634 



OBITUARIES, UNITED STATES. 



opened a large bakery in Rutgers Street, and 

 soon obtained sufficient trade to form the basis 

 of the fortune which he subsequently acquired. 

 In 1842, in connection with his brother, George 

 V. Hecker, he erected the Oroton Mills, and 

 carried on the business under the name of 

 Hecker & Brother. In 1850 he was tendered 

 the congressional nomination by the Free-Soil 

 party. In 1857 he distributed large quantities 

 of bread to the poor, repeating this act of 

 charity several winters subsequently; and, at 

 the outbreak of the war, sent a number of 

 cooks to Washington at his own expense, to 

 provide proper food for the soldiers ; but. as 

 the Government could not make their services 

 available, they returned to New York. In 

 1864 he was chosen Inspector of Public 

 Schools, retaining that office until his death. 

 The subject of popular education engrossed 

 much of his attention, and he was the author 

 of a volume entitled " Scientific Basis of Edu- 

 cation," which had some circulation among 

 educators in this and other States. At one 

 time he edited the Churchman, in which he 

 advanced some very peculiar and impracticable 

 ideas. One of his brothers, after a somewhat 

 varied experience, became one of the Paulist 

 fathers in the Roman Catholic Church ; but the 

 subject of this sketch, though a very High 

 Churchman, never showed a disposition to, 

 leave the Anglican Church. 



May^ 10. MARVIN-, Rev. E. P., D. D., a Con- 

 gregationalist clergyman and editor; died in 

 \Yellesley, Mass., aged 55 years. Hewas a na- 

 tive of Seneca County, N. Y. He was for some 

 years editor of the Boston Recorder, and, after 

 its absorption in the Congregationalist, was 

 also the proprietor. Subsequently he was 

 managing editor of the Boston Daily News. 

 He was a man of extensive culture, and was a 

 vigorous writer. 



May 11. PALMER, CORTLANDT, a prominent 

 merchant, railroad president, and real-estate 

 owner, of New York City ; died there, aged 74 

 years. He was a native of Stonington, Conn., 

 and in early boyhood removed to New York, 

 to seek his livelihood. Manfully refusing the 

 proffered assistance of his father, he entered 

 the hardware-store of his brother, in Maiden 

 Lane, a penniless boy, and, when nearly twen- 

 ty-one years of age, borrowed the necessary 

 capital for entering upon business on his own 

 account. His industry and tact won for him 

 unusual success, enabling him in a short time 

 to pay off his indebtedness and rapidly rise in 

 both wealth and influence. The panic of 1837 

 proved disastrous to his business firm; but, 

 with his usual forethought, he invested his 

 little capital left from the wreck in real estate 

 well located in the city, and also some tracts 

 of land in the West, to which he added from 

 time to time, until, at his death, his property 

 amounted to several millions. Mr. Palmer was 

 a director and one of the founders of the Safe 

 Deposit Company, and .at one time was presi- 

 dent of the Stonington Railroad Company. He 



was also one of the commissioners for apprais- 

 ing the real estate owned by the city of New 

 York. 



May 12. BLANCHARD, ALBERT C., a promi- 

 nent Western banker and financier; died in 

 Brookfield, Mass., aged 66 years. He was born 

 in Brookfield in 1 808, and entered upon his busi- 

 ness-life as a clerk in Springfield. After a few 

 years of faithful service, he removed to the 

 West to engage in business for himself, and 

 finally settled in Richmond, Ind., where the 

 greater part of his life was spent. His finan- 

 cial ability being soon recognized, he was, in 

 1835, chosen president of the Richmond branch 

 of the State Bank of Indiana, holding that po- 

 sition for a period of twenty years, when the 

 charter expired. When the Bank of the State 

 of Indiana was chartered, he became connect- 

 ed with it, and was always influential in its gen- 

 eral management ; his influence in financial 

 matters extending throughout the State. He 

 was also one of the pioneers in private bank- 

 ing in the West, establishing, in connection 

 with some others, the Citizens' Bank in 1853, 

 one of the first institutions of its kind in the 

 State.- 



May 12. BUCHANAN, FRANKLIN, Admiral, 

 C. S. N., formerly an officer in the United 

 States Navy ; died in Talbot County, Md., aged 

 74 years. He was of Scotch descent, and was 

 born in Baltimore, September 17, 1800, entered 

 the navy as a midshipman, June 28, 1815, served 

 some years at sea, and before reaching the age 

 of twenty-one years served as acting-lieutenant 

 on a cruise to India. In July, 1826, he was in 

 command of the frigate Baltimore, built for the 

 Emperor of Brazil, Lieutenant Buchanan hav- 

 ing been ordered to carry her to Rio Janeiro. 

 Upon his return he sailed in the Pacific, part 

 of the time being attached to the Peacock. In 

 1841 he was promoted to a commander, hav- 

 ing charge of the Mississippi, and afterward of 

 the Vincennes. In 1845 he was selected by 

 the Secretary of the Navy for the responsible 

 duty of organizing the Naval Academy in An- 

 napolis. The same year he opened the school 

 as its first superintendent, but in 1847 relin- 

 quished the position for the command of the 

 Germantown, in which he took part in the 

 Mexican War, participating in the capture of 

 Vera Cruz and other well-known engagements. 

 In 1852 he commanded the Susquehanna, flag- 

 ship of Commodore Perry's Japan expedition, 

 which opened China and Japan to the com- 

 merce of the world. Having been promoted 

 to be captain, he was in 1859 ordered to the 

 command of the Washington Navy-yard, which 

 position he resigned in April, 1861, and in May, 

 1861, resigned his commission, which was not 

 accepted, and he was dismissed, to date from 

 April 22d. In September, 1861, he entered 

 the Confederate service as captain. He com- 

 manded the Virginia in the attack upon the 

 Federal fleet in Hampton Roads, when the 

 Cumberland was sunk, and the Congress blown 

 up. In this action he was severely wounded, 



