History of Newport, (Newport County) Rhode Island United States of America

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Biographies:

William Brenton, governor of Rhode Island, was born at Hammersmith, county of Middlesex, England, in the early part of the seventeenth century. He immigrated to Boston in 1634, and held important offices of trust in Massachusetts and in Rhode Island, where he settled in 1639. He was deputy-governor of Portsmouth and Newport, R. I., from 1640 to 1647; president of the colony from 1660 to 1663, and governor from 1666 to 1669, under the new charter granted by Charles II. He was one of the nine original proprietaries of Rhode Island, surveyed and selected for his home Newport, and built his house where Fort Adams was afterwards located. His grant gave him the privilege of claiming a certain amount of land for every mile surveyed, and in this way he acquired vast possessions. Brenton's Reef and Brenton's Point, Narragansett Bay, take their name from him. He died at Newport, R. I., in November, 1674.

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

Oliver Hazard Perry, naval officer, was born in Newport, R.I., Aug. 21, 1785; eldest son of Christopher Raymond and Sarah (Alexander) Perry; grandson of Freeman Perry, and a descendant in the sixth generation of Edward Perry, who emigrated from Devonshire, England, and settled in Sandwith, Mass., in 1653. His father was an officer in the patriot army and navy during the Revolutionary war; was made post captain in the U.S. navy Jan. 9, 1798; built and commanded the General Greene and cruised in the West Indies; participated in the civil war in Santo Domingo and was appointed collator of Newport, R.I., in 1801. Oliver attended private schools, and was a pupil of Count Rochambeau. He joined the U.S. navy as a midshipman, April 7, 1797, and sailed with his father to the West Indies. He was ordered to the Adams in 1802 and served in the Tripolitan war under Preble: served on board the Constellation in the Mediterranean, 1804-05; was promoted lieutenant and given command of the Nautilus in 1805 and during the embargo that led to the war of 1812 commanded a fleet of seventeen gun boats off Newport Harbor. He was promoted master of the schooner Revenge in 1809, and served on that vessel until she was stranded on the rocks off Watch Hill, R.I., Jan. 9, 1810. He was married May 5, 1811, to Elizabeth Champlain, daughter of Dr. Benjamin Mason, Newport. Upon the outbreak of the war of 1812, be was promoted captain and resumed command of the gunboat fleet off Newport, but was transferred to Sackett's Harbor. N.Y., Feb. 17, 1813, to assist Commodore Isaac Chauncey in the building of a fleet to operate on the lakes. In March, 1813, he was promoted master-commandant of a proposed fleet to be built at Erie, Pa., and joined Captain Jesse D. Elliott in the completion of a fleet for the defence of the northwest. The fleet of nine vessels, comprising the tugs Lawrence and Niagara and the schooners Caledonia, Scorpion, Porcupine, Tigress, Ariel, Somers and Trippe of 500 tons burden, of lighter build but armed with heavy long guns, was completed in less than six months, and Perry set sail from Putin bay on the morning of Sept. 15, 1813, to meet the British fleet under Commodore Barclay. This fleet comprised the Chippewa, Detroit, Hunter, Queen Charlotte, Lady Prevost and Little Belt. The opening shot of the engagement was fired from the British flag-ship Detroit, to which Captain Perry replied from the Lawrence. This was immediately followed by a storm of iron hail from the entire British fleet that soon played havoc with the rigging, masts and bulwarks of the Americans. The battle now took the form of a duel, the heaviest vessels in each fleet confronting each other. The Lawrence was reduced to a bulk by the steady fire of the Detroit, and in two hours only one gun was left mounted and the deck was crowded with dead and wounded. The Niagara floated out of range, owing to the lightness of the wind, and was unable to give assistance to the Lawrence, and the rest of the American fleet were of little use on account of their light armament. Perry, assisted by Chaplain Breeze, Hambleton, the purser, and two unwounded sailors, continued to work the one remaining gun of the Lawrence until a shot killed Hambleton and dismantled the gun. A British victory seemed imminent when the undaunted Perry determined on a bold move. Ordering a boat lowered, with four sailors, and his brother Alexander, and with the flag of the Lawrence on his arm, he left the ship, and sheltered by the smoke and escaping a volley fired by the enemy, was rowed to the Niagara, where he hoisted his commodore's flag and assumed command. Captain Elliott volunteered to bring up the laggard schooners to his support, and a new line of battle was formed at close quarters. The wind freshened and the American fleet under full sail bore down upon the enemy. In endeavoring to wear ship, the British ships, Detroit and Queen Charlotte, fell foul, and taking advantage of the situation, the Niagara dashed through the enemy's line, discharging both broadsides as she passed the gap. The Caledonia, Scorpion and Trippe broke the line at other points, and the batteries of the Niagara, assisted by the riflemen in the tops, so disabled the enemy that after seven minutes of fighting the flag of the Detroit was lowered and four of the six British vessels surrendered. The two smaller boats that attempted to escape were pursued and captured by the Scorpion and Trippe, and after securing his prisoners and manning the prizes, Perry dispatched a letter to General Harrison in these words: "We have met the enemy and they are ours: Two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop." Later a second letter to Secretary of the Navy Jones informed the country of the victory. The British loss was over one hundred and sixty men killed and wounded, while Perry lost twenty-seven killed and ninety-six wounded. He was commissioned post captain in the navy; presented with the thanks of congress, a sword and a gold medal, with a set of silver by the city of Boston, and was voted thanks by other cities. He co-operated with the army of General Harrison in the invasion of Canada and took an important part, as commander of the fleet and of the naval battalion on land in the battle of the Thames, Oct. 5, 1813, where the British troops were almost entirely annihilated and the great Indian chief, Tecumseh, was killed. He participated in the defence of Baltimore, and commanded the frigate Java in the Mediterranean squadron under Stephen Decatur during the operations against Algiers in 1815-18. He was promoted commodore and placed in command of the naval station in the West Indies in 1819, and during the service fell a victim to the yellow fever. His remains were interred at Port Spain, but were later removed to Newport, in a ship of war, and buried there, Dec. 4, 1826. A granite obelisk was erected to his memory by the state of Rhode Island; a marble statue was unveiled in Cleveland, Ohio, in September, 1860, and a bronze statue by William G. Turner, erected by the citizens of Newport, R.I., was unveiled opposite his old home, Sept. 10, 1885. The state of Ohio presented to the capitol at Washington pictures of the "Battle of Lake Erie" and of "Perry leaving the Lawrence for the Niagara." His name received twenty-six votes for a place in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, New York university, October, 1900. He died on board Iris ship off Port of Spain, Trinidad, W.I., Aug. 23, 1819.

