PRUYN
PRYOR
/
member of the New York senate in 1S61-62, and
devoted liis s;iliiry to the poor of Albany. He
was a Dtiiiocratic representative from the four-
teenth New York district in the 38th congress,
liaving been elected to complete the term of
Erastus Corning, resigned, and was re-elected to
the 40th congress, serving 1B63-65 and 1867-69,
He wjis married first, Oct. U'2, 1840, to Harriet
Corning, daugliter of Thomas and Mary Rug-
gles (Weld) Turner, and secondly, Sept. 7, 1865,
to Anna Kenn. daughter of the Hon. Amasa
Junius and Harriet Langdon (Roberts) Parker of
Albany. N.Y. He was a commissioner for the
building of the new state capitol, 1865-70, and on
July 7, 1869. laid the first stone. He was a regent
of the University of the State of New York, 1844-
77: succeeded Hon. GerritY. Lansing as chancel-
lor, serving 1862-77; was president of Albany
Institute. 1857-77, founder and president of the
New York State board of charities, 1867-77;
president of the board of commissioners of the
state survey, 1876-77; a trustee of St. Stephen's
college at Annandale, N.Y., 1860-77; a member
of the Centennial commission, 1871-76, and of
the Association for the Codification of the Law
of Nations. He was a corresponding member of
the New York Historical society, honorary mem-
ber of the Wisconsin Historical society; a member
of the American Geographical and Statistical
society, of the Literary Fund society of London,
and of the Union club and the Century associa-
tion of New York. He received the honorary
degree A.M. from Rutgers college in 1835, LL.D.
from Union college in 1845, and from the Uni-
versity of Rochester in 1852. He died at Clifton
Springs. N.Y.. Nov. 21. 1877.
PRUYN, Robert Hewson, diplomatist, was born in Albany, N.Y., Feb. 14, 1815; son of Cas- parus F. and Anne (Hewson) Pruyn; grandson of Francis C. and Cornelia (Dunbar) Pruyn and of Robert and Elizabeth (Fryer) Hewson, and a descendant of Francis Pruyn, the immigrant, 1665. He was prepared for college at Albany academy, and was graduated at Rutgers. A.B., 18.33, A.M., 1836. He stu.lied law in the office of Abraham Van Vechten of Albany and was at- torney and counsellor for the corporation of Albany, and a member of the municipal council, 1836-39. He was married. Nov. 9. 1841. to Jane Ann, daughter to Gerrit Yates and Helen (Ten Eyck) Lansing of Albany, N.Y. He was judge- advocate-general of the state. 1841-46 and 1851; a member of the assembly 1848. 1849. 18.50 and 1854, serving as speaker firn tempore in 1K50, and as speaker in 18.54. and as adjutant-general on the staff of Gov. Myron H. Clark in 18,55. He was appointed U.S. minister resident to Japan by President Lincoln. Oct. 21. 1861. as successor to Townsend Harris, resigned, and during his ad-
ministration he maintained that the Tj-coou was
the real ruler of Japan and should be so recog-
nized, in order tluit foreign intercourse could be
guaranteed without awaiting treaties ratified by
the Mikado. During his service in Japan he had
full power, and when the daimio of Ciiosiu fired
on the American merchant steamer Pembroke in
1863 he proceeded to use the U.S. navy to prevent
a repetition of the outrage. Commodore Mc-
Dougall in the Wyoming sank a brig and blew
up a steamer and then ran the gauntlet of Japanese
shore batteries, Straits of Simonosaki. and sub-
sequently the Takiang, a chartered steamer,
carrying the guns and a crew from the U.S.S.
Jainestoum, with the allied naval forces of Great
Britain, France and Holland, whose vessels had
been similarly treated, demolished the fortifica-
tions of Chosiu and captured the guns. This
action of the allied powers was questioned, but
the prompt suppressing of outrages postponed
the intended dethronement of the Tycoon, en-
abling him to observe his treaty stipulations, and
the incident cost the Japanese government an
indemnity of $3,000,000 and secured immediate
foreign intercourse. Mr. Pruyn returned to the
United States in 1865; was the Republican can-
didate for lieutenant-governor of New York in
1866, and was made president of the state con-
stitutional convention of 1872. He was a trustee
of Rutgers college: president of the board of
directors of the Dudley observatory; vice-presi-
dent of the board of trustees of the Albany
Medical college, and a member of the executive
committee of the State Normal school at Alban3^
He received the degree of LL.D. from Williams
in 1865. He died in Albany, N.Y., Feb. 26. 1882.
PRYOR, Luke, senator, was born in Madison
county, Ala., July 5, 1820. His father was a
native of Virginia. He studied law under
Judge Daniel Coleman, and was admitted to
the bar in 1841, practising in Athens, Limestone
county, in partnership with E. J. Jones, R. C.
Brickell, and George S. Houston. He married
a daughter of Capt. John Harris of Limestone
county; and represented the county in the Ala-
bama legislature in 1855, in order to secure
privileg:es for the railroad from Nashville to
Montgomery, of which he was a projector. He
supported the Confederate States government,
1861-65, opposed the reconstruction measures of
the U.S. government, 1865-70. and was appointed
to the U.S. senate in January, 1880, by Governor
Cobb, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Geortxe S. Houston. Dec. 31, 1879. When the
legislature met in November, 1800, he declined
to be a candidate to complete the unexpired term.
He was a Democratic representative from the
eighth Alabama district in the 48tli congress,
1883-85. He died in Athens, Ala., Aug. 5, 1900.
