Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/229

 McVICKAR

McWADE

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McVICKAR, William Neilson, bishop coad- jutor of Rhode Island and 185th in succession in the American episcopate, was born in New York city, Oct. 19, 1843 ; son of Dr. John A. and Charlotte (Neilson) McVickar ; grandson of James McVickar

and of William Neil- son, and a descend- ant of John Mc- Vickar, merchant, who came to America at the end of the eighteenth century. He was graduated at Columbia, A. B., 1865, A.M., 1868, and at the General Theological seminary, New York city, in 1868. He was ordered deacon in 1867, and ordained priest in 1868. He was rector of Holy Trinity church, 125th street. New York city, 1868-75, and rector of Holy Trinity parish, Philadelphia, Pa., as successor to the Rev. Thomas Augustus Jaggar, elected bishop of southern Ohio, 1875-97. He was deputy to the general convention from 1883. On Oct. 19, 1897, at a special session of the diocesan convention of Rhode Island held in Providence, he was elected bishop coadjutor of that diocese with right of succession to the Rt. Rev. Thomas March Clark, first bishop of Rhode Island. He was consecrated at Holy Trinity church, Pliiladelphia, Jan. 27, 1898, by Bishops Doane, Whitaker, Jaggar, Potter, Randolph and Lawrence, and took up his resi- dence in Providence, R.I. He received the honor- ary degree of D.D. from Kenyon in 1885 and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1898, and that of S.T.D. from Columbia in 1898.

McWADE, Robert Malachi, humanitarian and journalist, was born in Belfast, county Antrim, Ireland, Dec. 25, 1857 ; son of James D. and Susanna (Rae) McWade. His father was a Roman Catholic and his mother a Scotch Presby- terian. Robert was educated for the priesthood at St. Malachi's diocesan seminary and at St. Aloysius college, Glasgow, but did not graduate, as he was stricken with illness and his father sent him to America. On his return he resumed his philosophical and theological studies. He returned to America a second time, having on his first visit formally declared his intention of becoming an American citizen, and while in Philadelphia decided to enter journalism. Re- turning home he was married in 1871 to Rosina Lenox and with his wife settled in Pliiladelphia in 1872, where he wrote for the Chicago Tribune^ the Chicago Times smd for trade papers in Boston,

and in 1874 became city editor of the Press. He was successively reporter, night city editor and city editor of the Public Ledger, retiring in 1899. He published the Evening and Sunday Leader in Philadelphia, and in 1888 founded in Wayne, Pa., where he resided, the Delaware County Citizen. He identi- fied himself with Irish-American or- ganizations and in 1879 helped to form the Citizens' Irish Famine Relief com- mittee of which John Wanamaker was pres- ident and Mr. Mc- Wade secretary. He also organized in 1879 the Citizens' Perma- nent Relief commit- tee of Philadelphia, of

which he was then elected permanent vice-presi- dent. He was a leader of the Irish National League of America, and a delegate to the Phila- delphia national convention in 1883 when the league was formed, and president of the munici- pal council of the league in Philadelphia. He in- augurated the Parliamentary fund in 1885 ; the Parnell Defence fund ; visited the yellow-fever districts of the south in 1878 ; the Ohio valley after the floods of 1884, and Charleston, S.C, after the earthquake of 1886, as a member of the Citizens' Relief committee, and raised funds for the Johnstown flood sufferers in 1889. He was president of the Siberian Exile relief association in 1890 ; a member of the Red Cross society, and in 1892 he organized the movement in Philadel- phia that led to sending two ships with provisions and $150,000 in money to the starving peasants of Russia. He was prominent in the councils of various patriotic, trade and social societies in Philadelphia, of the Philadelphia board of trade, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the American Association for the Advancement of Social Science, the Pennsylvania Editorial as- sociation, the National Association of American Manufacturers, and the Pennsylvania Horticul- tural society. He studied medicine at the Jefferson Medical college, and was editor of the Medical Bulletin of Philadelphia. He was presi- dent of the Universal Automatic Fire Extinguish- er company, 1894-1900. In 1900 he was appointed U.S. consul at Canton, China ; and in 1901 he was elected to membership in the Hong Kong and Canton (China) clubs, and president of the Five o'clock club, of Kwangtung, China, com- posed of Chinese dignitaries, he being the only white man in the organization. He is the author