Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/379

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MERRIMAN


MERRIMAN


Polytechnic institute ; trustee of Williams col- lege ; president and director of the Worcester Art museum, and a trustee of the Worcester Memorial hospital, of Atlanta university and of Abb<it academy. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian society in 1884 ; the Am- erican ArchiBological society in 1899 ; the Amer- ican Historical association in 1900, and the National Geological society in 1901 ; and was a meml>er of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. The lionorary degree of D.D. was con- ferred on him by Williams and Ripon in 1881 and by Yale in 1898. He contributed to the Bibliotheca Sacra, the Andover Review, and pub- lishod occasional sermons.

MERRIMAN, Qeorge Benjamin, astronomer, was born at Pontiac, Mich., April 15, 1834; son of Isaiah and Caroline P. (Dean) Merriman, and grandson of Joel Merriman, and of Benjamin and Betsey (Parker) Dean. He was graduated at Ohio Wesleyan university, A.B., 1863, A.M., 18S8, and from the University of Michigan, A.M., 1S61. He was assistant astronomer on the work of the Chili Astronomical expedition, 1864-66; assistant professor of mathematics in the Univer- sity of Michigan, 1866-71 ; adjunct professor of physics there, 1871-75 ; professor of mathematics in Albion college, Mich., 1875-77, and professor of mathematics and astronomy in Rutgers col- lege. New Brunswick, N.J., 1877-93. He was married, Aug. 11, 1891, to S. Gertrude Wright, daughter of Dr. Thos. L. Savin of Philadelphia, Pa. He was mathematician and astronomer in the U.S. Naval Observatory at Washington, D.C., 1893-94, and became director of the observatory at Appleton, Wis., in 1894. He was elected a member of the New York Matliematical society, and of the American Association for the A Ivancement of Science.

MERRIMAN, Helen Bigelow, artist and author, was born in Boston, Mass., July 14, 1844 ; d'VU'^hter of Erastus Brigham and Eliza Frances (M>ins) Bigelow. She attended the private s rhools of Boston and devoted herself to art and literature. She was married, Sept. 1, 1874, at K?\v church, England, to the Rev. Daniel Merri- min (q.v.). She is the author of: What Shall Mike Us Whole f (1888); Religio Pictoris (1899); and contributed articles on "The English Pre- Rtiphaelite and Political School of Painters " to the Andover Review of June, 1884, and " Some Philo- sophical Aspects of the School of 1830 " to the same magizine of March, 1891.

MERRIMAN, Mansfield, engineer, was born in Southington, Conn., March 27, 1848; sou of Mansfield and Lucy (Hall) Merriman, and a de- scendant of Lieut. Nathaniel Merriman, one of the original settlers of New Haven, Conn., 1643. He was graduated at the Sheffie' scien-


tific school at Yale, C.E., 1871, and Ph.D., 1876. He was assistant engineer to the U.S. corps of engineers, 1872-73; instructor in civil engineer- ing at the Sheffield scientific school, 1874-78, and in 1878 became professor of civil engineering at Lehigh university, Bethlehem, Pa. He served as an assistant on the U.S. coast and geodetic sur- vey, 1880-85, having charge of the primary tri- angulation of Pennsylvania. He was elected a member of the American Society of Civil Engi- neers, the American Philosophical society and the New York Academy of Sciences. In 1894 he was vice-president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science ; in 1896, presL dent of the Society for the Promotion of Engi- neering Education, and in 1900, chairman of the American section of the International Associ- ation for Testing Materials. He was married, first, in 1875, to Wanda Kubale, who died in 1889, and secondly, in 1891, to Anna R. Godshalk. He is the author of : Elements of the Metliod of Least Squares (1877); The Figure of the Earth, an In- troduction to Geodesy (1881); Text-Book on the Method of Least Squares (1884); The Mechanics of Materials (1885); Treatise on Hydrauliat (1889); Elements of Sanitary Engineering (1898); Precise Surveying and Geodesy (1899), and con- tributions to scientific journals. Jointly with H. S. Jacoby he was the author of : Text- Book on Roofs and Bridges (4 vols., 1888-1897); and with R. S. Woodward he edited Higher Mathe- matics (1896).

MERRIMAN, Truman Adams, representative, was born in Auburn, N.Y., Sept. 5, 181^9; son of C. H. Merriman. He was graduated at Hobart college. New York, A.B., 1861, A.M., 1865. He organized a company of volunteer infantry in 1861, was made captain, and served in the Army of the Potomac, 1861-65. In December, 1863, he was promoted major of the 92d New York volunteers; lieutenant-colonel, June 1, 1864, and was severely wounded while in command of his regiment at Petersburg. He was mustered out of the service Jan. 7, 1865. He was admitted to the bar in 1867, and was a reporter on the New York Sun, 1871-85, and a Democratic representa- tive from the eleventh New York district in the 49th and 50th congresses, 1885-89. He engaged in editorial work in New York city, 1889-92 ; and was president of the New York Press Club. He died in New York city, April 16, 1892.

MERRIMAN, William Edward, clergyman and educator, was born at Hinsdale, Mass., Oct. 20, 1825 ; son of Addison and Prudence (Adams) Merriman ; grandson of Daniel and Martha (Tag-

gart) Merriman and of and Prudence

(White) Adams ; and a descendant of Lieut. Nathaniel Merriman, New Haven. 1643. He pre- pared for college at Burr and Burton seminary.