Page:Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography.pdf/320

332

HERRINGSHAW'S LIBRARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY.

Birdseye, Clarence Frank, lawyer, author, 1854, in Brooklyn N.Y. 6, He is the author of Birdseye s Revised Statutes; Codes and General Laws of the State of New York; and Chronological Table of the Statistics of the State ot iew York. Birdseye, George, author, poet, was born Nov. 31, 1844, in New York City. The first

was born June

volume of poems from his pen was entitled Woman and the War; and in 1893 appeared Vanities in Verse. He erous popular songs.

is

the author of

num-

Birdseye, Victory, state senator, congress-

man, was born in 1873. In 1815-17 and 184143 he was a representative from New York to the fourteenth and twenty-seventh congresses. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1831; was a state senator in 1831-39; and was a member of the assembly for three years. He died Sept. 16, 1853, in Pompey, N.Y. Birge, Edward Asahel, educator, college president, zoologist, was born Sept. 7, 1851, in Troy, N.Y. He is a successful educator and writer on Crustacea and life of fresh water lakes. He is professor of zoology in the university of Wisconsin; dean of the college of letters and science of the same institution; and its acting president in 1900-02. Birge, Henry Warner, soldier, was bom Aug. 35, 1830, in Hartford, Conn. His services in the civil war were recognized by the brevet of major-general of volunteers; and by a vote of thanks from the legislature of his native state. He died June 1, 1888, in New York City. Birkbeck, Morris, traveler, author. He purchased sixteen thousand acres of land in Illinois, founded the town of New Albion, and resided there. When the state was organized in 1818, he opposed the introduction of slavery into it. He was the author of Notes

on a Journey Through Prance; Notes on a Journey in America, in which he gave sanguine accounts of Illinois; and of Letters from Illinois. He was drowned in 1835 while returning from a visit to Robert Owen at

New Harmony,

Ind.

Birkhimer, William Edward, soldier, jurist, 1, 1848, in Somerset, Ohio. In 1867-70 he attended the United States military academy. In 1865 he served as private in the fourth Iowa volunteer cavalry; and in 1906 was promoted to brigadier-general. In 1899 he was an associate justice of the supreme court of Manila, P.I. Birkinbine, John, consulting engineer, was born Nov. 16, 1844, in Berks county, Pa. In 1863-64 he served in the civil war. For a time he was a member of a firm of machine works; and later was general manager of the South mountain mining and iron company. For many years he has been consulting engineer in Philadelphia; and in that capacity has visited most of the states as well as Mexico and Canada. For thirty-four years he has been connected with the American institute of mining engineers; and has been its manager, vice-president and twice its

was born March

president. In 1897-1907 he was president of the Franklin institute; and is now a director. He was president of the Engineers' club of Philadelphia, Pa.; was active in forming the Pennsylvania forestry association; and since 1893 has been its president. He is chairman of the water supply commission of Pennsylvania; and for seventeen years was connected with the Lfnited States geological survey. He was engineering chief of the National export exposition; and has served on juries of award of national and international expositions. Birkle, Henry Wolf, lawyer, lecturer, author, was born Oct. 30, 1877, in Gettysburg, Pa. He has been instructor in the law department of the university of Pennsylvania; and lecturer on law in Bryn Mawr college. He is the author of The Constitutional Power of Congress Over the Territory of the United States. Birkmire, William Harvey, architect, civil engineer, author, was bom June 35, 1860, at Falls of Schuylkill, Philadelphia, Pa. He was educated in the public and private schools of Philadelphia; studied architecture four years with Samuel Sloan, architect and author ; and at the same time graduated from the Philadelphia academy of music. In 1885 he removed to New York to take charge of the construction department of the Jackson architectural iron works; and in 1893 of the J. B. and J. M. Cornell iron works, the largest architectural iron works in America; and during this time he made the practical steel details for large commercial buildings and the Astor hotels. In 1894-98 he was architect and engineer for John 'i. Williams on the Central bank building, the Silk exchange building. Lord's court building and many other prominent buildings in New York City. He is the author of The Planning and Construction of High Office Buildings; Skeleton Construction in Buildings; Architectural Iron and Steel; The Planning and Construction of American Theaters; and of

other works. Birney, David Bell, soldier, lawyer, business man, was born May 29, 1833, in Huntsville, Ala. He enlisted in the United States army during the civil war as a lieutenantcolonel of a Pennsylvania regiment; he raised a regiment of fifteen companies called the Birney Zouaves, of which he became colonel. He was made brigadier-general of volunteers; and was afterward promoted majorgeneral of volunteers. He died Oct. 18, 1864, in Philadelphia, Pa. Birney, James, state senator, diplomat, governor, was born June 7, 1817, in Danville, Ky. He was a state senator In Michigan in 1859; was lieutenant-governor of the state and acting governor in 1861-63. He was minister at the Hague in 1876-82. Birney, james Gillespie, statesman, abolitionist, author, was born Feb. 4, 1792, in Danville, Ky. He was a statesman famous fpr his opposition to slavery. He was twice a candidate for the presidency of the United