Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/247

 M AH ANY

MAJOR

MAHANY, Rowland Blennerhassett, repre- sentative, was born in Buffalo, N.Y., Sept. 28, 1864 ; son of Kean and Catherine (Reynolds) Mahany. He attended the public schools, worked on a farm and was instructor in the Buffalo Classical school, 1881-82. He attended Hobart college, 1882-84, and was graduated from Har- vard in 1888. He was associate editor of the Buffalo Express, 1888-89 ; and instructor in his- tory and literature at the Buffalo high school, 1889-90. He declined the office of secretary of the U.S. legation to Chili in 1890, and in 1892 he was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Ecuador. He went to the city of Quito but soon after his arrival he was stricken with fever and obliged to return home. He was the unsuccessful candidate for representative in the 53d congress in 1892 and in 1893 he returned to Ecuador. While there he concluded the Santos treaty in nineteen days. He was a Re- publican representative from the thirty-second New York district in the 54th and 55th con- gresses, 1895-99.

MAHON, Thaddeus Maclay, representative, was born in Greenvillage, Pa., May 21, 1840 ; son of Robert and Jane (Wallace) Mahon; grand- son of Robert Mahon, of Irish descent, and a de- scendant of William Wallace, of Scotland. He attended the common schools and academies of Franklin county and in 1861 enlisted in the 126th Pennsylvania, serving, 1861-64. In 1864 he re-en- listed in the 21st Pennsylvania cavalry, 5th army corps, and was wounded at Boydton Plank Road Va., Nov. 10, 1864. He was admitted to the bar in 1871, practised in southern Pennsylvania, and became engaged in banking and railroad enter- prises. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1870-72, and chairman of the judi- ciary committee ; was the unsuccessful candidate for representative in the 45th congress, and was a Republican representative from the eighteenth Pennsylvania district in the 53d-58th congresses, 1893-1905.

M AHONE, William, senator, was born in South- ampton county, Va., Dec. 1, 1826 ; son of Feilding and Martha (Drew) Mahone. He was graduated at the Virginia Military institute in 1847, became a teacher and subsequently a civil engineer, and was constructor of the Norfolk and Petersburg railroad. He joined the Virginia state troops and took part in the capture of the Norfolk navy yard in April, 1861. He raised the 6th Virginia regiment, was appointed its colonel, was promoted to the command of the 2d brigade, Huger's divi- sion, Magruder's command, and took a conspicuous part in the battles of Seven Pines and Malvern Hill. In the Chancellorsville campaign he com- manded the 3d brigade, R.H. Anderson's division, 1st corps, Army of Northern Virginia, and he took

part in the battle of Petersburg, July 1-3, 186S. At Spottsylvania he commanded Andersons division, when that officer assumed command- of Hill's corps, and he drove Hancock back across the river. At North Anna he drove Warren back, and on the Welden road he again opposed Warren, and his division formed the rear of Longstreet's corps previous to the surrender of Lee. He was promoted major-general in August, 1864. After the surrender he became interested in railroad engineering and was elected president of the Norfolk and Tennessee railroad, which he rebuilt. In 1878 he advocate the nomination of G. C. Walker for governor of Virginia before the Democratic state convention. After the elec- tion his views on the question of the payment of the public debt did not meet the approval of the Democratic party, and he organized and became a prominent leader of the Readjuster party, which favored the partial repudiation of the state debt, and secured the control of the state legislature. In 1880 he was elected U.S. senator for the term expiring March 3, 1887, and in the senate acted with the Republican party. He was defeated for re-election in 1886 by J. W. Daniel. He died in Washington, D.C., Oct. 8, 1895.

MAISH, Levi, representative, was born in York county, Pa., Nov. 22, 1837. He attended the York County academy; served as an apprentice to a machinist, 1854-56 ; recruited a company of Pennsylvania infantry in 1862, and joined the 113th Pennsylvania infantry, of which he was subsequently appointed lieutenant-colonel. He was wounded at the battle of Antietam ; was promoted colonel for gallantry at Fredericksburg, and while leading his regiment at Chancellors- ville he was again wounded. After his term of service had expired, he attended lectures in the law department of the University of Pennsylvania and was admitted to the bar in 1864. He was a representative in the Pennsylvania legislature, 1867-68; was a member of the committee that in 1872 examined and audited the accounts of cer- tain public officera of York county, and was a Democratic representative in the 44th, 45th, 50th and 51st congresses, 1875-79 and 1887-91. He prepared the Democratic report in the Clayton- Breckinridge contest and was a member of the sub-committee sent to Arkansas to investigate the assassination of Clayton. He died in Wash- ington, D.C., Feb. 26, 1899.

MAJOR, Charles, author, was born in Indian- apolis, Ind., July 25, 1856; son of Stephen and Phoeby Major ; grandson of William Major, and of Scotch ancestry. His father, a native of county Granard, Ireland, immigrated to the United States in 1829, and settled in Indiana, where he became eminent as a lawyer and jurist. Charles attended the public schools of Shelby ville, Ind.,