Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/191

labors of Mr. Francis in the constitutional convention undoubtedly led to the breaking down of his health and the illness which terminated fatally. For many years prior to his death his son, Charles S., had been associated with him in conducting the Troy Times, holding an equal partnership, the firm name being J. M. Francis & Son. During that period Charles S. Francis had the active management of the Times, and became sole editor and proprietor upon his father's death, which occurred at his residence in Troy, N.Y., June 18, 1897.

FRANCIS, John Wakefield, physician, was born in New York city Nov. 17. 1789. His father was a German emigrant who arrived in New York about 1784, and the son was apprenticed to a printer, meanwhile preparing himself for the sophomore class of Columbia, where he was graduated in 1809. He studied medicine under Dr. David Hosack and at the College of physicians and surgeons, receiving his M.D. degree in 1811. He was associated with Dr. Hosack in the editing of the American Medical and Philosophical Register, 1810–14, and in the practice of medicine, 1811–20. He was professor of materia medica at the College of physicians and surgeons, 1813–16; spent one year in study in Europe under Abernethy; was professor of the institutes of medicine and of medical jurisprudence, 1817–18, and of obstetrics 1820–26; and was professor of obstetrics and forensic medicine in Rutgers medical school, 1826–28. He was a member of the Typographical society; of the New York historical society; of the New York lyceum of natural history, and director of the Woman's hospital and of the State inebriate asylum. He was a reorganizer and the first president of the reorganized New York academy of medicine in 1847–48: editor of the Medical and Physical Journal, 1822–24, and the author of biographical sketches of many old New Yorkers. He was a trustee of the College of physicians and surgeons, 1814–26. His sons, Valentine Mott and Samuel Ward, became well known physicians and authors, practising in New York city and in Newport. R.I. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Trinity college, Conn., in 1850 and from Columbia in 1860. He published Use of Mercury (1811); Cases of Morbid Anatomy (1814) Febrile Contagion (1816); Notice of Thomas Eddy (1823); Denman's Pratice of Midwifry with notes (1825). Letters on Cholera Asphyxia of 1832 (1832); Mineral Waters of Aron (1834), The Anatomy of Drunkenness; and Old New York, or Reminiscences of the Past Sixty Years (1857, reprint, 1865). He died in New York city Feb. 8, 1861.

FRANCIS, Joseph, inventor, was born in Boston, Mass., March 12, 1801. He developed a peculiar skill as a boat builder and when eleven years old exhibited his handiwork. In 1819 he was the prize winner for a fast row boat, exhibited at the Mechanics institute fair, Boston. When he reached his majority he established a boat yard in New York city. He built wooden life-boats for the Santee and for the Alabama at the Portsmouth navy yard, but won his greatest reputation as designer of life-boats, life-cars and surf lifeboats adopted by the life saving service and constructed from iron. At this time, 1842, only wooden boats were supposed to be practicable. His metallic life car was built at his own expense and furnished to the life-saving station at Squan Beach. N.J., the crew saving 200 of the 201 persons on the Ayrshire, which was wrecked on the beach in January, 1830, and during the first four years, 1850–53, of the use of his life-boats, 2150 lives were saved. His inventions were adopted by the governments of every civilized nation in constructing life-saving apparatus, steamships, floating docks, harbor buoys, pontoon bridges and wagons and other marine devices, from corrugated sheet metal. The sovereigns of Europe recognized his genius long before the U.S. congress honored him, and in 1842 he was presented with medals and diplomas by the life saving societies of France, of England and of the Imperial Royal European society. He received a gold snuff box set in diamonds, valued at 17,500 francs, from Napoleon III. in 1836, and was made a Knight of St. Stanislaus in 1861. The congress of the United States recognized his "life-long services to humanity and his country" in March, 1897, and in August, 1898, ordered a special gold medal to be struck and presented to him as "the inventor and framer of the means for life-saving service of the country" President Harrison presented the medal, which cost $3000, April 12, 1890, when Mr. Francis was in his ninetieth year. He published Life Saving Appliances (1885). He died at Cooperstown, N.Y., May 10, 1893.

FRANCIS, Joseph Marshall, fifth bishop of Indiana and 192d in succession in the American episcopate, was born at Eaglesmere, Pa., April 6, 1962: son of James B. and Augusta (Marshall) Francis, and a descendant of John Francis of Philadelphia. He was educated at the Episcopal academy, Philadelphia, at Racine college, Wis., and at Oxford university, England. He was ordained deacon 1884, priest, 1886, and was missionary at Milwaukee and Greenfield, Wis., 1884–86; canon of the cathedral at Milwaukee, 1886–87, and rector of St. Luke's church. White- water, Wis., 1887–88. In 1888 he went to Japan and became priest in charge of the cathedral at Tokyo and professor in the Trinity divinity school there. He returned to the United States in 1897, and was rector of St Paul's church, Evansville, Ind., 1898–99. He was elected bishop of Indiana