Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/220

 MACON

McPHEETERS

commanded the Metacomet. He commanded the steamer Genesee, of the blockading squadron, 1862-63, and was engaged in attempting the pas- sage of the Confederate batteries at Port Hudson, March 14, 1863, and had several engagements with the Confederates along the Mississippi river in April, May and June, 1863. He was promoted commander, July 16, 1862 ; commanded the steamer Shamrock of the North Atlantic block- ading squadron in the operations in eastern North Carolina, 1864-65 ; and led the naval force that bombarded and captured Plymouth, N.C., Oct. 31, 1864. For the capture of Plymouth he was advanced three numbers. He was promoted captain, July 25, 1866, assigned to the steamer sloop Plymouth of the European squadron in 1869, promoted commodore, July 1, 1870, and as- signed to duty as lighthouse inspector. He died in Philadelphia, Pa.. Aug. 12, 1872.

MACON, Nathaniel, statesman, was born in Warren county, N.C., Dec. 17, 1757. He matric- ulat3d at the College of New Jersey but in 1777 when the doors of that institution closed he volunteered as a private in the Continental

army. He was as- signed to the com- pany commanded by his brother John Ma- son and took part in the actions resulting in the surrender of Fort Moultrie, the rout at Camden, the surrender of Charles- ton, May 12, 1780, and in the retreat of Generals Morgan and Greene through North Carolina to Virginia in February, 1781. He was elected to the North Carolina senate in 1781 and al- though he had iirst declined to leave the army he was prevailed upon by General Greene to accept civil office. During his term as state senator, which expired in 1785, he removed to a plantation on the Roanoke river. He opposed the adoption of the Federal constitution as con- ferring too much power on the new government. He was a representative in the 2d-13th con- gresses, 1791-1815, serving as speaker of the house in the 7th, 8th and 9th congresses, 1801-07. He was elected U.S. senator in place of David Stone, resignetl, 1814, and of Francis Locke who did not take his seat, 1815. and served by re-election 1815-28. resigning in 1828 wiien he was succeeded by James Iredell. He twice declined the ixwi- tion of postmaster-general from President Jeffer- son ; was president pro tempore of the senate in

the 19lh and 20th congresses, 1825-28 ; and received 24 electoral votes for Vice-President in 1825. He was a member and president of the constitutional convention of North Carolina in 1835 and pres- idential elector on the Van Bureu and Johnson ticket in 1837. He was opposed to all schemes of internal improvement ; opposed a grant of land to Count De Grasse and to General Ljifayette ; and to a ballot being given to free negroes. He died in Warren county, N.C., June 29, 1837.

McPH AIL, George WiUon, educator, was born in Norfolk, Va., in 1816. He was a student at Hampden Sidney college, Va., 1829-31 ; and was graduated from Yale, A.B., 1835, A.M., 1841. He studied theology at Hampden Sidney, was or- dained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1839 and was a missionary to Prince George county, Va., 1839-41, and pastor at Fredericksburg, 1842-54, where he also conducted a female seminary. He was pastor at Easton, Pa., 1854-57 ; president of Lafayette college, 1857-63 ; a teacher in Professor Saunders's seminary, Philadelphia, 1863-64 ; pastor in Norfolk, Va., 1865 ; and president of Davidson college, N.C., and professor of mental and moral philosophy there, 1866-71. He re- ceived the honorary degree of D.D. from Jeffer- son college in 1857 and that of LL.D. from the University of Mississippi in 1868. He died at Davidson, N.C., June 28, 1871.

McPHEETERS, William Marcellus, physician. Was born in Raleigh, N.C., Dec. 3, 1815 : secom* son of the Rev. Dr. William (1778-1842) and Margaret Ann (Curry) McPheeters, and brother of the Rev. Samuel Brown McPheeters, D.D. (1819-1870) ; grandson of William McPheeters, one of the founders and a trustee of Washington university, Lexington, Va., and a descendant of William McPheeters, who served in Cromwell's army, afterward removed to the north of Ireland and then to America prior to the Revolution, settling first in Pennsylvania, then in Augusta county, Va. His father, a distinguished Pres- byterian minister, was born in Augusta county, Va., declined the presidency of Davidson col- lege, N.C., in 1840, was a trustee of the Uni- versity of North Carolina, 1812-42, and a well- known educator in North Carolina. William Marcellus was a student at the University of North Carolina, 1837-38, and was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, M.D., 1840. He was a resident physician at Blockley hospital, Philadelphia, Pa., 1840-41 ; professor of clinical medicine and pathological anatomy, 1843-48, and of materia medica and therapeutics, 1848-62, in tlie St. Louis Medical college. He was married in April, 1846, to Martha, daughter of Carey Selden, of Virginia ; she died in March, 1847. Ho wjis married secondly, in May, 1849, to Sallie, daughter of George Buchanan of St. Louis, Mo.