Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Littell, Eliakim

LITTELL, Eliakim, editor, b. in Burlington, N. J., 2 Jan., 1797; d. in Brookline, Mass., 17 May, 1870. His grandfather, Eliakim, was a captain in the Revolution, and did good service in the defence of Springfield, N. J., 4 June, 1780. The grandson removed to Philadelphia in 1819, and established a weekly literary paper entitled the “National Recorder,” whose name he changed in 1821 to the “Saturday Magazine.” In July, 1822, he again changed it to a monthly called the “Museum of Foreign Literature and Science,” which was edited during the first year by Robert Walsh, and subsequently by himself and his brother Squier. After conducting this with great success for nearly twenty-two years, he removed to Boston, Mass., where in April, 1844, he began “Littell's Living Age,” a weekly literary periodical which is still (1887) continued. In 1855 he began the publication in Boston of the “Panorama of Life and Literature,” a monthly. Mr. Littell was the author of the “Compromise Tariff,” which was advocated by Henry Clay and carried through congress during the administration of President Jackson. — His brother, Squier, physician, b. in Burlington, N. J., 9 Dec., 1803; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 4 July, 1886, was graduated at the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1824, the next year practised in Buenos Ayres, South America, and, returning to Philadelphia in 1826, was a physician there until his death. For several years he edited in Philadelphia the “Banner of the Cross,” and with his brother Eliakim the “Museum of Foreign Literature and Science.” He was surgeon to the Wills ophthalmic hospital in 1834-'64, becoming surgeon emeritus on his resignation, consulting physician to the Philadelphia dispensary, and a member of various foreign and domestic medical societies. Besides various professional papers, he published “Manual of Diseases of the Eye” (Philadelphia, 1837; new ed., with notes, by Hugh Houston, London, 1838); “Illustrations of the Prayer-Book” (1840); and he edited the first American edition of Haynes Walton's “Treatise on Operative Ophthalmic Surgery” (1853). — His brother, John Stockton, author, b. in Burlington. N. J.. in 1806; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 11 July, 1875, edited with biographical and historical notes, Alexander Graydon's “Memoirs of my own Times” (Philadelphia, 1846); and published a sketch of the “Life, Character, and Services of Henry Clay.” — Their cousin, William, lawyer, b. in New Jersey about 1780; d. in Frankfort. Ky., in 1825, was an eminent member of the Kentucky bar, and for many years reporter of the decisions of the court of appeals of that state. He published “The Statute Law of Kentucky” (5 vols., Frankfort, 1808-'19); “A Digest of the Statute Law of Kentucky” (2 vols., 1822); “Reports of Cases at Common Law and in Chancery, decided by the Court of Appeals of Kentucky” (4 vols., 1822-4); “Selected Cases from the Decisions of the Court of Appeals of Kentucky from 1795 till 1825” (1825); and “Festoons of Fancy in Essays, Humorous, Sentimental, and Political, in Prose and Verse.”