History of Elgin, (Kane County) Illinois United States of America

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Biographies:

John B. Hamilton, surgeon, was born at Otter Creek, Jersey county, Ill., Dec. 1, 1847. He attended Hamilton grammar school and was graduated from the Rush medical college, M.D. in 1869. He was engaged in general practice, 1869-74; was married in 1871 to Mary L. Frost; was assistant surgeon with the rank of first lieutenant in the U.S. army, 1874-76, and served at St. Louis barracks in the department of the Columbia at Fort Colville. He resigned from the army in September, 1876, to enter the U.S. marine hospital service as assistant surgeon. He served in New York city and Boston, Mass., 1876-79. He was promoted surgeon in June, 1877, and in April, 1879, was appointed supervising surgeon-general as successor to Gen John M. Woodworth. He then began the reorganization of the service, and congress finally passed a law placing the marine corps upon practically the same footing as the medical corps of the army and navy. During his incunmbency of the office he succeeded in having the national quarantine acts passed, and managed the campaign against two epidemics of yellow fever, receiving the thanks of the legislature of the state of Florida in 1889. In June, 1891, when congress refused to make the salary of his office the same as that of the surgeon-generaIs of the army and navy, he resigned his commission as surgeon-general of the marine hospital corps and resumed his place as surgeon in the coprs. He was in charge of the U.S. marine hospital, Chicago, Ill., 1891-96, when he resigned rather than be transferred to San Francisco, on which the secretary of the treasury insisted. He was superintendent of the state asylum for the insane at Elgin, Ill., 1897-98. Outside his official life he was professor of surgery in the University of Georgetown; surgeon to Providence hospital; professor of the principles of surgery and clinical surgery in Rush medical college; surgeon to the Presbyterian hospital; professor of surgery in the Chicago polyclinic and consulting surgeon to St. Joseph's hospital. In 1887 he was secretary-general of the Ninth international medical congress held in Washington, and in 1890 he was a delegate from the U.S. governent to the International medical congress held in Berlin. He received the degree of LL.D. from the University of Georgetown in 1889, and was made an honorary member of the Soci?t? francaise dhygi?ne of Paris in 1890. He died at Elgin, Ill., Dec. 24, 1898.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Howard Lincoln Hodgkins, educator, was born in Elgin, Ill., Jan. 23, 1862; son of David and Harriet (Shears) Hodgkins. He attended the public schools of Chicago and Washington and the preparatory school of Columbian university, and was graduated from the Columbian college, A.M., 1883, and Ph.D., 1892. He was a tutor in mathematics at the Columbian college, 1882-84; adjunct professor of mathematics, 1884-87; professor of mathematics, 1887-97; dean of the Corcoran Scientific school, 1897-1900; and was chosen dean of the Columbian university in 1900. He was special computer in the nautical almanac office, U.S. navy department, 1881-92. He was elected a member of the Philosophical Society of Washington, D.C., in 1885; the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1892 and fellow in 1895, and a member of the Anthropological and Geographic societies of Washington, D.C. He was married June 18, 1890, to Marie Wilkinson of Washington. He published: Historical Catalogue of the Columbian University 1821-1891 (1891).

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor