RANKIN, David Nevin, physician, h. in Ship- pensburg, Cumberland co.. Pa., 27 Oct., 1834. After graduation at Jefferson medical college in 1854. he practised with his father in his native town until the beginning of the civil war, in which he served as acting assistant surgeon, and aided in opening many of the largest U. S. army hospitals during the war, among which were the Mansion- house hospital in Alexandria. Va., and the Douglas hospital in Washington, I). (.'. Afterward he was made one of the thirty surgeons in the volunteer aid corps of surgeons of Pennsylvania, which ren- dered efficient service. In 1864-'6 he was medical examiner of the U. S. pension bureau, and since 1865 he has been chief physician of the penitentiary of western Pennsylvania. Dr. Rankin was a mem- ber of the British medical association in 1884, a delegate to the 8th and 9th International medical congresses, and is a member of various medical societies. He has contributed numerous articles to medical journals.
RANKIN, Jeremiah Eames, clergyman, b. in
Thornton. N. H., 2 Jan., 1828. After graduation
al Middlebury college in 1848, and at Andovertheo-
logical seminary in 1854, he was pastor of Presby-
terian and Congregational churches in Potsdam,
N. Y., St. Albans,"Vt., Lowell and Charlestnwn.
Mass., and Washington. D. ( '. Since 1884 he has
been pastor of the Valley church in Orange. N. -I.
He was a trustee of Howard university in 1870-'8,
and professor of homiletics and pastoral theology
there in 1878-'84. He has been twice a delegate to
the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and in 1884 was a delegate to the Congre-
gational union of England and Wales. Middlebury
gave him the degree of D. D. in 1869. He has con-
tributed to religious periodicals, edited the Pil-
grim Press "a in 1 thf " Congregational Review ." ha ~
written several national hymns, including " For
God and Home and Native Land " and Keep your
Colors Flying," and is the author of the " Bridal
Ring "(Boston, 1866); "Auld Scotch Mit her-" 1 1S7:|):
" Subduing Kingdoms " (Washington. 1881) ; " The
Hotel of God" (Boston, 1883); "Atheism of the
Heart " (1884) ; " Christ His Own Interpreter "
(1884) ; and " Ingleside Khaims " (New York, 1887).
RANKIN, John, clergyman. b. near Dandridge,
JelTerson co., Tenn., 4 Feb., 1793; d. in Ironton,
Ohio, 18 March, 1886. From 1817 till 1821 he was
pastor of two Presbyterian churches in Carlisle,
Ky., and about 1818 founded an anti-slavery so-
ciety. Removing to Ripley, Ohio, he was pastor
of the 1st and 3d Presbyterian churches for
forty-four years. He joined the Garrison anti-
slavery movement, and was mobbed for his views
more than twenty times. About 1824 he addressed
letters to his brother in Middlebrook, Va., dissuad-
ing him from slave-holding, which were published
in Itipley, in the "Liberator," in 1832, and after-
ward in book-form in Boston and Newburyport,
and ran through many editions. He assisted Eliza
and her child, the originals of those characters in
Uncle Tom's Cabin," to escape. He founded the
American reform book and tract society of Cin-
cinnati, and was the author of several books, in-
cluding "The Covenant of Grace" (Pittsburg,
1869). See his life entitled "The Soldier, the Bat-
tle, and the Victory," by Rev. Andrew Ritchie
(Cincinnati, 1876).
RANKIN, John Chambers, clergyman, b. in
Guilford county, N. C., 18 May, 1816. He was edu-
cated at Chapel Hill, studied at Princeton theo-
logical seminary in 1836-'9, and was ordained Mini
appointed missionary to India, where he remained
from 1840 till 1848, and there wrote and published
in the Urdic language a reply to a Mohammedan
book against Christianity. Owing to impaired
health, he returned to the United States, and in
1851 became pastor of the Presbyterian church in
Baskingridge, N. J., which charge he now (1898)
holds. Princeton gave him the degree of D. D. in
1867. He is the author of " The Coming of the
Lord" (New York, 1885).
RANKIN, Thomas, clergyman, b. in Dunbar,
Scotland, about 1738: d. in London, England, 17
May, 1810. He joined the Methodist Episcopal
conference, began to preach in 1761, and was ap-
pointed to the Sussex, Sheffield, Devonshire, and
other circuits by John Wesley, with whom he also
travelled on a preaching tour in that year. He
was the first in authority under Wesley, was ap-
pointed superintendent, and came to this country
as a missionary, arriving in Philadelphia, with
George Shadford. on 3 June, 1773. Soon after his
arrival he called a conference, which met in Phila-
delphia in July, 1773, and was the first of that
denomination ever held in this country. After
preaching in New Jersey and elsewhere, he was
stationed in New York, and while officiating at a
quarterly meeting in 1776 he was told that he
would be seized by a body of militia. He contin-
ued preaching, but. although many soldiers were in
the congregation, he was not molested. In Sep-
tember. 1777, he fled from his post and entered
the British lines. On reaching Philadelphia, which
was in their possession, he declared from the pul-
pit his belief " that God would not revive his work
in America until they submitted to their rightful
sovereign, George III." He endeavored to get the
British preachers back to England. " It appeared
to me," said Asbury, "that his object was to sweep
the continent of every preacher that Mr. Wesley
sent to it, and of every respectable travelling
preacher from Europe who had graduated among
us. whether English or Irish." After his return to
England in 1778 he was supernumerary for Lon-
don until a few months before his death.
RANNEY. Ambrose Arnold, lawyer, b. in
Townshend, Vt., 16 April, 1821 ; d. in 'Boston. 5
March, 1899. He was graduated at Dartmouth,
taught for two years, studied law. and was admit-
ted to the bar in 1848. He established himself in
practice in Boston, Mass., and attained a high repu-
tation. He was corporation counsel for the eity
in 1855-'6, and a member of the legislature in 1857,
and again in 1863 and the subsequent session. He
was elected a representative in congress by the
Republicans for three successive terms, serving
from 5 Dec., 1881, till 3 March, 1887, and was an
active member of the judiciary committee.
RANNEY, Rufus Percival, jurist, b. in Blandford,
Mass., 13 Oct., 1813; d. 6 Dec., 1891. When
fourteen his father removed to a farm in Freedom,
Portage co., Ohio, where Rufus was brought
up with small educational advantages, yet by
manual work and teaching he obtained the means
to fit himself for college. He studied for a short
time at Western Reserve college, which he left to
study law in Jefferson, Ohio. He was admitted
to the bar in 1838, and was taken into partnership
by Benjamin F. Wade. In 1845 he opened and
office in Warren, Trumbull co. He was the Democratic
candidate for congress in 1846 and 1848,
and in 1850 was a member of the State constitutional
convention, and took an active part in the
discussions. He was chosen by the legislature,
about the same time, a judge of the supreme court,
and in 1851 was elected by the people, under
the new constitution, to the same office, which he held
till 1857. In that year he was appointed United
