Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/207

 McMAHON

McMAHON

McMAHON, James, R.C. priest, and philan- thropist, was born in county Tyrone, Ireland, in 1817. He was educated for the priesthood at the College and Seminary of Maynooth, Ireland, after which he entered the Order of St. Sulpice, at

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Issy, Paris, and two years later was assigned to the missions of the society in Montreal. In 1846 he w^ent to New York city, where he was appointed assistant to the Very Rev. William Storrs, and soon became pastor of St. Mary's, where he served, 1843-50. He was pastor of the parish of St. John the Evangelist, 1850-75, and in 1875 was transferred to the church of St. Andrew. He had a private fortune, which he invested in upper New York real estate, and in 1890 he re- signed his parish and retired to the Catholic Uni- versity of America, Washington, D.C., with the intention of devoting his wealth to that institu- tion. His gift of $400,000 was accepted by the trustees in April, 1891. and McMahon Hall was erected for the schools of philosophy and the social sciences, and was opened in October, 1895. In 1900 he gave to the university the property which he had accumulated in Washing- ton, and this was devoted to the further advance- ment of the institution. The title of monsignor was conferred upon him by Pope Leo XIII. in 1891, in recognition of his services to the univei*- sity. He died at the Catholic university in Washington, D.C., April 15, 1901.

McMAHON, John A., representative, was born in Frederick county, Md., Feb. 19. 1833 ; son of John Van Lear and Elizabeth (Gouger) McMahon. His father was a graduate of the Col- lege of New Jersey, 1817 ; LL.D. St. John's col- lege, Maryland, 1869 ; member of the Baltimore bar ; author of '* An Historical View of Mary- land " (1831) : removed to Ohio in 1855, and died in Maryland June 15, 1871. John A. McMahon was graduated at St. Xavier's college, Cincin- nati, in 1849 ; studied law with C. L. Valandig- ham, and was admitted to the bar in 1854. He practised in Dayton, Ohio ; was a delegate to the VII. —13

Democratic national convention at Baltimore, July 9, 1872, and a representative from the fourth Ohio district in tlie 44th, 45th and 46th con- gresses, 1875-81. He was practising law in Day- ton, Ohio, in 1901.

McMAHON, Lawrence Stephen, R.C. bishop, was born at St. John, N.B., Dec. 26, 1835. He came to the United States in 1839 ; attended the Boston schools, the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. ; academies in Baltimore and Montreal, and studied theology at the College of Aix, in France and in Rome. He was ordained at St. John's Lateran, Rome, by Cardinal Patrizzi, vicar-general of Rome, March 24, 1860, and was stationed at the cathedral in Boston, Mass. He was chaplain of the 28th Massachusetts volun- teers, 1863-65. He was pastor of St. Augustine's, Bridgeport, Conn., and at New Bedford, Mass., where he built the church of St. Lawrence, and a hospital, placed under the charge of the Sisters of Mercy at New Bedford. Upon the creation of the see of Providence in 1872, he was appointed vicar-general to Bishop Hendricken, and in the bishop's absence he laid the corner-stone of the cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul. He was conse- crated bishop of Hartford as successor to the Rt. Rev. Thomas Galberry, deceased, at Hart- ford, Conn., by Archbishop Williams and Bishops Laugh lin and O'Reilly, Aug. 10, 1879. The de- gree of D.D. was conferred on him by Rome in 1872. He was greatly interested in the erection of St. Joseph's cathedral at Hartford, and gave more than $100,000 towards its cost. He died in Lakeville, Conn., Aug. 21. 1893.

McMAHON, Martin Thomas, jurist, was born in La Prairie, Quebec, Canada, March 21, 1838 ; son of Patrick and Mary (Power) Mc- Mahon. He was graduated from St. John's col- lege, Fordham, N.Y., A.B., 1855, A.M., 1857, and was ad- mitted to the Cali- fornia bar in 1861. He served the U.S. government as spe- cial Indian agent and as special agent of the post-office depart- ment for the Pacific coast, 1860-61, and at the outbreak of the civil war was elected captain of the 1st company, California cavalry. He was

appointed captain in the regular army, and was aide-de-camp to Gen. George B. McClellan ; promoted major and senioraide, and later lieuten- ant-colonel, adjutant-general and chief of staff of

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