OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



587 



of war John Adams, then to the frigate Guer- 

 riere, and afterward to the frigate Brandy wine. 

 Having served in other vessels also, he received 

 his commission as lieutenant, Feb. 9, 1837, 

 and in August of the following year he joined 

 the West India squadron in the sloop of war 

 Natchez. In September, 1844, he was ordereo. 

 to the frigate Potomac, and in 1847 was in 

 command of the schooner Bonito, at the cap- 

 ture of the city of Tabasco, Mexico. Lieut. 

 Berrien received his commission as com- 

 mander, March 13, 1856, and during 1858-'59 

 was attached to the navy-yard, Portsmouth, 

 N. H. In February, 1860, he was ordered to 

 Hong-Kong, China, where he took command 

 of the sloop of war John Adams ; and two 

 years later he was sent to Pittsburg, Pa., as 

 assistant inspector of ordnance at the Fort 

 Pitt Works. He was raised to the rank of cap- 

 tain in August, 1862, and in September, 1864, 

 was ordered to the ironclad Monadnock at 

 Boston. Toward the close of the year he was 

 sent to the Norfolk navy-yard. He was com- 

 missioned commodore, Sept. 20, 1866, and in 

 December was placed on the retired list. 



Blair, Montgomery, an American statesman, 

 born in Franklin co., Ky., May 10, 1813 ; died 

 at Silver Spring, Md., July 27, 1883. ' He was 

 graduated at West Point Academy in 1835, 

 and served under Gen. Scott in the Seminole 

 War. He than studied law, and was admitted 

 to the bar in 1839. He was appointed District 

 Attorney for Missouri, in 1842 was elected 

 Mayor of St. Louis, and was raised to the 

 bench the next year. This position he resigned 

 in 1849. Three years after, he removed to 

 Maryland, and entered upon the practice of 

 law. He was engaged in important cases in 

 the United States Supreme Court, and was one 

 of the counsel in the famous Dred Scott case. 

 He was appointed by President Pierce to the 

 court of claims. Judge Blair left the Demo- 

 cratic party on the repeal of the Missouri Com- 

 promise, and for this was removed from his 

 seat by President Buchanan.. In 1860 he pre- 

 sided in the Republican Convention of Mary- 

 land, and in 1861 was appointed by President 

 Lincoln Postmaster-General. He served in this 

 office with signal ability and success. He pro- 

 hibited sending disloyal papers through the 

 United States mails, in which he was sus- 

 tained by Congress, and introduced various 

 reforms and improvements in his department, 

 such as money-orders, free delivery in cities, 

 postal railroad-cars, etc. Three years after- 

 ward (1864) he resigned from the Cabinet, 

 and rejoined the Democratic party, to which 

 he adhered for the rest of his life. He sup- 

 ported Mr. Tilden for the presidency, and sub- 

 sequently attacked with much vigor President 

 Hayes's title to office. Although he favored Mr. 

 Tilden's candidacy again in 1880, he supported 

 Gen. Hancock, the regular candidate of the 

 party. Judge Blair was a man of simple, quiet 

 habits and tastes. He was specially fond of 

 country life, and, having abundant means, he 



supported a fine farm and place at Silver 

 Spring, Md. His wife, together with three 

 sons and one daughter, survives him. 



Brooks, Charles Timothy, an American scholar, 

 born in Salem, Mass., June 20, 1813; died in 

 Newport, R. I., June 14, 1883. He was gradu- 

 ated at Harvard College in 1832, and in 1837 

 was settled as a Unitarian minister in Newport, 

 where he spent the rest of his life. Mr. Brooks 

 published several original works, and was dis- 

 tinguished as a translator from the German. 

 In 1851 he issued a pamphlet on "The Contro- 

 versy touching the Old Stone Mill" at New- 

 port. He translated Schiller's " William Tell," 

 " German Lyrics," etc. ; Goethe's " Fau^t " ; 

 and Richters "Titan," "Hesperus," and other 

 works. 



Casserly, Eugene, a United States Senator, born 

 in Ireland, in 1822 ; died in San Francisco, Cal., 

 June 14, 1883. His parents emigrated to New 

 York when he was only two years old, and as 

 his father was devoted to the business of teach- 

 ing, young Casserly received in boyhood an ex- 

 cellent education. He was graduated at George- 

 town College, D. C., entered a lawyer's office 

 in New York, and was admitted to the bar in 

 1844. He was corporation attorney in 1846-'47. 

 Three years later Mr. Casserly removed to San 

 Francisco, where he built up a good practice, 

 and took an active part in local and national 

 politics. He was an ardent Democrat, was a 

 capital stump- speaker, and for a time edited a 

 paper in San Francisco. He was elected State 

 printer ; but, in consequence of a heavy fire by 

 which his machinery and stock were destroyed, 

 he was compelled to retire from the business. 

 Thenceforward he devoted himself to his prop- 

 er profession, and took high rank among the 

 lawyers in California. During the civil war 

 he sided with that portion of the party which 

 upheld the Union. In 1869 he was elected 

 United States Senator from California. He 

 served on the committees of Printing, Public 

 Lands, and Foreign Relations. His health 

 having become infirm, Senator Casserly re- 

 signed in November, 1873, and returned to 

 San Francisco and resumed practice. Of late 

 years his declining strength was evident, and 

 he died of nervous prostration and softening 

 of the brain. 



Clarke, William T., an American journalist, 

 born in Walpole, Mass., Oct. 1, 1829; died in. 

 New York, Dec. 11, 1883. He worked on his 

 father's farm, and subsequently studied for the 

 ministry at Meadville and Cambridge. He was 

 ordained at Hingham, Mass., in 1855, and 

 preached for some years at Haverhill and 

 Chelsea. In 1866 he came to New York, and 

 entered upon journalism as his special work. 

 He edited "The Liberal Christian" for four 

 years, and became associated with Theodore 

 Tilton in "The Golden Age." He also was 

 connected with "The Graphic," and "The 

 Evening Express." In 1882 he entered into 

 service with " The New York Star," and was 

 its chief writer. Mr. Clarke wrote readily and 



