626 



OBITUARIES, UNITED STATES. 



ceived the degree of D. D. from Kenyon Col- 



Feb. 22. PORTER, SAMUEL, one of the pio- 

 neer promoters of the magnetic telegraph, 

 born in Geneva, N. Y. ; died in Albion, N. Y., 

 aged 55 years. He was in early life a clerk 

 in the office of the New York Observer, and 

 thus became acquainted with Prof. Morse and 

 interested in his telegraphic experiments. In 

 1844 he entered upon the business of build- 

 ing lines of telegraph with Morse, Ezra Cor- 

 nell, and others, aiding in the construction of 

 the line from Baltimore to New York, and 

 then from New York to Albany and Buffalo. 

 He then on his own account built and opened 

 the line from Buffalo to Toronto, stretching the 

 ficst line across the Niagara Eiver in 1846, and 

 the first line that extended the wires across 

 the St. Lawrence into Montreal. He origi- 

 nated and built the first marine line between 

 New York City and Sandy Hook, in 1853, and 

 since that time had built competing lines on 

 important routes in the West and East. His 

 great enterprise and energy broke down his 

 health and caused his early death. 



Feb. 23. SMITH, HENRY, a noted politician 

 and political leader in New York City, Presi- 

 dent of the Board of Police Commissioners, 

 and a member of the Board of Health ; died 

 in New York City, in the 54th year of his 

 age. He was born in Amsterdam, N. Y;, 

 and was the son of a farmer. He began life 

 early as a canal-boat driver, and before reach- 

 ing his majority had added to this a shop in 

 Fultonville, in which he kept groceries and 

 canal-stores. He was subsequently employed 

 as an agent of the Albany Merchants' line of 

 canal-boats. He did so well that he was in- 

 duced, about 1843 or 1844, to come to New 

 York as the agent for the Fultonville line of 

 canal-boats. He filled this position for several 

 years and purchased an interest in the line. 

 By his efforts he built up an extensive for- 

 warding and commission business. He was 

 subsequently connected with Abram Van Sant- 

 voord in running a line of tow-boats, and af- 

 terward with Albert Van Santvoord in the 

 same business. Van Santvoord and he built 

 the handsome steamboats Chauncey Vibbard 

 and Drew, and organized a day line to Albany. 

 For twenty -five years Mr. Smith had been one 

 of the most active politicians in his party, and 

 for the last eight or ten one of the most 

 influential political leaders in the State. He 

 was very popular with the working-classes, 

 and was on several occasions elected over his 

 opponents in a district politically against him. 

 He was not, however, so desirous of office as 

 of power and influence. He had been for 

 four years a councilman, four years an alder- 

 man, and a supervisor for seven years, till that 

 board was abolished. From 1868 till his death 

 he was a police commissioner, for two years 

 treasurer and for four president of the board, 

 and ex officio a member of the Board of Health. 

 In all the- district, county, State, and national 



Republican Conventions he was present and 

 generally a delegate, and a member of the 

 District and State Executive Committees. He 

 was President of the Bowling Green and Na- 

 tional Savings-Banks, both of which failed in 

 1871, but does not seem to have been person- 

 ally responsible for their bad management, 

 which, indeed, he tried to rectify, to his own 

 heavy loss. 



Feb. 24. BUFFTTM, JOSEPH, an eminent citi- 

 zen of Westmoreland, N. H., a member of the 

 Sixteenth Congress; died at Westmoreland, 

 N. H., in the 90th year of his age. He was 

 born at Fitchburg, Mass., and graduated from 

 Dartmouth College in 1807. He studied law 

 and was admitted to the bar at Keene, N. H., 

 and practised law there till 1819, when he 

 was elected to Congress from that district. 

 He served but a single term, and then returned 

 to Keene, and removed to Westmoreland, where 

 for more than fifty years he devoted himself 

 to agricultural pursuits. He was a man of 

 fine intellect and sterling integrity. 



Feb. 26. MILLSON, JOHN S., an eminent law- 

 yer, formerly member of Congress from East- 

 ern .Virginia ; died at Norfolk, Va. He was 

 born in that city, October 1, 1808, studied law, 

 and was elected a Representative from his 

 State in the Thirty-first Congress, which posi- 

 tion he held by reflections until 1860, serving 

 as a member of the Committees on Commerce 

 and Ways and Means, and of the Special Com- 

 mittee of Thirty-three on the rebellious States. 

 In 1844 and 1849 he was also a presidential 

 elector. 



Feb. 26. PERLEY, IRA, LL. D., an eminent 

 jurist, ex-Chief-Justice of New Hampshire, 

 died at Concord, N. H., aged 75 years. He was 

 born in Boxford, Mass., graduated from Dart- 

 mouth College with high honor in 1822, re- 

 mained as tutor two years, and, having studied 

 law, was admitted to the bar at Guilford, N. H., 

 in 1827. He entered upon the practice of his 

 profession at Hanover, where he was five years 

 treasurer of the college, and in 1834 removed 

 to Concord, where he soon won a high repu- 

 tation as a lawyer. In. July, 1850, he accept- 

 ed the appointment of an Associate Justice of 

 the Superior Court ; resigned that position in 

 1852 ; in 1855 was made Chief -Justice of the 

 Supreme Judicial Court ; resigned in 1859, in 

 order to resume practice, and in 1864 accepted 

 the latter position again, holding it until 1869, 

 when his ago disqualified him for the office. 

 Judge Perley ranked high as a jurist, was an 

 accomplished scholar in science and literature, 

 and, although not a politician, served two 

 years as a Republican Representative from 

 Concord in the State Legislature. In 1852 

 Dartmouth College conferred upon him the 

 honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. 



Feb. . BEATON, Mrs., a centenarian, died 

 in Southampton County, Va., aged 104 years. 



Feb. . KITCHEN, Miss BECKY, a centena- 

 rian, died in Southampton County, Va., aged 

 120 years. 



