Lecompte, Samuel D
lawyer, jurist, was born in Maryland. He was appointed chief justice of the United States court for the territory of Kansas; and took a leading part in the affairs of that territory.
LE CONTE, JOHN, physician, naturalist, author, was born Dec. 4, 1818, in Liberty county, Ga. He was a naturalist and physician; president of the university of California in 1875-81; and professor of physics there before and after his presidency. He was the author of Philosophy of Medicine; Study of the Physical Sciences; and Vital Statistics. He died in 1891.
LE CONTE, JOHN EATON, civil engineer, naturalist, author, was born Feb. 22, 1784, near Shrewsbury, N. J. He is a naturalist who in early life served in the corps of army engineers with the rank of major. He was the author of Monographs of North American Species of Utricularia, Gratiola, and Ruellia; and North American Species of Viola. He died Nov. 21, 1860, in Philadelphia, Pa.
LE CONTE, JOHN LAWRENCE, entomologist, author, was born May 13, 1825, in New York city. He was an entomologist of distinction; and the author of List of Coleoptera of North America, and other technical publications. He died Nov. 15, 1883, in Philadelphia, Pa.
LE CONTE, JOSEPH, educator, geologist, scientist, was born Feb. 26, 1823, in Liberty county, Ga. Le Conte is distinguished in the annals of American science; and has served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1851, in company with Agassiz, he studied the keys and reefs of Florida. During 1852-56 he filled the chair of geology and natural history in the university of Georgia; when he was called to the chair of chemistry and geology in the South Carolina college; and has since been connected with many institucions of learning. In 1857 he delivered lectures on Coal and on Coral Reefs before the Smithsonian institution. He is the author of Elements of Geology, a text book for colleges and for the general reader; and a dozen other works on kinared topics. Besides geology, he has devoted his attention very largely to the phenomena and theory of binocular vision; and during 1869-77 published various investigations on that subject. He is also the author of two volumes of essays; and his latest book is entitled Evolution and Its Relation to Religious Thought. He is now connected with the university of California.
LE CONTE, LEWIS, naturalist, was born Aug. 4, 1782, near Shrewsbury, N. J.
He established a botanical garden on his plantation in Georgia, which was especially rich in bulbous plants from the Cape of Good Hope, and a laboratory in which he tested the discoveries of the chemists of the day. He died Jan. 9, 1838, in Liberty county, Ga. LE COUNT, JAMES M., journalist, poet, was born Sept. 24, 1835, in Lyons, N. Y. Since 1876 he has been the editor and owner of the Press of Hartford, Wis.
He is the author of a volume of poems entitled The Hermit of Holy Hill.
LE DUC, WILLIAM GATES, soldier, railroad builder, was born March 29, 1823, in Wilkesville, Ohio. At the breaking out of the civil war he entered the union army as captain and assistant quartermaster; joined the army of the Tennessee, where he became chief quartermaster; and was promoted to brevet brigadier-general. He was appointed commissioner of agriculture at Washington, in which position he served four years.