USHER, Hezekiah, bookseller, born in England about 1615; died in Boston, Massachusetts, 14 March, 1676. He was a citizen of Cambridge in 1639, and in 1646 established himself in Boston, became a select-man of the town, and, as agent for the Society for propagating the gospel, purchased in England in 1657 the press and types for printing Eliot's Indian Bible. fie was a founder of the Old South church in 1669.--His son, Hezekiah, bookseller, born in Cambridge, 'Mass., 6 June, 1639 ; died in Boston, Massachusetts, 11 July, 1679, was also engaged in business in Boston. During the excitement over witchcraft, he was arrested, but was suffered to make his escape from the colony. His wife was Bridget, daughter of John Lisle, the regicide, and widow of Leonard Hoar.--Another son, John, lieutenant-governor of New Hampshire, born in Boston, Massachusetts, 27 April, 1648 ; died in Medford, Massachusetts, 1 September, 1726, succeeded his father in business, and became a member of the council, a colonel of militia, and treasurer of Massachusetts. His second wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Alien, whose claims to the New Hampshire patent he supported. In March. 1677, he acted in London as agent for Massachusetts colony in the purchase of the title to the district of Maine from Sir Ferdinando Gorges. He was lieutenant-governor of New Hampshire from 1692 till 1697, and was reappointed in 1702.--John's great-great-grandson, John Palmer, secretary of the interior, born in Brookfield, Madison County, New York, 9 January, 1816, removed early in life to Indiana, studied and practised law, was elected to the legislature, and for a time was attorney-general of the state, he was appointed 1st assistant secretary of the interior on 20 March, 1862, and on the resignation of Caleb B. Smith, succeeded him as head of the interior department on 8 January, 1863, holding the office till 15 May, 1865, when he resigned, and resumed the practice of his profession, becoming consulting attorney for the Union Pacific railroad.