REEDER
REESE
land, who settled at Newtown, Long Island, about
1650. He attended the academy at Lawrence-
ville, N.J., and practised law in Easton from
1828, attaining a high position at the Pennsyh'ania
bar, and as a campaign orator in Democratic
political meetings. He was married, Sept. 13,
1831, to Fredericka Amalia, daughter of Chris-
tian J. and Charlotte (Bauer) Hutter of Easton.
He was appointed by President Pierce, governor
of Kansas Territory in 1854, and although in
sympathy with the policy of the administration
regarding slavery, he expressed himself as satis-
lied that the admission of the institution in
Kansas would result in lawlessness, and be was
removed from office in July, 1855. He claimed
to have been elected a Free State delegate from
Kansas to the 34th congress in 1855, but his elec-
tion was successfully contested by John W.
Whitfield, the incumbent delegate; and after
his election as U.S. senator under the Topeka
•constitution, which congress refused to ratify,
Mr. Reeder returned to Easton. where he sup-
ported John C. Fremont, the Republican candidate
for President. He was ciiairman of the Republi-
can state delegation to the national convention at
Ciiicago in 1800; a candidate for Vice-President
before the convention, receiving the third highest
vote, and in 1861, after having secured the ap-
pointment of Simon Cameron as secretary of
war. declined a commission as brigadier-general
in the U.S. army from President Lincoln on the
ground that he had no military educatitm except
that gained by liis service as captain in the state
militia at Easton. He, however, sent three sons
to the Union army. He was chairman of the
Republican state delegation to the Republican
national convention of 1864, which re-nominated
Lincoln for President, and served as chairman of
the commission to investigate the charges against
Surgeon-General Hammond in 1864. On Sept. 23,
1901, his portrait was presented to the county of
Northampton, by his surviving sou and daughter.
He died m Easton, Pa., July 5, 1864.
REEDER, William Augustus, representative, -was born in Cumberland county, Pa., Aug. 28, 1849. He removed with his parents to Ipava, Fulton county. 111., in 1853, attended the public schools, and taught school in Illinois, 1863-71, and in Beloit, Kan., 1871-79. He was married, Aug. 18, 1876, to Eunice H. Andrews of Beloit, and removed to Logan, Kan., where he engaged in banking. In 1890, in partnership with A. H. Ellis and J. J. Wiltrout, he purchased an exten- sive tract of land on the Solomon river, and established the largest irrigation farm in the state of Kansas. He was a Republican repre- .sentative from the sixth congressional district of Kansas in the 56th, 57th and 58th congresses, 1899-1905.
REES, John Krotn, astronomer, was born in
New York city, Oct. 27. 1851; son of Hans and
Lucinda (Krom) Rees; grandson of Iver Jensen
and Lena Maria Rees and of Reuben and Mary
(Dubois) Krom, and a descendant of Louis Dii-
Bois (1660). He was graduated from Columbia
college, A.B., 1872, A.M., 1875, and from the
Columbia School of Mines, E.M.. 1875. He was
assistant in mathematics at the School of Mines,
1873-76; was married Sept. 7. 1876, to Louise E.,
daughter of Nathaniel and Emma (Chambers)
Sands of New York city; was professor of math-
ematics and astronomy at Washington universit}',
St. Louis, Mo., 1876-81; was recalled to Columbia
as director of the observatory in 1881, and also
served as adjunct professor of geodesy and prac-
tical astronomy, 1882-84; and professor, 1884-92,
being transferred to the chair of astronomy in
1892. He was chau-man of the board of editors
of the School of 31ines Quarterly, 1883-90. He
prepared with Prof. Harold Jacoby (q.v.) and
Dr. Herman S. Davis as assistants, an account of
the seven years' campaign (1893-1900) with the
Royal Observatory of Naples (M. Fergola, direc-
tor), for the purpose of determining the varia-
tions of latitude, and the constant of aberration,
the result of this work being published by the
■ New York Academy of Sciences as a volume of
the Annals of the Academy (1903): and under
his general direction the measurements and re-
duction of the C. M. Rutherfurd star plates were
carried out by Professor Jacoby and the Observa-
tory computing staff, and also publi^^hed by the
Academy (1892-1903). In 1900 he completed ar-
rangements for the mounting of a fixed telescope
at Helsingfors, Finland, adapted for photograph-
ing star plates about the North Pole, according
to a plan suggested by Professor Jacoby. For
astronomical work done, the degree of Ph.D. was
conferred on him by Columbia in 1895. He was
president of the New York Academy of Sciences,
1894-96; secretary of the American Metrological
society, 1882-96, being made vice-president in
1896; vice-president of the American Mathemati-
cal society, 1890-91; secretary of the University
Council of Columbia university, 1892-98; a fellow
of the Royal Astronomical society of London and
a member of the Astronomische Gesellschaft.
He received from the French government in
January, 1901, the decoration of the Legion of
Honor.
REESE, William Brown, jurist and educator, was born in Jefferson county, Tenn., Nov. 19, 1793; son of James Reese, a pioneer settler of East Tennessee (then Washington county, N.C.) and a representative in the legislature of the proposed state of Franklin, 1785-87. William B. Reese attended the preparatory school of the Rev. Dr. Henderson, and Blount college, and was
