Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/216

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McNeil


McNeill


he spent the remainder of his life in the state. He served as delegate to the general convention several times. At the time of his death he was rector of the Church of our Saviour, North Platte, and he was buried at Lake Geneva. His widow became Sister Sarah of the order of St. Monica, Springfield, III. He received the honor- ary degree of D.D. from Nebraska college in 1869. He is the author of: Three Years on the Kansas Border (1852); The Black Code of Kayisas (1857), and contributions to church periodicals. He died in North Platte, Neb., Oct. 24, 1885.

McNEiL, John, soldier, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Feb. 4, 1813. He learned the hat- ter's trade in Boston, Mass., and engaged in the business first in New York city, and subsequently in St. Louis, Mo., 1836-61. He was a represent- ative in the Mis- souri legislature, 1844 -45, and president of the Pacific Insur- ance company, 1855- 61. He was captain of a volunteer com- pany early in 1861, and was promoted colonel of the 3d regiment, U.S. re- serve corps, and at Fulton, Mo., July 17, 1861, defeated the •/ "^^' '.y Confederate forces

^^^"^r^e^"^*^^^ under Gen. David

B. Harris and was placed in command of the city of St. Louis, by General Fremont. He was appointed colonel of the 19th Missouri volunteers, Aug. 3, 1861; commanded a cavalry regiment in 1862 and cleared the district of northeast Missouri of guer- illas. He was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers, Nov. 29, 1862; was ordered into south- eastern Missouri in December, 1862; held Cape Girardeau with 1700 men against General Mar- maduke with 10,000 men in 1863; was appointed to command the district of RoUa, Mo., in 1864, and from there marched to Jefferson City, and assisted Gens. John B. Sanlwrn, Clinton B. Fisk and E. B. Brown in saving the capital from Price's army. He afterward joined his cavalry force to that of Gen. E. B. Brown and participate*! in the operations which ended in the defeat of General Price's army at Newtonia, Oct. 28. 1864. He commanded central Missouri until his resignation in April. 1865. He was clerk of the criminal court of St. Ixjuis co»mty. 1865-67, >heriff of St. Louis county. Mo., 1800-70, and flerk of the criminal court again, 1875-70, He was a commissioner to the Centennial exhibition at Philadelphia, Pa., in 1876. an inspector in the


U.S. Indian service in 1878 and 1882, and super- intendent of the U.S. post-office, St. Louis branch, at the time of his death. He died in St. Louis, Mo., June 8, 1891.

McNeill, George, editor, was born in Fay- ctteville, N.C., Sept. 4, 1827; son of George and Minerva (Ruffin) McNeill, and grandson of John McNeill, who came to America from Scotland. He was a student at theFayetteville high school; at the University of North Carolina, 1842-44; at Delaware college, 1844-46; -at Union Theological seminary. New York city, 1846-47, and at Prince- ton Theological seminary, where he was graduated in 1849. He was ordained by the presbytery of Fayetteville, July 12, 1850; served as a domestic missionary' and as stated supply at Ashboro, 1849- 54, and Washington, N.C., 1854-55; was prin- cipal of schools at Osceola, Fla., 1855-56, and Fayetteville, N.C., 1856-57; projected the publi- cation of the North Carolina Presbyterian in 1857, and was editor and manager up to the time of his death, when he was succeeded by his brother, the Rev. James Hipkins McNeill, who was a col- onel in the Confederate army, 1863-65. and was killed at Petersburg, Va. , March 31, 1865. George McNeill died at Fayetteville, N.C., Aug. 18, 1861.

McNElLL, George Edwin, reformer, was born in Amesbury, Mass., Aug. 4, 1837; son of John and Abigail Todd (Hickey) McNeill. He attended public and private schools in Massachusetts, worked in a woollen mill, and learned the trade of shoemaker. He was married, Dec. 24, to Ade- line J. Trepthem. He was secretary of the Grand Eight-Hour league of Boston, Mass., 1863- 64; founder of the New England Labor Reform league in 1865, agent of the Daily Evening Voice, 1865-67; founder of the Workingman*s institute and its president, 1867-69; president of the Boston Eight-Hour league, 1869-73; associate founder of the Order of the People in 1870; president of the New England Ten-Hour league, 1874-76; and in 1875 was apiwinted an officer to enforce the laws regulating the education of children of Massachu- setts. He was a delegate to the National I^bor convention held at Rochester. N.Y., in 1875; was the author of the declaration of principles used by the Knights of Labor; founder and president of the International Workingmen's union, 1876- 79; state secretary of the Sovereigns of Industry in 1875; secretary and treasurer of the Massachu- setts district of the Knights of Lalwr, 1883-86; and president of the order of co-operators in 1885. Ho organized and became general manager of the Massachusetts Mutual Accident aasociation in 188:3. He was a delegate to the American Federation of Labor, 1886-98, and was sent to England as the Fraternal delegate of the Feder- ation in 1895. He was the commissioner for the state on manual training, 1893-94; on taxation.