396 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



Alison, Sir Archibald, born in 1826, son of a clergy- 

 man. He was educated at the University of Kdm- 

 burgh, and called to the Scottish bar, becoming deputy 

 advocate in 1S22. But he is best known as an historian, 

 his great work being "The History of Europe from the 

 French Revolution to the Restoration of the Bourbons," 

 in recognition of which he was made a baronet ii. 



Allen, James Lane, author; born in Kentucky, 

 1849; graduate of Transylvania University; taught in 

 Kentucky University; later professor of Latin and 

 higher English, Bethany, West Virginia College; since 

 1886, given entire attention to literature. Author: 

 "Flute and Violin," "The Blue Grass Region and Other 

 Sketches of Kentucky," "John Gray," a novel; "The 

 Kentucky Cardinal," "Aftermath," "A Summer in Ar- 

 cady." "The Choir Invisible," ".The Reign of Law," 

 "The Mettle of the Pasture." 



Allison, William B., a distinguished American 

 legislator, born in Ohio, 1829; educated at Western 

 Reserve College and practiced law till 1857; emigrated 

 t> Iowa: served in the Civil War; was sent to Congress 

 while that struggle was going on, and has been in Con- 

 gress as representative anil senator from that, time to 

 the present, sive in 1872-73. His influence has been 

 marked and salutary on the legislation of his day. 



Allen. I'.than. an officer of the American Revolution, 



horn in 1744. He planned and captured Forts Ticon- 



deroga and Crown Point at the opening of the war. 



>ps were mostly from Vermont, and were called 



"Green Mountain Boys." Died, 1789. 



Allen, Viola, actress; born in the South; d. Leslie 

 A., character actor, of old Boston family, and Sarah 

 (Lyon) A., English-woman of good descent; went to 

 Boston when three years old; educated in Boston and 

 at Wykham Hall, Toronto, and boarding school in New 

 York. Made de"but, Madison Square Theater, New 

 York, in Esmeralda, at age of 15; after few months 

 joined John McCullough Company, playing Virginia, 

 Desdemona, Cordelia, etc. Subsequently played leading 

 classical, Shakesperean, and comedy roles with Lawrence 

 Barrett, Tommaso Salvini, Joseph Jefferson, and William 

 J. Florence. Leading lady at Boston Museum for a 

 season; also at Empire Theater in 1893, and four years 

 following, creating and playing roles in "Liberty Hall," 

 "Sowing the Wind," "The Masqueraders," "Under the 

 Red Robe," etc. Starred, 1898, as Gloria Quayle in 

 "The Christian." by Hall Caine, and in 1900, produced 

 " In the Palace of the King," by F. Marion Crawford and 

 Lorimer Stoddard; and, in 1902, as Roma in Hall Caine's 

 "The Eternal City." In 1903, under management of 

 her brother, began series of Shakesperean revivals, pro- 

 during first "Twelfth Night," in which she played 

 "Viola" with success; in subsequent seasons, she 

 appeared as Hermione and Perdita in "A Winter's 



Almanzor (al-man'-zor) (surnamed the Victorious). 

 The second caliph of the Abassidian Dynasty, succeeded 

 his brother, Aboul Abbas, in 753. He exterminated the 

 race of the Ommalades, and in 762 founded the city of 

 Bagdad, which became the capital of his empire. Sev- 

 eral other Mohammedan princes, famed for their mar- 

 tial achievements, also bore this name. He died in 774. 



Alma-Tadema, Laurence, R. A., born in Friesland 

 in 1836; painter, studied at the Royal Academy of 

 Antwerp, and was afterwards pupil and assistant of 

 Baron Henry Leys. He settled in England, where his 



Kictures found a ready welcome. He was elected A.R.A. 

 i 1876, and K. A. in 1879. Among his numerous works 

 are "Phidias and the Elgin Marbles'* (1868), "A Roman 

 Emperor" (1871), "The Sculpture Gallery" (1875) 

 "Sappho" (1881), and ".The Roses of Heliogabalus " 

 (1888). 



AUtroemer (al-stro'^mer) Jonas, a Swede, remark- 

 able for the great commercial improvements which he 

 introduced into his native country. Of very humble 

 origin, he was for a time unable to surmount the ob- 

 stacles by which poverty depressed him. He visited 

 England; and having minutely noticed the sources of 

 its manufacturing prosperity, returned to Sweden, and 

 obtained permission to establish a manufactory at 

 Alingas, in West Gothland, his birthplace. So exten- 

 sive and successful were the manufacturing and agricul- 

 tural resources which he introduced into Sweden, that 

 the state, in acknowledgment of his merit, conferred on 

 him a patent of nobility, made him chancellor of com- 

 merce, and erected a statue to his honor on the Stock- 

 holm Exchange. Died, 1761. 



Alya, Ferdinand Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of, 

 born in 1508, Spanish governor of the Netherlands under 

 Philip II. of Spain, and notorious for the merciless 

 manner in which he exercised his dictatorial power. 

