STEELE, Joel Dorman, educator, born in Lima, New York, 14 May, 1836; died in Elmira, New York, 25 May, 1886. He was graduated at Genesee college in 1858, and then taught at the Mexico academy, of which institution he was appointed principal in 1859. Soon after the beginning of the civil war he became captain in the 81st New York volunteers, and served in the peninsula campaign, being severely wounded at Seven Pines. He was chosen principal of the Newark, New York, high-school in 1862, and in 1866 accepted a similar office in the Elmira free academy, which place he retained until 1872. Subsequently he devoted his time exclusively to the preparation of text-books. The degree of Ph. D. was conferred on him by the regents of the University of the state of New York in 1870, and during the same year he presided over the New York state teachers' association. In 1872 he was elected a fellow of the Geological society of London, and also in 1872 he was chosen by the alumni a trustee of Syracuse university, in which Genesee college had been merged, and to that university he bequeathed $50,000 to found a professorship of theistic science. Dr. Steele was the author of a popular series of scientific text-books, each intended for a course of fourteen weeks, including "Chemistry " (New York, 1867) ; "Astronomy" (1868); "Natural Philosophy " (1869) ; " Geology" (1870); Human Physiology (1873); Zoology (1875) ; and " Key to the Practical Questions in Steele's Sciences" (1871); also "Barnes's Popular History of the United States" (1875); and with his wife, ESTHER BAKER STEELE, a series of brief histories, including "The United States" (1872) ; "France " (1874) ; "Ancient Peoples " (1883) ; "Mediaeval and Modern Peoples" (1883); " General History " (1883) ; "History of Greece" (1883) ; and "History of Rome" (1884).