OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (BLOOMER BROOKS.) 



565 



ney & Co., which was subsequently changed to 

 Ivison, Phinney, Blakeman <fe Co., Ivison, Blake- 

 nuin, Taylor & Co., and Ivison, Blakeman cfe Co. ; 

 and was elected President of the American Book 

 Company on its organization in 1890, that corporation 

 purchasing the school book interests of his firm, 

 which was dissolved a year later. Mr. Blakeman re- 

 tired from this presidency in 1893 because of failing 

 health, and subsequently was President of the Spen- 

 cerian Pen Company. He was a member of the 

 Union League, Century, Grolier, and Aldine Clubs. 

 At the time of his death he was building a public 

 library, to cost $30,000, for his native town, and had 

 given $5,000 for the purchase of books for it. 



Bloomer, Amelia Jenks, reformer, born in Homer, 

 N. Y., May 27, 1818; died in Council Bluffs, Iowa, 

 Dec. 30, 1894. In 1840 she married Dexter C. Bloomer, 

 a lawyer, of Seneca Falls, N. Y., where for several 

 years she and her husband published a semimonthly 

 periodical. Her first reformatory activities were in 

 the temperance cause, for which she wrote much, at 

 first over an assumed name. In 1849 she began pub- 

 lishing " The Lily," in the interests of temperance 

 reform and women's rights, and in 1853, on remov- 

 ing to Mount Vernon, Ohio, resumed its publication 

 thei'e, and also became associate editor of " The 

 Western Home Journal." In 1855 Mr. and Mrs. 

 Bloomer removed to Council Bluff's, Iowa, where he 

 became one of the organizers of the Republican party 

 in that State, a State Senator, a Federal official, and 

 a judge; and she continued for many years her re- 

 formatory work and advocacy of woman suffrage. 

 She organized, and was for a time president of the 

 Iowa State Suffrage Association, and, by special in- 

 vitation, addressed the second Legislature of Ne- 

 braska on woman suffrage. In 1890"Judge and Mrs. 

 Bloomer celebrated their golden wedding. During 

 the last ten years feeble health had kept her out of 

 public life, but she neglected no quiet opportunity to 

 urge the enfranchisement of her sex. Mrs. Bloomer 

 will be remembered longest because of her efforts to 

 promote a reform in woman's dress, and by the asso- 

 ciation of her name with a costume consisting of 

 short skirts and Turkish trousers. This costume 

 was devised by Mrs. Elizabeth Smith Miller, a 

 daughter of Gerrit Smith, and was introduced by 

 her. Mrs. Bloomer merely adopted the costume, ap- 

 peared in it publicly, and recommended its use by 

 women anxious to escape the burden of long, heavy 

 dresses. The publicity thus given it caused it to be 

 called the Bloomer costume. In after vears Mrs. 

 Bloomer took offense at any allusion to this episode 

 in her busy life. 



Bolles, Frank educator, born in Winchester, Mass., 

 Oct. 31, 1856; died in Cambridge, Mass.. Jan. 10, 1894. 

 His father was John A. Bolles, formerly Secretary of 

 State of Massachusetts and a brigadier general in the 

 civil war, and his mother was a sister of Gen. John 

 A. Dix. He was graduated in law at Columbian Col- 

 lege, Washington,' D. C., in 1879, and at the Harvard 

 Law School in 1882. While studying at Harvard he 

 became editor of the university paper, and a founder 

 and the first president of what is now the Harvard 

 Co-operative Association. He had previously pub- 

 lished poems over the pen name of*' Eugene Raleigh." 

 After leaving Harvard he compiled a "genealogy 

 of the family of Anthony Dix." About the same 

 time he prepared with two classmates a volume on 

 " Important English Statutes," and won the Bowdoin 

 prize at Harvard with an essay on " International 

 Arbitration." He afterward became an associate 

 editor of the Boston " Advertiser," and remained 

 there till chosen secretary of Harvard University. 

