Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/155

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HASSLER


HASTINGS


emigrated to the United States in 1852, settling in Galesburg, 111. In 18(53 he became president of the Swedish seaiinarj' at Paxton, 111., and continued in charge of that institution, which, in 1875, was remoTed to Rock Island under the name of Augustana college and theological semi- nary. He assisted in founding the Scandinavian Augustana synod an'l was its president, 1860- 70. He travelled extensively in the United States in the interest of Swedish immigrants and in 1870 returned to Sweden for the same purpose. The honorary degree of D. D. was given him by Muhlenberg college, Allentown, Pa., in 1870. He established at Chicago in 1855 and edited Hemlandet det Gamla och det Nya, and in 1856 became editor of Batta Hemlandet, afterward Aitgitslana och Missionareu, published at Rock Island. He died at Rock Island, 111., Feb. 4, 1898.

HASSLER, Ferdinand Augustus, author, was born near Norfolk, Va., March 6, 1844; son of Surgeon Charles Augustus (U.S.N.) and Anna J. (Nourse) Hassler; and grand.son of Ferdinand Rudolph and Marianne (de Gaillard de Lonju- meau) Hassler and of Col. Michael and Mary (Rittenhouse) Nourse. Col. Michael Nourse served in the war of 1813 and his wife was a niece of David Rittenhouse, the astronomer. Fer- dinand A. Hassler was page in the U.S. senate, 1856-62, and was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. M.D., 1866, and Ph.D., 1872. He was a teacher at the West Philadelphia med- ical institute in 1872 and professor of materia medica at Lincoln vmiversity, Pa., in 1873. He invented and patented a word register for tj^pe- writers, 1898, and was the correspondent of the Datavya Bharata Karyalaya of Calcutta, 1884-96. He was elected a member of the Academy of natural sciences of Philadelphia, of the Philo- sophical and Biological societies of Washington, and of other scientific .societies. He is the au- thor of scientific articles contributed to the magazines and of many stories and poems, and tales for children.

HASSLER, Ferdinand Rudolpti, mathemati- cian, was born in Aarau, Switzerland, Oct. 6, 1770. He was given a scientific education and immediately engaged with more experienced scientists in a trigonometrical survey of Switzer- land. He was married in 1798 to Marianne, Bar- oness de Gaillard de Lonjumeau. He emigrated to America in 1805 and brought letters of introduc- tion to Albert Gallatin, who secured for him an appointment as acting assistant professor of mathematics at the U.S. military academy, where he served, 1807-10. He was professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Union college, 1810-11. He organized the U.S. coast survey, 1811-15, and was its first superintendent, 1815-43. He visited Europe in 1811 to obtain


instniments and standards of measurements for the department and was detained there till 1815, as an alien enemy. Active work in the depart- ment was begun in 1815 and discontinued from 1817 to 1832 for want of an appi-opriation. For his four years in Europe he received no remu- neration from the government and v.-as too proud to ask congress for it. During his administration, 1832-43, the coast from Rhode Island to the head of the Chesapeake baj' was triangulated and topographed and the bays from Montauk Point to the Delaware capes hydrographed. The triangu- lation covered 9000 square miles with determina- tions of 1200 stations for delineating 1600 miles of shore-line. He added to the superintendence of the coast survey the dvities of chi-^.f of the bureau of weights and measures. He was a fellow of the American philosophical society. In 1843 a board of civil, naval and military officers, appointed by President Tyler, under an act of congress adopted the scientific methods proposed by Hassler which became the basis of reorganiza- tion. His publications other than official were: Analytical 2'rigonometry (1826) ; Elements of Geom- etry (1828); System of the Universe (2 vols., 1828); Logarithmic and Trigonometric Tables (18'S8) ; Ele- ments of Arithmetic ( 1843 ) . His life was published by Zschokke at Aarau (1877), and was translated by his daughter, Mrs. R. Hassler Norris. A sketch of his life, written by himself, with much other matter, was piiblished in Nice, France, in 1883. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 20, 1843. HASTINGS, Daniel Hartman, governor of Pennsylvania, was born in Salona, Pa., Feb. 26, 1849; son of William and Sarah Hastings ; grand- son of George and Nancy Hastings; and a de- scendant of George Sampson Hastings of county Down, Ireland. He was brought up on a farm and received his ed- ucation in the public schools. He was ad- mitted to the bar in April, 1875, practised law at Bellefonte, Pa., 1875-88, and was largely intei"e.sted in coal mines and bank- ing enterprises, 1886- 90. He was adju- tant-general of Penn- sylvania, 1887-91, and had charge of the relief measures at John.stown at the time of the flood in 1889. He was a delegate-at-large to the Republican national convention in 1888. and placed John Sherman in nomination for the presidency. He was Republican governor of


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