Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/352

 MEDILL

MEDILL

school trustee, and county auditor. In 1828 ho established the Ohio Sun, in which he supported Jackson for the Presidency. He represented Clermont county in the Ohio legislature in 1834-35. and was a member of the state senate, 1835-37; purchased and edited the Western Hem- isphere, Columbus, Ohio, changed its name to the Ohio Statesman, and conducted it, 1837-57, as the leading Democratic newspaper of the state. In it he 8up{x)rted all the measures of President Jackson and Senator Douglas. He was chairman of the Ohio delegation to the Democratic na- tional convention at Baltimore, Md., May 27, 1844, and in accordance with the request of Pres- ident Jackson, in the event of discord, presented the name of James K. Polk as the Democratic nominee for President. He was state printer for many years, declined the appointment of U.S. minister to Chili, tendered him by President Pierce in 1853, and was temporary chairman of the Democratic national convention of 1856, where lie strongly supported the nomination of Stephen A. Douglas. He was appointed governor of Minnesota Territory by President Buchanan, serving 1857-58. was postmaster of Columbus in 1858, and governor of Kjinsas Territory, 1858-59, as successor to James W. Denver. He estab- lished the Crisis in 1860, and edited it until his death. He was one of the founders of the Ohio State Agricultural Fair, and served as the first treasurer and as president of the organization for s -veral terras. He aided Samuel F. B. Morse in l»rotnoting the electric telegraph, and was a mem- ber of the board of visitors to the U.S. Military academy. A monument was erected to his mem- ory in Columbus, Ohio, in 1869. He died in Co- lumbus, Ohio, Nov. 7, 1864.

MEDILL, Joseph, journalist, was born on St. John river within the disputed territory at that time claimed by Maine, but afterward ceded to New Brunswick, April 6, 1823; son of William and Margaret Medill, who came from Scotland. He removed to Massillon, Stark county, Ohio, with his parents in 1832, attended the district schools, and worked on Ids father's farm. He studied under a clergyman at Canton, Ohio, and was graduated at Massillon academy in 1843. He was admitted to the bar in 1846, practised law at New Philadelphia, Ohio, and in 1849 entered the news- piper field. He published the Republican, a Free Soil paper, at Coshocton, Ohio, 1849-51, an I established the Forest City at Cleveland, 0!.io, in 1851, as a Whigorgan. In 1853 the Forest City was united with the Free Democrat and was named the Cleveland Leader. He agitated the subject of forming a new national party in 1853, and in 1854 assisted in organizing the Republican party in Cleveland. He sold his interest in the Leader to Edwin Cowles, and in January, 1855.

removed to Chicago, 111., where with John C. Vaughan, former proprietor of the Free Democrat, and Mr. Ray, of Galena, 111., he purchased the Chicago Tribune, assumed the business and edi- torial management, advocated radical measures against slavery and made the paper a success. He supiwrt- ed Lincoln's nomina- tion and election in 1860, and urged the issuance of tiie eman- cipation proclama- tion. He was a mem- ber of the Illinois constitutional con- vention in 1870; a member of the civil- service commission in 1871; supported Hor- ^ >,

ace Greeley for Presi- C>^ ^Vtl^C^.-C^

dent in 1872 and fav- ored tariff reform. He was mayor of Chicago from January, 1872, to September, 1873, when he resigned on account of impaired health. He travelled in Europe, 1873-74; purchased a con- trolling interest from the ownere and publishers of the Chicago Tribune in 1874,became its editor- in-chief and reorganized it as the Tribu;ie Publishing company. His stock in the com- pany was valued at $2,500,000 and he had also $2,000,000 in bonds and realty in 1899. He died at San Antonio, Texas, March 16, 1899.

MEDILL, William, governor of Ohio, was born in Newcastle county, Del., in 1805. He was grad- uated at Delaware college in 1825, studied law in his native state, and removed to Lancaster, Ohio, in 1820. He was admitted to the bar in 1832 and practised in Lancaster. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1835-37, being speaker of the house, 1836-37, and was a Democratic repre- sentative from the ninth Ohio district in'the 26th and 27th congresses, 1839-43. He was appointed first assistant postmaster-general by President Polk in 1845, and a few months later was made commissioner of Indian affairs, with headquar- ters at Washington, and served from October, 1845, to May, 1850. He was chairman of the Ohio constitutional convention in 1850; the first lieutenant-governor of the state, 1852-53; acting governor, 1853-54, as successor to Governor Reuben Wood, who resigned in July, 1853, and governor of the state of Oliio by election, 1854- 56. He was defeated for re-election as governor by Salmon P. Chase in 1855, and was first comp- troller of the U.S. treasury by appointment of President Buchanan from March 26, 1857, to April 10, 1861. He never married. He died in Lan- caster, Ohio, Sept. 2, 1865.