 In this office, which he held till his death, he greatly 

 endeared himself to all the students, particularly the 

 diffident ones and those with limited means, by many 

 acts of helpfulness. His first book was " Land of the 

 Lingering Snow," comprising sketches he had writ- 

 ten on an abandoned farm he had purchased in the 

 heart of the White Mountains. Another collection, 

 which received warm commendation, was " To the 



North of Bearcamp Water." Other publications 

 were a pamphlet containing letters from students, 

 showing the necessary expenses for a course at Har- 

 vard, designed to offset the impression that the uni- 

 versity was a school for rich men's sons ; and a book 

 entitled " A Brief Statement of What Harvard Uni- 

 versity is, How it may be P^ntered. and How its De- 

 grees may be Obtained." His lust work, "From 

 Blomidon to Smoky, and Other Papers," was pub- 

 lished after his death. 



Botta, Vincenzo, educator, born in Cavalier Maggiore, 

 Piedmont, Italy, Nov. 11,1818; died in New York city, 

 Oct. 5, 1894. He was educated at the University of 

 Turin, and after graduation became Professor of Phi- 

 losophy there. In 1849 he was elected to the Sar- 

 dinian Parliament, arid in the following year was ap- 

 pointed a member of a commission to examine the 

 educational system of Germany. Three years after- 

 ward he came to the United States on a similar mis- 

 sion, and while in New York city he became so deeply 

 interested in its educational institutions that he deter- 

 mined to make that city his permanent home. He 

 became naturalized, and soon afterward was chosen 

 Professor of Italian Language and Literature in the 

 University of the City of New York, where he re- 

 mained till within a few years of his death. In 1855 

 he married Anne Charlotte Lynch (see " Annual 

 Cyclopaedia" for 1891, p. 608). He had been a mem- 

 ber of the Union League Club since 1863, and one of 

 its vice-presidents for many years ; was a mem ber of 

 the Century Club, and of several scientific arid litera- 

 ry societies ; and had received the degree of Ph. D. 

 from the University of Berlin. His published works 

 include " An Account of the System of Education in 

 Piedmont " ; " Discourse on the Life, Character, and 

 Policy of Cavour" (1862); "Dante as Philosopher, 

 Patriot, and Poet" (1865; enlarged edition, 1886); 

 "An Historical Account of Modern Philosophy in 

 Italy " ; and " Memoirs of Anne C. L. Botta Recol- 

 lections by Her Friends." He bequeathed his library 

 and several portraits to the University of the City of 

 New York ; his works of art, including pictures, en- 

 gravings, statuary, groups, medals, bronzes, and plate, 

 to the National Academy of Design ; historical docu- 

 ments to the New York Historical Society; and me- 

 mentos to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Union 

 Theological Seminary. 



Bowie, Oden, capitalist, born in Fairview, Prince 

 George's County, Md., Nov. 10, 1826 ; died there, Dec. 

 4, 1894. lie was educated at St. John's College, An- 

 napolis, served in the Mexican War as captain in the 

 Voltigeur Regiment, was elected to the Legislature 

 as a Democrat in 1848, and afterward applied himself 

 to politics, railway construction, and the turf. In 

 1864 he was chairman of the Democratic State Cen- 

 tral Committee and a delegate to the National Con- 

 vention ; in 1865 was elected a State Senator, and be- 

 came conspicuous in the reorganization of his party 

 and its return to power in the State ; and in 1867 was 

 elected Governor of the State, and served till 1871. 

 In 1867 he secured the construction of the Baltimore 

 and Potomac Railroad, as an extension o-:' the Penn- 

 sylvania system to Baltimore and Washington ; and 

 after serving his term as Governor was elected presi- 

 dent of the new railroad company. He also became 

 President of the Baltimore City Passenger Railway 

 Company. In both corporations he proved himself 

 an able executive. Gov. Bowie was most widely 

 known because of his connection with the turf. He 

 was for many years President of the Maryland Jockey 

 Club ; established a breeding farm on his Fairview 

 estate ; and owned the race horses " Compensation," 

 " Catesby," and the great champion " Crickmore." 



Brooks, Horace, military officer, born in Boston, Mass., 

 Aug. 14,1814; died in Kissimmee, Fla., Jan. 13, 1894. 

 He was a son of Maria Gowen Brooks, the poet ; was 

 graduated at the United States Military Academy in 

 1835, and was appointed a brevet 2d lieutenant, 2d 

 United States Artillery. In the regular army he was 

 promoted 2d lieutenant, Dec. 28, 1835; 1st lieutenant, 

 Feb. 8, 1837 ; captain, June 18, 1846 ; major, April 28. 



