Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/136

 Mccreary

Mcculloch

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Ky. He was a delegate to the Democratic na- tional convention in New York city, July 4, 18*38; a representative in the state legislature, 186&-74; and speaker of the house, 1871-72 and

1873-74. He was gov- ernor of Kentucky, 1875-79, and a repre- sentative from the eighth congressional district of Kentucky in the 49th-54th con- gresses, 1885-97. In congress he was chair- man of the committee on foreign affairs and was one of the five delegates authorized by congress to re-

^ / states at the Inter-

national Monetary conference held at Brassels, Belgium, in 1892. He was delegate at large from the state of Ken- tucky to the Democratic national convention held at Kansas city in 1900, and was chairman of the Democratic state campaign committee in that year. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Centre college, Ky., in 1879.

McCREARV, Pitt L., educator, was born at Fairview, Erie county. Pa., April 6, 1851. He was graduated at Pennsylvania State college, B.S., 1871, and became a civil engineer in Erie. He surveyed and planned the Akron, Ohio, water- works, 1874-75; was landscape engineer at Cleve- land, Ohio, 1876; Willoughby, Ohio, and Nash- ville, Tenn., 1877; and Evansville, Ind., 1878; teacher at the Evansville High school, 1879; professor of mathematics, Vincennes university, 1880-83, and president of the university, 1882-85. He died at Vincennes, Ind., Jan. 27, 1885.

McCREARV, Thomas Clay, senator, was born near Owensboro, Ky., in 1817; son of Robert and Cynthia (Clay) McCreary. His mother was the daughter of Thomas Clay of Virginia, sixth in descent from the immigrant ancestor, John Clay, who came to that colony in 1613, and from whom also Henry Clay, his second cousin, was descended in the same degree. He received a liberal educa- tion at Centre college, Ky., in the class of 1837, but did not graduate; studied law in Daviess county, and was admitted to the bar in 1838. He practised law for a short time and then devoted himself to agricultural pursuits in his * native county. He was married, in 1845, to Clara Hawes. He is said to have been of '• scholarly tastes, broadly read, and a speaker of force and eloquence." He was candidate in 1852, on the Democratic ticket for elector for Pierce and King, and in 1860 for Breckinridge and Lane,

but was defeated. With these exceptions he was never a candidate or held other ofiice than that of U.S. senator. He was first elected U.S. sena- tor in 1868, to fill the unexpired term of James Guthrie, taking his S3at Feb. 27, 1868, and served until March 3, 1871. He was elected for a full term in 1872, serving 1873-79. During his service as senator he introduced a bill to restore the property at Arlington, Va., to the family of Robert E. Lee, which was defeated by a party vote. In his second term he was a member of the committees on foreign relations, Indian af- fairs, civil service and retrenchment. He died in Owensboro, Ky., July 10, 1890.

McCULLOCH, Benjamin, soldier, was born in Rutherford county, Tenn., Nov. 11, 1811; son of Lieut. Alexander McCulloch, an aide-de-camp to Gen. James Coffee. He worked on his father's farm, was a raftsman on the river, and became an expect hunter and trapper. In 1835 he removed to Texas to aid that colony in its struggle for in dependence. He ar- rived at Nacogdoches too late to join Gen- eral Houston's army, and started alone for the Brazos river. After the fall of the Alamo he joined General Houston's army and was in charge of one of the " twin sisters" guns at the battle of San Jacinto which he used with such effect that he was promoted on the field, and his heroism formed the subject for a poem, •' Ben McCulloch at San Jacinto." He was engaged in recruiting a company in Tennessee until the close of the war, when he settled in Gonzales, engaged in exploration and surveying, and defended the frontier against Indian raids, taking part in the engagement at Plum Creek. He was a representative in the Texas congress in 1839; and while in congress he had a duel with Col. Reuben Davis, in which he received a severe wound in the shoulder. In 1840 he rendered notable service during the Indian raid as a scout and as commander of a company. He de- clined the nomination for representative in the Texas congress in 1842, and upon the annexation of Texas to the United States in 1845 he was a representative in the first state legislature and was appointed major-general of state militia for the western district. At the outbreak of the war with Mexico, in April, 1846, he organized a company of picked scouts, and joined General

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