646 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



Argentine Government to explore the Gran 

 Chaco, where he spent eight months in learn- 

 ing the Indian dialects and investigating the 

 antiquities. The results were published by the 

 Government. He edited for a short time, at 

 Buenos Ayres, the " River Plate Magazine," 

 and then went to Paraguay, where he became 

 private secretary of the United States Minis- 

 ter, Hon. 0. A. Washburne, in 1866. President 

 Lopez commissioned him to write a history of 

 Paraguay ; but while he was engaged in this 

 work the war between that country and Bra- 

 zil broke out, and he fell under suspicion from 

 the fact that he had formerly been in Brazil. 

 The Government archives were closed to him, 

 detectives watched him, and finally, as he was 

 trying to leave the country, he was thrown 

 into prison, where he was subjected to torture 

 to compel him to confess that he had been a 

 Brazilian spy. At the end of three months 

 (December, 1868) he was released on the de- 

 mand of the United States Government, backed 

 by the presence of a squadron of the United 

 States navy. He went to Washington, was a 

 translator in the War Department for about a 

 year, and edited the Washington " Chronicle " 

 for a year and a half, and was then (July, 

 1870) appointed Secretary of Legation in Mexi- 

 co, which office he held for four years. During 

 that time he was an active member of the 

 Mexican Geographical Society, made archaeo- 

 logical explorations, and wrote much on the 

 condition of Mexico and its opportunities for 

 American enterprise. By his sole personal 

 exertions he saved from execution three Ameri- 

 can officers in the army of Diaz, who had been 

 captured by the forces of Juarez and con- 

 demned by a court-martial. In the summer of 

 1874 Mr. Bliss came to New York, and for the 

 next three years he was at work on " Johnson's 

 Cyclopedia." After that he edited a short- 

 lived weekly called " The Library Table," 

 wrote a history of the Russo-Turkish War of 

 1877, and in 1879 went to South America as a 

 correspondent of the " New York Herald." 

 From the time of his return, a year or two 

 later, till his death, he was in feeble health 

 and did but little work, though he edited the 

 "New Haven News" for a part of the year 

 1883. He was for two years President of the 

 Philological Society, and was an enthusiastic 

 student of Oriental antiquities. 



Brown, Benjamin Gratz, an American lawyer, 

 born in Lexington, Ky., May, 28, 1826 ; died 

 in St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 13, 1885. He was 

 graduated at Yale College in 1847, was ad- 

 mitted to the bar in Louisville, Ky., and soon 

 afterward settled in St. Louis, which was 

 thenceforth his home. He was a member of 

 the Missouri Legislature from 1852 to 1859, 

 and in 1857 made there a remarkable anti- 

 slavery speech, which is said to have been the 

 beginning of the Free- Soil movement in that 

 State. He edited the " Missouri Democrat " 

 for five years (1854-'59), constantly opposing 

 the pro-slavery party, and was often threat- 



ened with personal violence therefor, on one 

 occasion being wounded by a pistol-shot. In 

 1857 he was the Free-Soil candidate for Gov- 

 ernor, and came within five hundred votes ol 

 election. On the breaking out of the war in 

 1861, he gave all his influence to the support 

 of the Union, and was in close consultation 

 with Gen. Lyon when he planned the capt- 

 ure of Camp Jackson and broke up the first 

 secession movement in St. Louis. Brown com- 

 manded a regiment of militia on that occasion, 

 and afterward, during the invasion of the State 

 by Price and Van Dorn, a brigade. He was a 

 member of the United States Senate from 1863 

 to 1867, and in 1871 was elected Governor of 

 Missouri, on the Liberal Republican ticket, by 

 a majority of 40,000. In 1872 he was the can- 

 didate for Vice-President on the ticket with 

 Horace Greeley, and after the close of the can- 

 vass he resumed his law practice. 



Brown, Samuel Oilman, an American educator, 

 born in North Yarmouth, Me., Jan. 4, 1813; 

 died in Utica, N. Y., Nov. 4, 1885. He was 

 a son of the Rev. Dr. Francis Brown, Presi- 

 dent of Dartmouth College in 1815-'20, and 

 was graduated there in 1831. For a while he 

 was Principal of the High School in Ellington, 

 Conn. ; then he entered Andover Theological 

 Seminary, where be was graduated in 1837 

 He was two years Principal of Abbot Academy 

 at Andover (1835-'38), after which he occupied 

 two years in travel abroad. On his return he 

 was appointed Professor of Oratory and Belles- 

 lettres in Dartmouth College, which chair he 

 held till 1863, when he was appointed to the 

 chair of Intellectual Philosophy and Political 

 Economy. He resigned this in 1867, in order 

 to become President of Hamilton College. His 

 health becoming impaired, he resigned in 1881, 

 and gave only occasional instruction at Dart- 

 mouth and Bowdoin, residing chiefly at Utica, 

 N. Y. His best - known literary work is a 

 " Life of Rufus Choate." His son Francis is 

 professor in the Union Theological Seminary, 

 New York. 



Bnrnham, Gordon W., an American manufact- 

 urer, born in Hampton, Conn., in 1802 ; died 

 in New York city, March 18, 1885. He began 

 life as a poor boy, but by energy and persever- 

 ance improved his position. He engaged i 

 manufacturing wooden buttons at first, and 

 then, in company with Mr. Benedict, enlarged 

 operations so as to manufacture brass buttons 

 and various kinds of brass goods. He was also 

 connected with other manufacturing enter- 

 prises, all of which were successful and remu- 

 nerative. He acquired a fortune amounting, 

 it is said, to several million dollars. Mr. B 

 ham made liberal use of his money for pubh 

 good, and gave freely to the support of religion. 



Claflin, Horace Brigham, an American merchant, 

 born in Milford, Mass., Dec. 18, 1811; died in 

 Fordham, N. Y., Nov. 14, 1885. His father ^ 

 a prosperous merchant in his native village- 

 The son received a good common-school edu 

 cation, and entered his father's store. But o 