 Under his rule more than 18,000 persons were sent to 



the scaffold, and a revolt, headed by the Prince of Orange, 

 broke out, which, after nearly forty years of war, re- 

 sulted in the independence of the provinces. Alva was 

 recalled in 1573. but he was soon given the command 

 of Portugal, which he quickly conquered. Though his 

 pride and cruelty were excessive, he was undoubtedly 

 the greatest general of his age. Died, 1582. 



Alvarado, Alonzo, one of the Spanish conquerors of 

 Mexico and Peru under 1'i/arro; he was defeated and 

 made prisoner by Almagro. He afterwards joined De 

 Castro (1542), and was lieutenant-general of the army 

 which suppressed the rebellion of Gonzalo Pizarro in 

 1548. Died, 1554. 



Alvarado, Pedro d', one of the Spanish conquerors 

 of Mexico; he took part in the expedition and victories 

 of Cortez, and was entrusted with the command of the 

 city of Mexico, and afterwards made governor of Ciuate- 

 mala and Honduras. He explored California, and was 

 killed soon after his return in an expedition against 

 Xalisco. Died, 1541. 



A MI a nil. Antonio Castano do, born in 1747; a 

 learned Portuguese historian and author of the valuable 

 "Memoirs on the Forms of Government and Customs of 

 the Nations that Inhabited Portugal." Died, 1819. 



Amasis, or Amosis (a-ma'-sis, a-mo'-sis), an Egyp- 

 tian- who, from a common soldier, rose to be a king of 

 Egypt. He made war against Arabia, anil died before 

 the invasion of his country by Cambyses, King of Persia. 

 Cambyses caused his body to be dug up, insulted, and 

 burnt. 



Amaziah (am-a-zi'-&\ the son of Joash, whom he 

 succeeded as eighth King of Judah, 3165 A. M. He 

 adhered to the worship of the true God, but permitted 

 some idolatrous observances. Having arrogantly chal- 

 lenged Jehoash, King of Israel, to battle, the armies 

 met at Beth-she-mesh, where Amaziah was defeated, 

 himself taken prisoner, and subsequently his city and 

 palace were plundered. Fifteen or sixteen years after- 

 wards, he fled from conspirators, by whom he was over- 

 taken and assassinated, 3194 A. M. 



Amboise, George d', born in 1460, a French cardinal 

 and minister of state. He was successively Bishop of 

 Montauban, Archbishop of Narbonne and of Rouen, 

 and after acquiring considerable popularity as prime 

 minister under Louis XII., was made cardinal and 

 appointed legate in France, where he effected great 

 reforms among the religious orders. Died, 1510. 



Ambrose, St. (tim'brdz), a doctor in the Latin Church 

 of the Fourth Century, was born at Treves, 340. Con- 

 secrated archbishop of Milan, 374. Ambrose was repeat- 

 edly, in the discharge of his duty to the Church, brought 

 into direct conflict with the highest secular authority. 

 He rebuked Valentinian, defied Maximus, and after the 

 massacre of Thessalonica, compelled the great Theo- 

 dosius to a humiliating penance before admitting him 

 to Christian communion. To him we owe the noble 

 hymn, "Te Deum Laudamus." No father of the Church 

 has a fame more wide, more beautiful, or more deserved. 

 Died, 397. 



Ames, Fisher, born in 1758; American lawyer and 

 politician, who sat in the Massachusetts Convention, and 

 was afterwards a member of Congress, and famed for his 

 eloquence. He retired from public life with Washing- 

 ton, and devoting himself to literary pursuits, was 

 elected president of Harvard College in 1804. Died, 

 1808. 



Ames, James Barr, dean Harvard Law School 

 since 1895; born in Boston, June 22, 1846; graduate of 

 Harvard, 1868 (1871 A. M.); Harvard Law School, 1872 

 (LL. D., University City of New York, University of 

 Wisconsin, 1898; University of Pennsylvania, 1899; 

 Northwestern, 1903; Williams, Harvard, 1904). Taught 

 in private school, Boston, 1868-69; tutor in French and 

 German, Harvard, 1871-72; instructor in history, 1872- 

 73; associate professor of law, 1873-77, professor of law 

 since 1877, Harvard. Compiled collections of cases on 

 torts, pleading, bills and notes, partnership, trusts, 

 suretyship, admiralty and equity jurisdiction; author 

 of numerous articles in Harvard Law Review and other 

 law reviews. 



Amerigo Vespucci, born in Florence, 1451, was an 

 Italian navigator who visited Brazil in 1503. He had 

 previously made several voyages of exploration, and 

 claimed priority over Cabot and Columbus in reaching 

 the mainland, named in his honor America, but the best 

 authorities consider this claim to be unfounded. Died 

 in Seville, 1512. 



Amherst, Jeffrey, Lord, born in 1717; British 

 general, served on the Continent and in America, where 

 he succeeded Abercrombie as commander-in-chief. Here 

 he was reinarkaMv successful, and after many victories, 

 Montreal surrendered and Newfoundland was recovered 