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

Christopher Grant Champlin, senator, was born in Newport, R.I., April 12, 1768. He was a nephew of George Champlin, born 1738, died 1809, was graduated from Harvard college in 1786, and afterwards studied at St. Omer, France. He served as a representative in Congress from May 15, 1797, to March 3, 1801. He was chosen to the United States senate in place of Francis Malbone, deceased, took his seat Jan. 12, 1810, and resigned in 1811. He was president of the Rhode Island bank up to the time of his death, which occurred at Newport, R.I., March 28, 1840.

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

Rowland Hazard, manufacturer, was born in Newport, R.I., Aug. 16, 1829; son of Rowland Gibson and Caroline (Newbold) grandson of Rowland and Mary (Peace), great grandson of Thomas, great2 grandson of Robert, great3 grandson of Thomas, great4 grandson of Robert, and great5 grandson of Thomas Hazard, an original proprietor of the island of Aquidneck and a founder of Newport, R.I. His father was born near Peace Dale, R.I., and resided there after 1833. Rowland attended the Friends' college, Haverford, Pa., for one year and was graduated at Brown in 1849, having won the first University premium in mathematics, second in mechanical philosophy, the Jackson premium in intellectual philosophy, and the first University premium in astronomy. In 1851, after a year in foreign travel, he engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods with his father and in 1866, with his brother, John Newbold, succeeded to the business. In 1872 he planned the large worsted mill built that year, and introduced into the Peace Dale mills the system of profit sharing, after visiting and studying the Rochedale, England, cooperation establishment. In 1875 he became owner of the Mine La Motte lead mine, including 24,000 acres of land in Missouri. He was president of the Washington County agricultural society from its organization in 1876 until his death. He was a state representative in 1863-64, state senator, 1867-69; Independent candidate for governor of the state, 1875, but was not elected although receiving a plurality of the votes cast. He introduced the manufacture of soda by the ammonia process into the United States, organized the Solvay Process Company at Syracuse, N.Y., and was its president, 1881-98. He was a trustee of Brown university, 1875-89; a fellow, 1889-98; a director of the Narragansett library association; a corporate member of the A.B.C. F.M.; a member of the American academy of political and social science; a trustee of the Butler hospital for the insane, of the Phillips Andover academy, and of the Y.M.C.A. of Providence; president of the R.I. Congregational home missionary society, of the board of trustees of the South Kingstown high school, and president and treasurer of the Peace Dale manufacturing company, 1864-98. He was married, March 29, 1854, to Margaret Anna, daughter of the Rev. Aaron and Alida Gouverneur (Ogden) Rood. She died, Aug. 7, 1895. Their children were: Rowland Gibson, Caroline, Frederick Rowland, Helen, wife of Nathaniel Terry Bacon, and Margaret, wife of Prof. Irving Fisher. He built at a cost of $25,000 the stone edifice for the Second Congregational church of South Kingstown, R.I., in 1872, which he enlarged by adding Margaret Chapel in memory of his wife in 1895. He was a founder of the Peace Dale public library in 1857, aided in improving the village and the roads, and built five stone bridges. With his father he established the Hazard professorship of physics at Brown university, and he left $100,000 to that institution, $20,000 to the Narragansett library association and made various other bequests. He published addresses delivered annually at the south county fairs; a paper on the Credit Mobilier of America (1881); review articles on economic subjects; papers on scientific and philosophic themes; translations from German lyrics, original sonnets, and an address at the laying of the corner-stone of the state capitol. He died at Watkins, N.Y., Aug. 16, 1898.

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