, 1876-03-13
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

FaA4lAk AAF1-
Joseph DanA Webster MAS horn At Hampton
New Hampshire. Aug. 49, 1911. uis father
was the Nov. Joaiah Wobsser, .klnsman Of ths
mas Elizabeth Knight.
Tho early years OF Joseph .Webster Horo ur
orentfully passed in lis quiet native yillaCo. Ia
accordance With tho ofs-e1pressed wishes Of Lii
father that he should pursue professional llfa
ho entered Hampton ACADEMY At ths
ago OF 10. and prepared himself
timo-houorad Dartmouth College. l1e vu
eatneat In h!a Rtudles and quick In appschen.
slon but ILLS tasses thtonghout his collegiate hfs
W1ts In tho direction Of mathematical rathes
than Of classical lore. ue graduated ia das
becoming lawyer, went TO kawbury-
port, MaAs., whore ho entered : law
oflco. Three years Of experiment. In th!s
profession were, however, enough fst
him, and In 1885 he turnod his steps toward
and ainoe, In hopes Of prefesmeat. Gan. C1s1.
who wAs 1t that time Secretary OF War. became
acquainted with him, aud tapdoted hin, pos.
ton ID the Corps Of Civil Eugineers:" 1le accept.
cd tho offer. and from that time bin cursor rn
practically determined upon. In 1883 Ao becaEa
, naembor OF tho
UNITED BrATEs TYPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEER coatA
tho Civil Engineer Co5pa having boon abolished.
Aud caus West TO Milwaukee, taklng charge Of
the Government lake coast survey. Mauy Quarts
In 1847 'ho wont to Detroit whero hs had charge
OF the hsrhor anrvay, until he wAs ordered 70
Mexico TO mako military surveys on the N'o
Gfanda. ue returned to Washington In Tho fol-
lowing year, whenoo ho WAS ordafed to Chicago
10 aupeIiutend the hArbor work thou going oa3
hero, Iu this work ho was very guccssaful. It'd
was continued In It until 1854, when llo was or
derod to the Mexican frontier again for ser7eA
On arriving 1t his new tlsld OF tabor, LII. Web
Etes found that the climate did not agree WA
and raturnsd to Chicago, where hs tlyed Ia auie..
for something moro than = year. The oiiicEn
4ats ahoW thss hs entered tho service na Second
Lisutensnt July I, lsse Eas made F!1ss L;sS' sst
tenant In July, 1a4o, md Captain In March, lSa'
From Tho year 1864. 1hen Gan. Webster .eI
the army to asaumo the duttos Of civilian, un.
I'll the ycar 1861. when tho Rebellion broke oqt
and he zo-enllsted. liz msde Chicago h1s rev.;
dsnos. and wa engaged In tho manufactutss ., o.
tGs firm Of Danfort i Co., manufacturers
auong other shinga Of reapipg @a.
chimes vhsoil ats.insa considerable eelsnt1,
a. nct bps qsesssss essas ' p9s. S 'At s .'':ts sa
III February. 1855, tbs Legislature OF os, 1li!aos
passed An aet constituting board Of th1eo COT.
missioners, to b called the Bswsra3s Comnls.
sioners Of the City Of Chicago. Tbis Board, = =
elected BY the Council. conslstel Of William y,
Ogden. from tho North Division, eYlYsa!ss
Lind, from the West Division and J. D. Woe
stes, tho subject Of this aketeh, ftou
the South Diyialon. Mr, Ogden VA 10
fEst President, bus bald hia Office o4if
short time, when he lsft the Board, and tn!,,
Con!sy took biz place ~ representative o. r. T.
North Division. On Mz. 0gdsn's setiteo'ens NJ
Webaser was elected preaidaut OF tho Doa1d-n
office wh,ch he held until It was snept Out o. =
tatsnes In 1861, when ths Board Of PUBLIC Wo's
took its place. IT.
The work OF tho Commission Of which ~
Wsbatar was President wAx tho most tmpoltsn
syer undertaken for Chicago up 70 -
time. Having In July. 1881, pEoaossa ms
poantnsns Of III. UhsSbsouAh ii nty knfHaases
III Board psosssdsa W Nv VI, paa2. Aad ssa