The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1908-12-31
PROMINENT PEOPLE.

JAMES II. CUMMISKEY. commits
sl0ner OF public works of Prince Edward
island and one of the prominent men in
the public life of that province, was born
November u, 1S49, in Fort Augustus,
schools and in Prince of Wales college.
lie taught school for several years and
in 1872 entered commercial life. I'm
IO9! ne was elected a member of the
Legislature. His election, together with
the return or another Liberal member,
| gave the Liberals majority and over
threw the Conservative Government
which had been in power since 1878 In
| 1897 Mr.. Cummiskey was elected sneak
er of the Legislative Assembly, a nosition
he held for seven years. He was re-
turned at the generals elections of 1897
and 1900. In the latter year he was an
pointed commissioner of public works.
In recent years Mr.. Cummiskey has been
acting premier of Prince Edward island
on several occasions.
EVERETT C. BUMPUS, a member
of the international Panama claims COM
mission, was born at Plympton, Mass.
November g. 1914. In boyhood he re-
moved with his parents to Braintree and
received there his early education. After
serving in the war, first as a private sol
der, then as the head of his company,
he studied law and was admitted to the
bar in 1867. He was on the bench from
1872 to 1882. For twenty years Judge
Bumpus was a member Of numerous
commissions chosen by the Massachu-
sets courts to settle questions of water,
gas, electric and land franchises. AS a
member of the international Panama
lands commission he has spent much of
his time abroad during the past two
years.
ERNEST w. BROWN, professor Of
mathematics in Haverford college, was
born in Hull, England, November %,
1866. He graduated from Cambridge
university and came to America in
1891 to accept the chair Of mathematics
in Haverford college In 1907 he received
the gold medal awarded annually by the
Royal Astronomical society of London to
the one person who has done the most
during the year to further astronomical
works. Recently Prof. Brown was called
to the chair of mathematics at Yale,
where he will construct lunar tablets
for use in all the nautical almanacs Of
the world, upon which are based COM
putations for international navigation
The work. it is expected, will take at
least ten years.
JEFFERSON DE ANGELS. the
well known comedian, was born in San
II
parentage. Both his father and mother
were players. He received a common.
school education and made his first stage
appearance when but child. In 1871
he and his sister, Sarah, began tour
on their own account in two or three lit
tie sketches, working their way eastward
from San Francisco. Next they went
the harvest of dollars they had expected
More successful financially was their
tour that followed in India and South
Africa The comedian finally returned
to San Francisco, but it was a long
time before he won his way to fame
With the McCaull Opera company he,
played for three years, principally in
the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, them
at the height of their popularity. In,
1890 he became principal comedian at.
he New York Casino, where he remained
three years, participating in all the sue
cesses of that playhouse. In more re-
cent years he has headed his own COM
pany and has appeared successfully in
numerous comic operas.
WILLIAM MORRIS FONTAINE.,
for many years professor of geology and
natural history in the University of Vir-
ginia, was born in Louisa county, Va.
December /. 1885. He was prepared by
private tutor and at the Hanover acad-
envy until 1855, when he entered the.
University of Virginia, from which in
stitution he graduated with high honorsa
four years later. From 1861 to 1865 he
served as a lieutenant of artillery in the.
army of the Confederate states. After
the close of the Civil war he went
abroad and spent two years in speciaR
studies at German universities. Upon.
his return to America in 1871, he became
| professor of chemistry and geology dit
the University of West Virginia. where
he remained until he joined the faculty
of the University of Virginia at Char
lottesville. DR.. Fontaine has written nu
merous books and papers on geology and'
mineralogy and is regarded as a high
authority on those branches of science.
! JOHN HERMAN CONVERSE, a,
! leader in American Industries and one
! of the owners of the Baldwin locomo-
| tive works of Philadelphia, was born in
Burlington, VT, December 2, 1870 and
received his education in the University
of Vermont: He began life as a news
paper man. Subsequently he went to-
| Chicago and entered the service of the
| North Western railroad. Later he joined
the Pennsylvania system at Altoona
and in 1870 he entered the employment
of the Baldwin Locomotive works, be-
| coming a member of the firm three years,
| later. Mr.. Converse has been conspic-
uous in many benevolent and philan--
! thropic enterprises. In church matters
| he also has been prominent. In the
general Presbyterian assembly of 1900
| he was chosen vice moderator and a
/ year ago he originated the movement
| for a worldwide evangelistic campaigns
| to be conducted under the auspices of
the Presbyterian church.
| CLEVELAND Able, distin-
guished meteorological, was born in New
| York city, December 3, 1888. His edu-
cation was received at the College of the
| City of New York, the University of
Michigan and Harvard university. In
| 1860 he Joined the United States coast
survey and for the next four years was
! engaged in computing longitudes, star
catalogues, etc. In 1864 he went to Rus
| STA and for two years was an assistant
at the Imperial Central Astronomical OBJ
servatory at Paulkova, near st. Peters
burg In 1867 he returned to America.
and became an assistant at the United
States Naval observatory. From 1868 to.
1878 he was director of the Cincinnati
! observatory, where he established a sys-
tenn of daily weather maps of the United
States, with a forecast of the weather
for Cincinnati and vicinity. This led
finally to the adoption of the general
weather service in the United States
With this service DIR. Able has been
connected for nearly forty years, first in
the United States signal service and later
in the weather bureau of the department
of agriculture.
JOSEPH LETTER, capitalist and
mine owner, was born in Chicago, De-
cember 4, 1868, the son of LevXi u.