History of New Haven, (Oswego County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Elbert Eli Farman, diplomalist, was born in New Haven, Oswego county, N.Y., April 23, 1831; son of Zadok and Martha (Dix) Farman; grandson of Roswell Furman and of Charles and Prudence (Welles) Dix, and a descendant of Robert Foreman, a planter of Maryland, who came from London to Annapolis in 1674. He also descended on his mother's paternal side from Leonard Dix, one of the settlers of Wethersfield, Conn., and on his mother's maternal side from Gov. Thomas Welles, who settled in Wethersfield, Conn., in 1635. He was graduated at Amherst in 1855 and was admitted to the bar in 1858. He was district-attorney of Wyoming county, N.Y., 1867-75. In 1876 President Grant appointed him U.S. agent and consul-general at Cairo, Egypt, President Hayes made him a member of the commission to revise the international codes of Egypt; President Garfield appointed him judge of the international courts of Egypt, and President Arthur named him as one of the international commission that examined the claims for damages arising from the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882. He received from the Khedive the decoration of Grand officer of the Imperial Order of the Medjidieh, a distinction seldom accorded to foreigners. He received from Amherst the degree of A.M. in 1860, and that of LL.D. in 1882.

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

John Fitch Kinney, jurist, was born at New Haven, Oswego county, N.Y., April 2, 1816; sonof Dr. Stephen F. and Abby (Brockway) Kinney; grandson of the Rev. Thomas and Eunice (Lathrop) Brockway, and a descendant of the Rev. John Lathrop, the emigrant, and of Wolston Brockway, who came to Lyme, Conn., in 1660. He was educated at the district school and at Rensselaer Oswego academy, studied law with Orville Robinson, Mexico, N.Y., settled in Marysville, Ohio, in 1886, and was admitted to practice in 1887. He removed to Mount Vernon, Ohio, in 1840 and practised law there until 1844, when he settled in Lee county, Iowa. He was secretary of the legislative council for the territory; prosecuting attorney for Lee county, and judge of the supreme court of the state, 1847-54. In January, 1854, he resigned to accept from President Pierce the chief justiceship of the supreme court of Utah Territory, serving 1854-57. He removed to Nebraska Territory in 1857 and practised law there until 1860, when he was again appointed chief justice of Utah Territory and held that office under appointment of President Buchanan. In 1862 he was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for delegate from Nebraska Territory to the 38th congress, and in 1863 he was elected the delegate from Utah Territory to the 38th congress, serving, 1863-65. At the expiration of his term in congress he returned to Nebraska City and in February, 1867, President Johnson appointed him a member of the special Indian commission to visit the Sioux tribe and investigate the Fort Phil Kearny massacre of December, 1868. He was the only member of the commission of six tp make the journey from Fort Laramie to Fort Phil Kearny through the hostile country, 200 miles, and hold council with the Indians, and his report made at the time became a part of the policy thereafter adopted by the government in the management of Indian tribes. In July, 1884, he was appointed by President Arthur agent of the Yankton Sioux Indians of Dakota and he resigned the agency in January, 1889, and returned to Nebraska City, where on January 29, he celebrated the golden anniversary of his marriage to Hannah D., daughter of Col. Samuel and Hannah (Chapin) Hall. Judge Kinney's dissenting opinion that the constitution and laws of Iowa did not allow a majority of the voters to impose a tax upon the minority for speculative purposes, and "that the public credit could not be used for the benefit of private corporations," as proposed in bonding a county for the benefit of a railroad, was after many years adopted by the supreme court. Mr. Justice Miller of the U.S. supreme court in a case involving the same question referred to Judge Kinney's opinion as a correct rendering of the law, and many of the western states incorporated the principle in their constitutions.

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