The Biographical Dictionary of America/Angell, James Burrill

ANGELL, James Burrill, educator, was born in Scituate, R.I., Jan, 7, 1829; son of the Hon. Andrew Aldrich and Amey (Aldrich) Angell. He was graduated at Brown in 1849 with honors. He was assistant librarian of Brown university, 1849-'50; student in Europe, 1850-'53: professor of modern languages and literature at Brown, 1852-'60; editor Providence Journal, 1860-'66; president of the University of Vermont, 1866-'71, and president of the University of Michigan from 1871. In addition to his services as president of the university he also filled the position of lecturer on political economy and international law, 1871-'80, and on international law from 1882. He was appointed U.S. minister to China, and chairman of a special commission to negotiate treaties with China in 1880, by President Hayes. After he had negotiated important commercial and immigration treaties he resigned and returned to the United States in 1881. He was a member of the Anglo-American international commission on Canadian fisheries in 1887, and chairman of the Canadian-American commission on deep waterways from the lakes to the sea in 1896. He was appointed U. S. ambassador to Turkey in 1897 by President McKinley, and resigned in May, 1898. He was married in 1855 to Sarah S., daughter of the Rev. Dr. Alexis Caswell, president of Brown university, 1868-'72. He was a regent of the Smithsonian institution; received the degree LL.D. from Brown in 1868; from Columbia in 1888; from Yale in 1901, and from Johns Hopkins in 1902. He is the author of: "Progress in International Law" (1875); "The Higher Education" (1897); and "The Diplomacy of the United States" in Justin Winsor's "Narrative and Critical History of America" (1888).