Jaryis

voted for the ratification of the Fifteenth Amend-
ment, but he was one of the small group of
young Democrats who, contesting every move
of the majority, and putting them on record in
their misgovernment, hastened the overthrow of
the Carpet-bag government. His courage, abil-
ity, and force attracted attention, and he was
speaker of the House in the reform legislature of
1870: There he showed himself as constructive
and restrained as he had been bold in the years
1868-70. In 1872 he moved to Greenville. In
that autumn he was candidate for elector on the
Greeley ticket and canvassed the entire state.
Three years later he was a member of the con-
stitutional convention and exerted a large influ-
ence upon its work Elected lieutenant-governor
in 1876, he became governor upon the resigna-
tion of Vance in 1879 an(i was elected in 1880
for a full term. As governor he began executive
leadership in North Carolina. Regarding him-
self as the responsible head of his party, he
sought successfully to direct the work of the
legislature. He was aggressive in behalf of pub-
lic education, industrial development, and the
relief of the unfortunate, and was an advocate of
the construction of railroads. To facilitate rail-
road development, he persuaded the state to sell
its interest in two roads. This meant the aban-
donment of state railroad operation. He was
deeply interested in the welfare of the negroes
and did much to lessen race antagonism. During
his administration two hospitals for the insane,
one of them for negroes, were built and other
public works undertaken. He did much to se-
cure increased appropriations for the University.
From 1885 to 1889, by Cleveland's appointment,
he was minister to Brazil, and in 1894 he was
appointed to fill a vacancy of one year in the
United States Senate. As a man he was plain
and unassuming, thoroughly human, and had
sound though not brilliant abilities. Tall and
engagingly ugly, he was an impressive figure.
He was married, Dec. 23, 1874, to Mary Wood-
son of Virginia, who survived him.

[S. A. Ashe, Biog. Hist, of N. C.t vol. I (1905);
four, of the Convention of the State of N. C. (2 vols.
in i, 1865-66); Jour, of the Constitutional Convention
of the State of N. C., Held in iB?5 (1875) ; J. G. de R.
Hamilton, N. C. Since 1860 (1919); Charlotte Daily
Observer, News and Observer (Raleigh), June 18,

WM J.G.deR.H.

JARVIS, WILLIAM (Feb. 2, ijro-Oct. 21,

1859), merchant, consul, agriculturist, was born
in Boston, Mass., the son of Dr. Charles Jarvis,
a well-known physician of that city, by his first
wife, Mary (Clapham) Jarvis. He was a de-
scendant of Capt Nathaniel Jarvis, a native of
Wales, who settled in Boston in 1668. When

Jarvis

William was about three years old his father mar-
ried his second wife, Mary Pepperrell Sparhawk,
a grand-daughter of Sir William Pepperrell.
After attending schools in Boston, young Jarvis
was sent, at the age of fourteen, to Bordentown
Academy in New Jersey; a year later he became
a pupil in the school conducted by William War-
ing of Philadelphia. When he was twenty-one,
having had four or more years' experience as
clerk and bookkeeper for mercantile firms in
Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va., he established a
business of his own on Long Wharf, Boston,
with a young Virginian, at the outset, as partner.
The venture prospered and, being well connected,
Jarvis was prominent in the social life of the
city. Through the endorsement of notes, how-
ever, he was involved in financial disaster. He
was arrested, but was insured his liberty upon
obligating himself to pay $^4,500 in five years.
He then went to sea as a supercargo of a vessel,
but the year following, 1797, he purchased a
third interest in a brig, which he himself com-
manded. As a trader he was shrewd, venture-
some, and successful. His experiences made him
well acquainted with the complicated problems
of foreign commerce arising out of the struggle
between France and England, and Jefferson ap-
pointed him consul and charge d'affaires at Lis-
bon, then an important trade center. He accepted
with reluctance but entered upon his duties with
much vigor, continuing as consul from 1802 to
1811, at the same time conducting a profitable
commission house of his own. In his official
capacity, he promptly undertook the protection
of American seamen and persuaded the Portu-
guese government to put a stop to the activity of
the press gangs and the impressment on the
streets of Lisbon. He also obtained important
modifications of the rules of quarantine against
yellow fever for ships from northern countries
and prevented the adoption of burdensome duties
on American flour. When Napoleon conquered
Spain in 1808, seizing and confiscating property
and pushing on into Portugal, Jarvis' command
of money and credit enabled him to buy 3,500
selected Merino sheep with license to export
them to the United States. For centuries these
very profitable animals had been jealously guard-
ed against export by the Spanish government.
David Humphreys [g.v.], Jarvis' predecessor at
Lisbon, had brought out a few, but it remained
for Jarvis to introduce them in large numbers
and distribute them throughout the different
states. Jefferson commended him highly for his
services, assured him that he was giving special
attention to promoting the increase of the Me-
rinos sent to Virginia, and invited him to "Mon-

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