056 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



24, 25, 1862, was appointed major of the Thirty-third 

 Massachusetts Regiment in July, 1862, was soon after- 

 ward promoted lieutenant-colonel, became colonel in 

 April, 1863, and commanded his regiment at Chau- 

 cellorsville, Gettysburg, and other engagements. On 

 the night of Oct. 28. 1863, while leading a succes_sful 

 charge at Wauhatchie, in the movement to relieve 

 the beleaguered army at Chattanooga, he received a 

 wound, at first supposed to be mortal, which prostrat- 

 ed him for over a year. For his gallantry on this oc- 

 casion, Gen. Hooker solicited tor him promotion to 

 brigadier-general, which was granted November 6 : 

 and on Aug. 13, 1865, he was brevetted major-general 

 of volunteers for services during the war. Gen. Un- 

 derwood was appointed surveyor of the port of Boston, 

 Aug. 20, 1865, and held the office till July, 1886. He 

 published a " History of the Thirty-third Massachu- 

 setts Regiment" (Boston, 1881). 



Underwood, John William Henry, lawyer, born in El- 

 bert County, Ga., Nov. 20, 1816 ; died in Floyd Coun- 

 ty, Ga., July IS, 1888. He received a classical educa- 

 tion, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1834. 

 From 1843 till 1847 he was solicitor-general for the 

 Western Circuit, in 1850 was a member of the Con- 

 stitutional Convention of Geonria, in 1857 was a mem- 

 ber and Speaker of the Georgia Legislature, in 1859 

 was elected a representative in Congress, in which 

 he served on the committee on expenses in the Navy 

 Department, and in February, 1861, resigned his seat 

 and returned to Georgia. He served for several years 

 after the war as a judge of the Superior and Supreme 

 Courts of Georgia, and was a member of President Ar- 

 thur's tariff commission. 



Van Wiokle, Simon, merchant, born in Jameslmri:, 

 N. J., in March, 1820 ; died in New Brunswick, N. J., 

 May 15, 18S^. He received a district-school educa- 

 tion, removed to New Brunswick after attaining his 

 majority, became a marine captain, and obtained wide 

 notoriety about 1844aseommaiulerof the steamer " An- 

 telope," which was run in opposition to Commodore 

 Vanderbilt's vessels. Afterward he was a conductor of 

 the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Com- 

 pany, and then engaged in the coal business, subse- 

 quently establishing" the present New York firm of 

 Van \v"ickle & Stout. He became a member of the 

 Baptist Church in 1851, and for sixteen years he was 

 superintendent of a Sabbath-school. In 1873 he was 

 elected treasurer of the New Jersey Central Baptist 

 Association, and in 1887 vice-president of the State 

 Baptist Convention. He was also a member ot the 

 board of managers of the Peddie Institute at Heights- 

 town, N. J., and gave it at one time $15,000. He 

 erected a church for the colored Baptists of New 

 Brunswick, gave $10, 000 to another, and various sums 

 to struggling congregations through the State, sup- 

 posed to aggregate $100,000. 



Vassar, John Gny, born in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., in 

 1 811 ; died there, Oct. 27, 18S8. He was a nephew of 

 Matthew Vassar, Sr., founder of Vassar College, and 

 on attaining his majority was admitted to partnership 

 in his uncle's brewing tirm. He was actively engaged 

 iu the business from 1832 till 1839, when 'ill health 

 caused him to retire and seek restoration in foreign 

 travel. He acquired great wealth by fortunate invest- 

 ments and inheritance. He gave an equal sum with 

 Matthew Vassar to the Vassar College Laboratory, 

 and, after Matthew's death, a handsome endowment; 

 to the Vassar Home for Old Men. $15,000; and to 

 Vassar Institute, $65,000, and an endowment. He be- 

 queathed to Vassar College, $130,000 in securities 

 $40,000 for a chair of Modern Languages, $40,000 for 

 a chair of Natural History, 10,000 for materials and 

 apparatus for the laboratory, $20.000 for a depart- 

 ment of music, and $20,000 for a department of art ; 

 $25,000 for the completion of the Vassar Brothers' 

