Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/509

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IRVINE


IRVINE


supreme executive council, 1782-85 ; was vice- president of the state, 1784-85 ; a member of the general assembly, 1785-86 ; state senator, 1795-99, and an original trustee of Dickinson college. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., April 28, 1819.

IRVINE, James, educator, was born in Jackson, Washington county, N.Y., in 1793. He entered Union college. May 1, 1817, and was graduated, A.B., in 1819. He studied theology with Dr. Banks in Philadelphia, was licensed in Septem- ber, 1822, by the Miami presbytery, and ordained, July 7, 1824, by the Cambridge presbytery. He was professor of mathematics in tlie Ohio uni- versity at Athens, 181C-22, and its president, 1822-23, continuing to hold the chair of mathe- matics. Owing to ill-health, he was granted leave of absence in 1823, and never returned to the university. He was pastor at West Hebron, Washington county, N.Y., 1824-31, and of the Second church, New York city, 1831-35. He died in New York city, Nov. 25, 1835.

IRVINE, Julia Josephine (Tho.nas), edu- cator, was born in Salem, Ohio, Nov. 9, 1848 ; youngest daughter of Dr. Owen and Mary Frame (Myers) Thomas (q.v.); granddaughter of John and Hannah (Stanton) Thomas, and of Samuel and Mary (Frame) Myers ; and a descendant of Patrick Thomas, a soldier of the Revolutionary


WELLESLEY COLLELOE.

war. The Thomas family was Welsh, the Stan- ton, English. Both families settled early in the eighteenth century in North Carolina. The My- ers family was Dutch, the Frame, Irish. Both settled in Maryland. John Thomas and Samuel Myers were Quakers, who removed with their families to Ohio, to bring up their children in a free state. Her early years were passed in Fort Wayne and Richmond, Ind., where her mother was a practising physician. She declined to re- ceive help from her parents and worked her way through college, attending Antioch college, Ohio, four years, 1867-71, two of the years being pre- paratory, and was graduated from Cornell univer- sity, A.B., 1875, A.M., 1876. She was awarded the Greek prize at the intercollegiate contest in 1875. She was married in 1875 to Charles J. Ir- vine, of Chicago, 111., who died in 1886. After removing to New York and teaching there from


1882 to 1887, she studied at Leipzig, Bologna and Athens, 1887-90. In 1890 she became professor of Greek in Wellesley college, was made acting president of the college in 1894, and in 1895 be- came president. She withdrew from the offices of president and professor in June, 1899, and was succeeded in the former office by Caroline Haz- ard. The honorary degree of Litt. D. was con- ferred upon her by Brown university in June, 1895.

IRVINE, William, soldier, was born in county Fermanagh, Ulster, Ireland, Nov. 3, 1741. He was of Scotch ancestry and was educated at Ennis- killen, and at Dublin university. He was a physi- cian and surgeon and joined the royal navy during the war with France, but resigned his commis- sion as sui'geon be- fore the close of the war in order to emi- grate to America. He located in Carlisle, Pa., in 1764, when he practised his profes- sion and became iden- tified with the cause of the colonists. He was made a delegate to the Provincial con- vention that met at Philadelphia, July 15, 1774, and in that body favored a Continental congress. When arm- ed resistance took form he determined to join the army. He was made colonel of the 6th Pennsylvania line, which he had recruited, and led the regiment in the expedition against Canada, where he fought in the battle of Three Rivers, June 16, 1776; was taken pris- oner, and was not exchanged till April 21,1778. He was a member of the coui't-martial that con- victed Gen. Charles Lee in 1778 ; the same year was given command of 2d Pennsylvania line, and on May 12, 1779, of the 2d brigade which, under Lord Sterling and General Wayne, took part in the unsuccessful expeditions against Staten Island and Bull's Ferry in 1780. He succeeded Gen. James Irvine to the command of the troops at Fort Pitt, where he was stationed, 1781-83. He was agent for the distribution of public lands to the soldiers, 1785-86, and secured a lake front for the state of Pennsj^lvania by the purchase of land on Lake Erie. He was a delegate to the Conti- nental congress, 1786-88, and a representative in the 3d congress, 1793-95. Failing to secure peace- ful compliance with the law on the part of the insurrectionists of western Pennsylvania, he was made commander of the Pennsylvania militia, and by show of force succeeded in restoring or-


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