fleet in the passage of Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip, for which action he was commended in the official reports. He became commander on 16 July, 1862, and had charge of the " Mahaska," of the James river flotilla, during the operations of Gen. McClellan before Richmond, and his retreat to Harrison's landing. In 1862-'3 he held command of the flag-ship " Minnesota," of the North Atlantic blockading squadron, and subsequently was attached to the South Atlantic blockading squadron, taking part in the attacks on the South Carolina coast until the fall of Charleston. From 1866 till 1868 he was stationed in the navy-yard at Portsmouth, N. H. He was made captain on 28 April, 1868, and in 1868-'9 was commandant of cadets in the U. S. naval academy. At the time of his death he commanded the "Congress," of the North Atlantic fleet.


HARRISON, Richard, auditor of the treasury, b. in 1750 ; d. in Washington, D. C, 10 July, 1841. He was U. S. consul at Cadiz for five years. President Washington appointed him auditor on 29 Nov.,