JOHN ADAMS DIX
\d͡ʒˈɒn ˈadəmz dˈɪks], \dʒˈɒn ˈadəmz dˈɪks], \dʒ_ˈɒ_n ˈa_d_ə_m_z d_ˈɪ_k_s]\
Sort: Oldest first
-
An American statesman and general; born at Boscawen, N. H., July 24, 1798; died in New York city, April 21, 1879. He was with his father in the war of 1812, and subsequently held other commissions in the army; but resigned in 1828, settled in Cooperstown, N. Y., and began the practice of law, which he had studied during his military service. Thereafter he was prominent in the politics of his adopted State, and was elected to the United States Senate in 1845. He was Secretary of the Treasury during a brief period in 1861 under Buchanan, during which time he telegraphed to a naval officer the famous phrase: "If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot!\" During the Civil War he was made majorgeneral of volunteers. From 1867 to 1868 he was Minister to France, and in 1872 was elected Governor of New York. Among his works are: "Resources of the City of New York" (1827); "A Winter in Madeira, and a Summer in Spain and France" (1855); "Speeches and Occasional Addresses" (2 vols., 1864). He translated "Dies Irae" (1863), and "Stabat Mater" (1868), both privately printed.
By Charles Dudley Warner
Word of the day
Snake's-head
- Guinea-hen flower; -- so called in England because its spotted petals resemble the scales of a snake's head.