DEWEY, MELVIL (1851-1931), American librarian, was born at Adams Center (N.Y.) on Dec. Io, 1851. He graduated in 1874 at Amherst college, where he became acting librarian. In 1877 he removed to Boston, there founding and editing The Library Journal. He was also one of the founders of the Ameri can Library Association. In 1883 he became librarian of Colum bia college, and there founded the School of Library Economy, the first institution established for the instruction of librarians.
This school, which was very successful, was re-established in Albany as the State Library School under his direction; from 1889 to 1906 he was director of the New York State Library, from 1889 to 190o was secretary of the University of the State of New York, and from 1904 to 1906 State director of libraries, completely reorganizing the State library, which he made one of the most efficient in America, and establishing the system of travelling libraries and picture collections. His "Decimal System of Classification" for library cataloguing, first proposed in 1876, is extensively used. Probably more than any other single indi vidual he was responsible for the sound development of library science in America. He died Dec. 26, 1931.
See William Bell Scott, Our British Landscape Painters (1876) ; W. Armstrong, Memoir of Peter de Wint (1888).
From 1798 to 1802 De Winter was ambassador to the French republic, and was then again appointed commander of the fleet. He was sent with a strong squadron to the Mediterranean to re press the Tripoli piracies, and negotiated a treaty of peace with the Tripolitan Government. He enjoyed the confidence of Louis Bonaparte, when king of Holland, and, after the incorporation of the Netherlands in the French empire, in an equal degree of the emperor Napoleon. By the former he was created marshal and count of Huessen, and given the command of the armed forces both by sea and land. Napoleon gave him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour and appointed him inspector-general of the northern coasts, and in 181 i he placed him at the head of the fleet he had collected at the Texel. Soon afterwards De Winter was seized with illness and compelled to betake himself to Paris, where he died on June 2, 1812. He had a splendid public funeral and was buried in the Pantheon. His heart was enclosed in an urn and placed in the Nicolaas Kerk at Kampen.
DE WITT, CORNELIUS (1623-1672), brother of John de Witt (q.v.), was born at Dort in 1623. In 165o he became burgo master of Dort and member of the states of Holland and West Friesland. He was afterwards appointed governor of the land of Putters and bailiff of Beierland. He associated himself closely with his brother, the grand pensionary, and supported him throughout his career with great ability and vigour. In 1667 as deputy chosen by the states of Holland to accompany Admiral de Ruyter in his famous expedition to Chatham, Cornelius de Witt distinguished himself by his coolness and intrepidity. He again accompanied De Ruyter in 1672 and took an honourable part in the great naval fight at Southwold Bay against the united English and French fleets. Compelled by illness to leave the fleet, he found the Orange party on his return to Dort in the ascendant, and himself and his brother the objects of popular suspicion., An account of his im prisonment, trial and death, is given below. (See DUTCH WARS.) DE WITT, JOHN (1625-1672), Dutch statesman, was born at Dort, on Sept. 24, 1625, being a member of one of the old burgher-regent families of his native town. His father, Jacob, was six times burgomaster of Dort, and for many years sat for the town in the states of Holland. He was a strenuous ad herent of the republican or oligarchical states-right party in opposition to the princes of the house of Orange, who repre sented the federal principle and had the support of the masses of the people. John was educated at Leyden and early displayed remarkable talents, especially in mathematics and jurisprudence. In 1645 he and his elder brother Cornelius visited France, Italy, Switzerland and England, and on his return he lived at The Hague as an advocate. In 1650 he was appointed pensionary of Dort, which made him the leader of the town's deputation in the states of Holland. In this year the states of Holland found themselves engaged in a struggle for provincial supremacy, on the question of the disbanding of troops, with the youthful prince of Orange, William II. William, with the support of the states general and the army, seized five of the leaders of the states-right party and imprisoned them in Loevestein castle; among these was Jacob de Witt. The sudden death of William, at the moment when he had crushed opposition, led to a reaction. He left only a posthumous child, afterwards William III. of Orange, and the principles advocated by Jacob de Witt triumphed, and the authority of the states became predominant in the republic.
It was his father's position which gave John his opportunity, but his own eloquence, wisdom and business ability which caused him to be appointed grand pensionary of Holland on July 23, 1653, at 28. He was re-elected in 1658, 1663 and 1668, and held office until just before his death in 1672. He found in 16J3 his country brought to the brink of ruin through the war with England, which had been caused by the keen commercial rivalry of the two maritime states. The Dutch were unprepared and suffered severely through the loss of their carrying trade, and De Witt resolved to bring about peace. He rejected Crom well's suggestion of the union of England and Holland, but in the autumn of 1654 peace was concluded by which the Dutch made large concessions and agreed to the striking of the flag to English ships in the narrow seas. The treaty included a secret article, which the states general refused to entertain, but which De Witt induced the states of Holland to accept, by which the provinces of Holland pledged themselves not to elect a stadtholder or a captain-general. This Act of Seclusion was aimed at the young prince of Orange, whose close relationship to the Stuarts made him an object of suspicion to the Protector. De Witt was favourable to this exclusion of William III. from his ancestral dignities, but he did not prompt Cromwell.
The policy of De Witt after the peace of 1654 was eminently successful. He restored the finances of the State and extended its commercial supremacy in the East Indies. In 1658-59 he sustained Denmark against Sweden, and in 1662 concluded an advantageous peace with Portugal. The accession of Charles II. to the English throne led to the rescinding of the Act of Seclu sion; nevertheless De Witt steadily refused to allow the prince of Orange to be appointed stadtholder or captain-general. This led to ill-will between the English and Dutch governments, and to a renewal of the old grievances about maritime and commer cial rights, and war broke out in 1665. The grand pensionary himself went to sea with the fleet and inspired all by the example he set of calmness in danger, energy in action, and inflexible strength of will. It was due to his exertions as an organizer and a diplomatist quite as much as to the brilliant seamanship of Admiral de Ruyter, that the treaty of Breda (July 31, 1667), maintaining the status quo was so honourable to the United Provinces. In 1667 he promulgated his eternal edict for the republican administration of Holland. A still greater triumph of diplomatic skill was the conclusion of the Triple Alliance (Jan. 17, 1668) between the Dutch Republic, England and Sweden, which checked the attempt of Louis XIV. to take possession of the Spanish Netherlands in the name of his wife, the infanta Maria Theresa.
In 1672 Louis XIV. suddenly declared war and invaded the United Provinces at the head of a splendid army. The voice of the people called William III. to the head of affairs, and there were violent demonstrations against John de Witt. His brother Cornelius was (July 24) arrested on a charge of conspiring against the prince. On Aug. 4 John de Witt resigned the post of grand pensionary. Cornelius was put to the torture, and on Aug. 19 sentenced to deprivation of his offices and banishment. His brother came to visit him in the Gevangenpoort at the Hague. A vast crowd, hearing this, collected outside and finally burst in, seized the two brothers and tore them to pieces. Their mangled remains were hung up by the feet to a lamp-post. Thus perished, by the savage act of an infuriated mob, one of the greatest states men of his age, and of Dutch history.