Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/233

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

DEXIO


DEXI80X


Cyl\S}^djL^ AA^J-^-


with him to Virginia a grant of many acres of land on the Shenandoah and James rivers, known as Burden's grant. Charles attended George- town college, D.C., from 1841 to 1844 and was graduated at the Virginia military institute in 1850. He was professor of tactics in the Ma- sonic university, Sel- ma, Ala., 1850-53, and then removed to Evans- ville, Ind., to assume the editorship of the Daily Enquirer, at the same time studying la >v. He was admitted to the bar in 1855. He was surveyor of the port of Evansville un- der President Bu- chanan in 1857, and a member of the In. diana legislature, 1857-58. In 1861 he joined the Union army as lieutenant-colonel of the 42d Indiana volunteers, and subsequently served as colonel of the 80th Indiana volunteers. He was a delegate-at-large to the Democratic national conventions of 1880 and 1884. In May, 1885, he was appointed by President Cleveland minister plenipotentiary and envoy extraordi- nary to the empire of China, and held the office until July 11, 1898. He was married in 1858 to Martha, eldest daughter of the Hon. Graham Newell Fitch, and of his children, Graham Fitch became a lawyer at Evansville; Charles, Jr., be- came secretary of the American legation, Pekin, China; Wythe became mining engineer of the Arizona copper company ; and Edwin became a lawyer in Detroit. 3Ii("h. Colonel Denby was appointed in September, 1898, a member of the commission to investigate the conduct of the war department in the war with Spain, and in January 1899, a member of the Philippine commission. He received tlie honorary degree of LL.D. from Georgetown (DC.) nnivpvsity in 1885. He died at Jamestown, X.Y., Jan. 13, i904. DENIO, Hiram, jurist, was born in Rome, N.Y., May 21, 1799. He was admitted to the bar in 1821, practising in his native city. He was district attorney of Oneida county, 1825-34 ; circuit judge of the 5th circuit, 1834-38; bank commissioner, 1838-40; clerk and reporter N.Y. supreme court, 1845-47; and judge of tha N.Y. court of appeals, 1853-66. He received the hono- rary degree of LL.D. from Union in 1829 and was a trustee of Hamilton college, 1835-71. He pub- lished five volumes of the reports of the New York supreme court and with William Tracy the 4th edition of X.Y. JRevised Statntes (2 vols., 1852). He died in Utica. N.Y., Nov. 5, 1871.


DENISON, Charles, representative, was born in Wyoming Valley, Pa., Jan. 23, 1818. He was graduated at Dickinson college in 1838, studied law, and practised in Wilkesbar re, Pa. He was a representative in the 38th, 39th and 40tli con- gresses, 1863-67. During the first recess in the first session of the 40th congress, he died at his home in Wilkesbarre, Pa., June 27, 1867.

DENISON, Charles Wheeler, author, was born in New Loudon, Conn., Nov. 11, 1809. He was educated in New London and at an early age edited a newspaper there. He then took orders in the Protestant Episcopal church and was a prominent abolitionist, editing the Emancipator of New York. He was appointed U.S. consul in British Guiana by President Pierce in 1853, and after his return went to England where he re- mained for several years. He officiated as rector of Grove Road chapel in London in 1867 and also edited an American journal in that city. He contributed to the Knickerbocker and to other magazines and journals, and wrote vmder the pen-name of "Major Pennington." He was married in 1846 to Mary, daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Julia (Robbins) Andrews. Among his published volumes are: 'Hie Tanner Boy, and How He Became a Major-General (1864); WinfieM, the Lawyer's Son, and How He Became a Major- General (1865) ; The Bobbin Boy, and How He Be- came a Major-General (1865), these three being lives of Generals Grant, Hancock and Banks, respectively ; Illustrated Life, Campaigns and Pub- lic Service of Major-General P H. Sheridan (1866) ; Out at Sea (1867) ; Sunshine Castle (1867) ; Antonio, the Italian Boy (ISli) ; and TJie Child Hunters (1817) . He died at New London, Conn., Nov. 14, 1881.

DENISON, Dudley Chase, representative, was born in Royalton, Vt., Sept. 13, 1819; son of Joseph A. and Rachel (Chase) Denison ; grandson of James and Eunice (Stanton) Denison, and of Dudley and AUace (Corbett) Chase; and a de- scendant of Col. George Denison, who was tiie son of William Denison who emigrated from England in 1631 and settled in Roxbury, Mass. Dudley C. was graduated from the University of Vermont in 1840 and was admitted to the bar in 1845. He established himself in practice in his native town and in 1871 took his oldest son, Joseph D., as a partner. He was a senator in the state legislature, 1853-54 ; state attorney, 1858-60; and represented Royalton in the state legislature, 1861-63. In 1864 he was appointed United States district attorney for the Vermont district, by President Lincoln, holding his office until 1869 and meeting the difficulties growing out of the Fenian raid with tact and skill. He was a representative in the 44th and 45th congresses, 1875-79. He was married, Dec. 22. 1846. to Eunice, daughter of Joseph Dunbar of Hartland, Vt.