Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/479

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BULLOCK
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the rebellion, and while engaged in this duty in September, 1862, he was chosen a judge of the supreme court. He remained upon the bench of this court until March, 1804, when he was appointed by President Lincoln judge of the district court of the United States for Rhode Island. In September, 1869, in consequence of failing health, he resigned this office.


BULLOCK, Rufus Brown, governor of Georgia, b. in Bethlehem, Albany co., N. Y., 28 March, 1834. He was graduated at Albion (N. Y.) academy in 1850, and, after various pursuits, was sent during 1859-'60 to organize the business of the Adams express company in the South Atlantic states. His headquarters were at Augusta, Ga., where he formed the southern express company, and became one of its active managers. During the civil war he continued this occupation under the direction of the confederate government, establishing railroads and telegraph lines on interior routes. Later he was placed in charge of contributions for the officers and men of the Army of Northern Virginia, and at Appomattox he gave his parole as an acting assistant quartermaster-general. After the cessation of hostilities, Mr. Bullock resumed the general management of express affairs, and was elected one of the trustees and secretary of the southern express company. Its present magnitude is largely due to his management at that time. He was also associated in the organization of the first national bank of Georgia, and was elected president of the Macon and Augusta railroad. In 1867 he was chosen a delegate to the convention called to frame a constitution under the reconstruction laws then recently passed. His course at that con- vention met witti the approval of its progressive members, and he was their unanimous choice as candidate for governor. After a bitter canvass in the spring of 1868, the new constitution was ratified, and Mr. Bullock was declared elected. But the reactionists obtained a majority in the legislature, and expelled the colored men who had been elected and seated. Against this action Gov. Bullock earnestly protested, and after its accomplishment brought the matter to the attention of congress, by which he was empowered to reassemble the old legislature, including the expelled colored members. This struggle for the rights of negroes to hold office rendered him very unpopular, in his state, and he was overwhelmed with abuse. At the next regular election the opposition seated a large majority of the general assembly, and, just prior to its convening in November, 1870, Gov. Bullock resigned his office. Charges of corruption were made against him, and, after a hearing in the state courts at Atlanta, he was acquitted and thoroughly vindicated from every accusation. During his term of office over 600 miles of new railroad were built within the state, and the value of property as returned by its owners for taxation was increased over .|50,000,000. Gov. Bullock continued his residence in Georgia, and became president of one of the largest cotton-mills in Atlanta. He has taken no public part in politics since his resignation of the office of governor.


BULLOCK, William A., inventor, b. in Greenville, Greene co., N. Y., in 1813 ; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 14 April, 1867. At an early age he, with his brother, learned the trade of iron-founder and machinist. He devoted all his leisure to books, and acquired a good theoretical as well as practical knowledge of mechanics. After engaging in various pursuits, and making, among other things, hay- and cotton-presses, he began the publication of a newspaper, the "Banner of the Union," in Philadelphia in 1849. The establishment was removed three years later to Catskill, N. Y., where he made in 1852, for his own use, a wooden press turned by a hand-crank. To this machine a self-feeder was attached, which contained the germ of one of his most important inventions. Mr. Bullock soon afterward went to New York city, where he constructed a fast press on the planetary system for "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly." His name became immediately prominent because of the unprecedented rapidity with which a very large edition of the paper, containing an illustrated account of a prize-fight, was issued. He devoted his attention to, and perfected, about this time, the automatic feeding mechanism that forms an important feature in the presses bearing his name, Mr. Bullock now gave his energies to the problem of constructing a printing-press that should embody in one machine accurate self-adjustment and feeding, perfecting, or printing on both sides, with the highest rate of speed. He was successful in accomplishing all these objects, and the Bullock web perfecting press revolutionized the art of press-building. In carrying into practice his plans, he fed the paper from a roll containing five or six miles of linear measurement, moistened it by passing it through a spray, carried it between the impression cylinder and the form, first for one side, then for the other, and cut the sheets off at the proper intervals with great precision with a serrated knife which struck the paper with lightning-like rapidity, and was so constructed as rarely to need sharpening, after which the sheets were automatically delivered on the receiving-board at the rate, in his earlier presses, of 12,000 an hour. Subsequent modifications and improvements have brought the delivery up to 30,000 an hour. While engaged in setting up and adjusting one of his new presses for the "Public Ledger," in Philadelphia, Mr. Bullock was, 3 April, 1867, accidentally caught by the main driving-belt from the engine-room. His leg was crushed, and he sustained other injuries, which caused his death. He had a long time in his confidence one of his workmen, a foreigner, to whom he had imparted many of his ideas, so that after his death improvements of his own devising were made, and the Bullock press rapidly superseded all previous ones.


BULLUS, Oscar, naval officer, b. about 1800; d. in New York city, 29 Oct., 1871. In 1815 he was appointed from New York to the U. S. military academy, but resigned and entered the navy as a midshipman in 1817. He was ordered to the sloop " Ontario," and served under Capt. Biddle in the Pacific ocean until 1819. From 1819 till 1821 he was in service on the Mediterranean, where, in June, 1821, he fell from aloft and received injuries that led to his being placed on the reserved list. From 1822 till 1824 he was on duty on the " Washington," and at the navy-yard. New York. In 1830 he was assigned the command of the " Rush," later of the receiving-ship " Franklin," then was on the sloop " St. Louis," and from 1835 till 1838 on the " Constitution." From 1842 till 1844 he was in command of the " Boxer," and, after short duty at New York, commander of the store-ship " Relief." In 1848 he was commissioned commander, and assigned to the charge of the " Michigan " on the lakes. He was piaced on the retired list in September, 1855, for disability received in the line of duty. He was commissioned captain in 1861, and in command of rendezvous. New York, rendered good service in connection with recruiting. In 1867 he was promoted commodore, and had charge of the depot at Maiden, Mass.