 Hospital, and $200,000 toward its permanent main- 

 tenance fund : $17,000 for special hospital purposes ; 

 his College Hill property and $18,000 for the estab- 

 lishment of an orphan asylum, and $100,000 for a 

 permanent fund ; $70,000 and two valuable pieces of 



real estate to the Vassar Brothers' Home for Old Men ; 

 $25,000, besides the property and $30,000 previously 

 transferred, to the Vassar Brothers' Institute; $10,000 

 to the Baptist church of Poughkeepsie, and $5,000 as 

 an endowment fund ; $5^000 to the American Seamen's 

 Friend Society of New \ ork ; $1 ,000 each to the Youcg 

 Men's Christian Association, Woman's Christian As- 

 sociation, Old Ladies' Home, House of Industry, So- 

 ciety tor the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and 

 the Associated Fire Department, alf of Poughkeepsie ; 

 and $500 each to fourteen churches, irrespective of 

 denomination, in the city. Vassar College, Vassal- 

 Hospital, and Vassar Orphan Asylum are his residuary 

 legatees, each of which will receive about $500,000. 



Wadleigh, Lydia F., educator, born in Sutton, N. II., 

 in 1818; died in Brooklyn, N. Y., Oct. 27, 1888. 

 She became so widely known as a teacher of girls 

 and young ladies, that when the Twelfth Street Ad- 

 vanced School for Girls was organized in New York 

 city, in 1856, she was summoned to take charge of it. 

 In'tne face of bitter opposition, she agitated the estab- 

 lishment of a tree normal school for girls, and by her 

 work as a teacher showed the public that such an in- 

 stitution would be practical, effective, and appreciated. 

 When she had accomplished her project, she took 

 -ion of the Normal College of New York with 

 her 300 girl pupils, and entered upon a new career of 

 usefulness, which terminated only with her death. 

 During the summer she had made a tour of England, 

 Scotland, and Wales. She was an exceptionally good 

 classical scholar. 



Walker, George, lawyer, born in Peterborough, N. II., 

 in 1824; died in Washington, D. C., Jan. 15, 1888. 

 He was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1842, stud- 

 ied law in the Harvard Law School, and was admitted 

 to the bar in Springfield, Mass., in 1S47. In 1857 he 

 was elected to the State Senate, and gave special at- 

 tention to banking and financial legislation during 

 two terms. On his retirement he was appointed bank 

 commissioner of Massachusetts. At the expiration of 

 his term he resumed his legal practice, and in addi- 

 tion engaged in the banking business, becoming presi- 

 dent of the Third National Bank in Sprins^field. In 

 1865 he went to Europe on a confidential mission for 

 Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of the United States 

 Treasury, and while there prepared an article on the 

 public d'ebt and resources ot the United States, which 

 was published in the principal newspapers of the fi- 

 nancial centers. He wa-s chairman of the finance 

 committee of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1868, 

 and in the following year went to Europe on business 

 for his State. After this service he gave up law prac- 

 tice and removed to New York city. In 1879 he was 

 sent to Europe l>y Secretary Evarts of the State De- 

 partment, to investigate the subject of bimetallism, 

 and in 1880 was appointed United States Consul-Gen- 

 eral in Paris, where he served till June, 1887. 



Wallack, John Lester, actor, born in New York city 

 Jan. 1, 1820; died near Stamford, Conn., Sept. 6. 

 1888. His grandfather. William Wallack, was a noted 

 English actor, as was also his father, James William 

 Wallack, who, two years before the birth of Lester, 

 as he was commonly called, became a resident of New 

 York. From early childhood, young Lester was des- 

 tined by his parents for the British armv, and to this 

 end he was taken to England to be educated. His 

 examination was passed, and a commission granted 

 to him ; but he soon loft the army for the stage. His 

 first appearance in London was at the Haymarket 

 Theatre, Nov. 26, 1846, where he was discovered by 

 John Barnett, an American impresario, in 1847. " ite 

 is too good for London, and I'll take him over the 

 pond," said Barnett, who at once offered him a large 

 sum for a season in New York. He appeared at the 

 New Broadway Theatre under the name of Mr. John 

 Lester, and under this name he played till 1861, when 

 he resumed his patronymic. Business at the New 

 Broadway was beginning to languish, when the man- 

 ager announced his intention to produce " Monte 

 Cristo" with Lester in the principal role. Lester 



