Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/109

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

NORTON


NORTON


Order of the Loyal Legion. He contributed to magazines on historical and out-of-door topics and is the author of: Canoeing in Kanmickia with John Habberton (1878); A Handbook of Florida (1890); Political Americanisms (1890); Jack Benson's Log (1895); A Medal of Honor Man (1896); Midshipman Jack (1897); A Soldier of the Legion (1898) and The Queen's Rangers (1899).

NORTON, Charles Stuart, naval officer, was born in Albany, N.Y., Aug. 10, 1836; son of John and Mary (Stuart) Norton; grandson of Lachlan and Margaret Stuart and of Jonathan Norton, and a descendant of the Stuarts of Inverness, Scotland, and the Nortons of Troy and Waterford, N.Y, He was gradu- ated at the U.S. Naval academy, June 9, 1855; was promoted passed midshipman, April 15, 1858, master, Nov. 3, 1858, and lieu- tenant, Nov. 24, 1860. He was married, March 29, 1872, to Mary, daughter of A. M. C. Smith, of New York city. He served on the European squadron, 1858-59, on the Brazil squadron, 1860-61; on the steamer Seminole, Charleston, S.C, blockade, Potomac flotilla and at Hampton Roads, Va., 1861-62. He was promoted lieutenant-commander, July 16, 1862; was attached to the North Atlantic block- ading squadron, 1862-64, and the West Gulf blockading .squadron, 1864-65. He commanded the Maratusa, the Mercedita and the Albatross for various periods during the civil war, serving constantly during that period afloat, except for three montlis in hospital and waiting orders. He served on the Shamrock of the European squadron, 1866-68, the navy yard at Portsmouth, N.H., the receiving ship Vermont and the navy yard at New York, 1868-69, and served on iron- clad duty at New Orleans, La., 1869-71. He was l^romoted commander, July 1, 1870, was light- house inspector, 1872-75, commanded the sloop Shaicmut and the iron-clad Passaic of the North Atlantic squadron, 1875-76, was stationed at the torpedo station, Newport, R.I., in 1877; com- manded the receiving ship Passaic at Washington, D.C., 1877-78, was lighthouse inspector, 1878-81; was promoted captain, Oct. 12, 1881, commanded the receiving ship Lidependence at Mare Island, Cal., 1881-83, the Shenandoah of the South Pacific station, 1883-86, was a member of the board of inspection and survey, lSSO-89; commanded the


®14^Z7^


navy yard at Norfolk, Va., 1889-91; the receiving ship Verino7it, 1891-92; and was a member of the naval examining and retiring board, 1892-94. He was promoted commodore, July 31, 1894, and served as acting rear-admiral, commanding the South Atlantic station, 1894-96, and commanded the navy yard and station at Washington, D.C., 1896-98. He was promoted rear-admiral, Feb. 1, 1898, and was retired Aug. 10, 1898, but remained on duty as a member of the board of promotion until April 17, 1899.

NORTON, Daniel Sheldon, senator, was born in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, April 12, 1829; son of Daniel Sheldon and Sarah (Banning) Norton, and grandson of Anthony Banning of Knox county, Ohio. His father was a native of At- takapas. La., where his family were among the first English-speaking settlers. He matriculated at Kenyon college with the class of 1846, but left before graduating, and served in the 2d Ohio regiment in the war with Mexico. He studied law under his brother-in-law. Judge Rollin C. Hurd. in Mt. Vernon; visited California and Nicaragua in 1850-52, was admitted to the bar in 1852, and practised in Mt. Vernon until 1855, when he removed to Minnesota Territory, and settled in Winona. On the adoption of the state constitution, Oct. 13, 1857, he was elected a state senator, and served in the first legislature, 1857- 58, in the third, 1861, and in the sixth, 1863, and seventh 1864 and 1865. He was elected in 1865 by the Republican legislature to the U.S. senate, his term to expire March 3, 1871, and William Windoni and O. P. Stearns completed his term. He was a conservative Republican, and on nation- al questions voted generally with the Democrats. He died in Washington, D.C., July 14, 1870.

NORTON, Frank Henry, author and journalist, was born in Hingliam. Mass., March 20, 1836; son of Maj. Benjamin Hammatt and Augusta (Ware) Norton; grandson of Tliomas Norton, •ship-owner, of Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, and a descendant of Nicholas Norton, who emi- grated from near Bristol, Somersetshire, England, and settled on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., in 1632. Maj. B. H. Norton was U.S. consul at Pictou, Nova Scotia, for twenty-one years. Frank was educated in the D wight school, Boston, at a private school in Waltham, and at the academy in Pictou, N.S., and was engaged in the book business with his brother Charles B. Norton, in New York city, 1850-55. He was assistant libi-a- rian and assistant superintendent in the Astor library, 1855-65, chief librarian of the Brooklyn Mercantile library, 1866-67, and then engaged in newspaper work. He was connected with the editorial staff of Noah's Sunday Titnes, the New York Commercial Adi'ei'tiser, and Frank Leslie's .publications; was proj^rietor and editor of the