THAYER
THAYER
of Philadelphia, 1867-74, and president judge of the
court of common pleas of Phihidelphia from 1874
until 18U6, wlieu he resigned. He was appointed
a member of the board of visitors to the U.S.
Military academy, serving as president of the
board, 1873, and was deputy to the General con-
vention of the diocese of Pennsylvania for more
than thirty years. He was married first in 1843
to Elizabeth, daughter of Tliomas K. and Mary
Wallace: secondly, 1850, to Sophia Dallas,
daughter of Edmund C. and Maria (Chew) Wat-
mough:and thirdly, 1883, to Julia, daughter of the
Rev. Reuben Lindsay and Elizabeth (Elliott) Cole-
man. He received the honorary degree of LL.D.
from the Jellerson Medical college in 1893, and
from the University of Pennsylvania in 1896. He
became well versed in Grecian and Roman clas-
sics and is the author of: The Duties of Citizen-
ship (1863); TJic Great Victory, its Cost and its
Value (1865); The Battle of Germantoivn (1878);
Tlie Laic Considered as a Progressive Science
(1870); On Libraries (1S7 1); The Life and Works
of Francis Lieber (1873); The Philippines, or
\Vliat is Demanded of the United States by the
Obligations of Duty and National Honor (1898),
and various translations, essays, poems, speeches
and criticisms.
THAYER, Nathaniel, philanthropist, was born in Lancaster, Mass., Sept. 11, 1808; son of the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel and Sarah (Toppan) Thayer; grandson of the Rev. Ebenezer (Harvard, A. B., 1753, A.M., 1756) and Martha (Cotton) Thayer, and of the Hon. Christojiher Toppan of Hampton, Mass., and a descendant of John Cotton (1585) (q.v.), and of Thomas and Margerey Thayer, who came from Gloucestershire, England, and settled in old Braintree about 1630. As a partner in the railroad firm of John E. Thayer and Brother, of Boston, Nathaniel acquired large wealth. He was greatly interested in Harvard, contributing toward Thayer Commons, the dining-liall before Memorial Hall, and to the Tliayer herbarium, and at his personal expense the so-called Tliayer expedition to Brazil was undertaken by Professor Agassiz, resulting in extensive and important additions to the college museum of compara- tive zoology. In 1870 he erected Thayer Hall at Harvard as a memorial to his father and to his brother, John Eliot Thayer. It was also largely thnnigh Mr. Thayer's munificence that the First ciiurcli (Unitarian) was built on the corner of Marlborough and Berkeley streets, Boston, Mass., and his many gifts to his native town of Lancaster included a contribution of $20,000 toward its library building. Mr. Thayer was niarrie<l. June 10, 1846, to Cornelia, daughter of Gen. Stejihen Van Rensselaer of New York city. He was an overseer of Harvard, 18G0-GS, and a fellow, 1868-75, receiving the honorary de-
gree of A.M. from the university, in 1866; a
member of the Massachusetts Historical society,
and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences. He died in Boston, March 7, 1883.
THAYER, Syivanus, soldier, was born in
Braintree. Mass. , June 9, 1785. He was graduated
from Dartmouth college in 1807, and from the
U.S. Military academy in 1808. He served on
surveying and engineering duty, 1808-09 and
1811-12; was instructor in mathematics at the
Military academy, 1809-11; promoted 1st lieuten-
ant, July 1, 1812, and served in the war of 1812 as
chief engineer of the Northern army under Gen.
Henry Dearborn and of the right division under
Gen. "VVade Hampton. He was promoted cap-
tain of the corps of engineers, Oct. 13, 1813; was
chief engineer of the forces under Gen. Moses
Porter in the defences of Norfolk, Va., 1814-15,
and was brevetted major, Feb. 20, 1815, for dis-
tinguished and meritorious services. He was
sent to Europe on professional duty and ex-
amined fortifications, schools and military es-
tablishments, and studied the operations of the
allied armies before Paris on the fall of Napoleon,
1815-17. He was superintendent of the U.S.
Military academy, 1817-33, and raised the school
from its elementary condition, to one of the
finest military schools in the world. He was
brevetted lieutenant-colonel, March 3, 1823; pro-
moted major, May 24, 1828, and brevetted colonel,
March 3, 1833, for faithful service ten years in
one grade. He was superintending engineer of
the construction of Forts Warren and Independ-
ence, Boston Harbor, Mass., 1833-46; general
superintendent of harbor improvements and
coast defences in Maine and Massachusetts, 1836-
43; was promoted lieutenant-colonel, July 7,
1838; was superintending engineer in Massa-
chusetts, 1846-57, and president of the board of
engineers for coast defences, 1837-57. He was
promoted colonel, March 3, 1863, brevetted brig-
adier-general, U.S.A., May 31, 1863, and retired,
June 1, 1863. He was elected a member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1834,
of the American Philosophical society in 1838,
and of various other scientific societies. The
honorary degree of A.M. was conferred on him
by Harvard in 1825; that of LL.D. by St. Johns
college, Jld., in 1830; by Kenj'un college, Ohio,
in 1846; Dartmouth college in 1846, and by Har-
vard university in 1857. He gave $300,000 for
the endowment of an academy at Braintree,
Mass.; $33,000 for a free library there, and §40,-
000 for a school of architecture and civil en-
gineering at Dartmouth. He is the autiior of
Papers on Practical Engineering (1844). His
statue at West Point, inscribed "Father of the
Military Academy," was unveiled June 11, 1883.
He died in South Braintree, Mass., Sept. 7, 1872.
