History of La Salle, (La Salle County) Illinois United States of America

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Biographies:

James Edward Keeler, astronomer, was born at La Salle, Ill., Sept. 10, 1857; son of William F. and Anna E. (Dutton) Keeler; grandson of Roswell and Mary E. (Plant) Keeler, and of Henry and Elizabeth E. (Joy) Dutton, and a descendant of Ralph Keeler, an early settler of Hartford, Conn., 1635, who was born in England about 1613. His father was a paymaster in the U.S. navy, and served on the Monitor in the fight with the Merrimac. His paternal grandfather, Henry Dutton , was dean of the Yale Law school. James E. Keeler was graduated from Johns Hopkins university in 1881, and in the same year accompanied the Mt. Whitney California expedition for the study of solar physics. He was an assistant at Allegheny observatory, 1882-86; studied in Heidelberg and Berlin, and was astronomical assistant to the Lick trustees, 1886-88; astronomer at the Lick observatory, 1888-91; director of Allegheny observatory, Pennsylvania, 1891-98, and professor of astrophysics in Western University of Pennsylvania. He became director of the Lick observatory at Mr. Hamilton, Cal., in June, 1898. Among his notable discoveries was his proof of the meteoric constitution of Saturn's rings. He received the degree of Sc.D. from the University of California in 1893, and was made a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a fellow and foreign associate of the Royal Astronomical society of London. He died in San Francisco, Cal., Aug. 13, 1900.

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

Allen Wescott Field, jurist, was born in La Salle, Ill., Nov. 20, 1853; son of Wescott R. and Bethia (Bates) Field; grandson of Robert Field of Chester, Vt., and a descendant of Thomas Field of Providence, R.I., who settled in Rhode Island in 1667. Allen W. removed to Osage, Iowa, with his parents in 1858 and to Lancaster county, Neb., in 1863. He attended school at Tabor, Iowa, and was graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1877. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1883-85, and was speaker of the house in 1885. He was appointed city attorney of Lincoln in 1886 and district judge in 1887-95. He was Republican candidate for United States senator in 1899. He received the degree of A.M. from the University of Nebraska in 1885.

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