convention of 1867, serving as chairman of the committee on finance. He was an unsuccessful candidate for congress in 1862, and for comptroller in 1863. The State constitutional convention of 1867 reorganized the old court of appeals by creat- ing a new court composed of a chief judge and six associate judges, each to hold of- fice for fourteen years from 1 Jan. after his election. The first judges were chosen at a special election held in May, 1870, and Mr. Church was elected chief j udge of the court, in this capacity he served for ten years, until his death. As a politician, Judge Church belonged to the school of William L. Marcy
and Silas Wright.
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His honesty and conservatism were proverbial, and they nearly won for him the nomination for tlie presidency of the United States. His political power throughout western New York was remark- able. As a jurist his opinions were distinguished by solidity rather than brilliancy. He was never an advocate, and he shrank from publicity. On the bench he was as courteous to the humble attor- ney as to the most eminent, and no one ever charged that his earlier political activity warped in the slightest degree his decisions.
CHURCHILL, Sylvester, soldier, b. in Wood-
stock, Vt., 3 Aug., 1783 ; d. in Washington, D. C,
7 Dec, 1862. He was educated in the schools of
his native place, became a journalist, and published
in Windsor, in 1808, a weekly democratic newspa-
per, *' The Vermont Republican." He served in
the war of 1812-5, was appointed a lieutenant of
artillery in March, 1812 ; in August, 1813, was
made captain of a company raised by himself. He
rendered effective service on Burlington heights
in protecting Macdonough's fleet when it was
attacked while undergoing repairs, became assist-
ant .inspector-general, 29 Aug., 1813, and was
ordnance officer under Gen. Wade Hampton, serv-
ing as such till the end of the war. He was in the
attack on La Colle Mill, was subsequently on the
stafE of Gen. Izard, and acting adjutant-general
to Gen. Macomb at Plattsburg. He became major
of the 3d artillery, 6 April, 1835, served during
the war with the Creek Indians, acted as inspector-
general of the Creeks and in Florida from July,
1836, till 1841, and was appointed inspector-gen-
eral, 25 June, 1841. He accompanied Gen. Wool
in the Mexican war, and was promoted brevet
bi-igadier-general, 23 Feb., 1847, in recognition of
his services at the battle of Buena Vista. He was
retired from active service, 25 Sept., 1861. — His
eldest son, Capt. William, b. about 1820, was
graduated at the U. S. military academy in 1840,
and died at Point Isabel in 1847.
CHURCHMAN, John, preacher, b. in Nottingham, Pa., 4 June, 1705 ; d. there, 24 July, 1775. He began his career as a preachei- of the Society of Friends in 1733, preached throughout New England in 1742, in New York in 1743, and again in
1774. He travelled and preached through England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Holland in 1750-'4, and in 1775 visited the eastern shore of Maryland. He was distinguished for his piety and ability as a preacher. A narrative of his life and
labors was published in London in 1780.
CHURCHMAN, John, author, b. in Maryland ;
d. at sea, 24 July, 1805. He belonged to the Society
of Friends, and was noted for his investigations
into the causes of the variations of the magnetic
needle. In addition to several philosophical trea-
tises, he also published a variation-chart of the
globe, magnetic atlas, and explanation (Philadel-
phia, 1790; London, 1794). He was a member of
the Imperial academy, Russia, and was presented
with a set of its transactions. He died on the
passage home from Europe.
CHURCHMAN, William Henry, educator, b.
in Baltimore, Md., 29 Nov., 1818; d. in Indian-
apolis, Ind., 17 May, 1882. He became a pupil of
the Pennsylvania institution for the blind in 1836,
acquiring a good knowledge of mathematics and
music. In 1839 he began teaching music in Penn-
sylvania, and in 1840 was appointed an assistant
teacher of music and other branches in the insti-
tution for the blind at Columbus, Ohio. In 1844
he became principal of the recently established
Tennessee institution for the blind, l)ut resigned
after two years, in consequence of failing health.
He was chosen superintendent of the Indiana in-
stitution for the blind at Indianapolis in 1847,
and resigned in 1853, having greatly distinguished
himself for the ability displayed in the discharge
of his duties. In 1854 he established a young
ladies' seminary at La Porte, Ind., but. after it
had been in successful operation a little over a
year, the buildings were burned. Shortly after-
ward he was a[)pointed superintendent of the Wis-
consin institute for the blind at Janesville.
CHURRUCA Y ELORZA, Cosme Damian
(le (chu-ru'-kah), Spanish naval oSicer, b. in Mo-
trico, province of Guipuzcoa, 27 Sept., 1761 ; d. in
Trafalgar, 21 Oct., 1805. He distinguished him-
self at the siege of Gibraltar in rescuing survivors
from the floating batteries after it had been de-
stroyed by the English. He accompanied a Span-
ish surveying ex-
pedition to the
strait of Magellan,
and wrote a diary
of his exploration
of Tierra del Fue-
go (Madrid, 1793).
In 1791, being then
in command of a
frigate, he was
placed at the head
of an expedition to
survey the coasts
of the gulf of Mex-
ico. The war be-
tween Spain and
France interrupt-
ed this work ; but
he had completed
twenty-four charts
of the coasts of
Cuba, Hayti, Porto
Rico, etc., some of
which have been
published. He was
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afterward sent as an envoy to Brest. In October, 1805, he was in command of the ship " San Juan Nepomueeno " at Cadiz, and shortly before the battle of Trafalgar wrote to a friend : " If you hear that my ship is taken, know for certain that I am dead." ' In that battle, his leg having been shot