Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/449

 MOONEY

MOORE

1892; domestic prelate by Pope Leo XIII., in 1896, and received the degree of Ph.D. from St. Mary's college, Md.. 1880, LL.D. from St. John's, Fordham, in 1889, and from Notre Dame univer- sity in 1896,

MOONEY, William, patriot, was born in New York city, of Irish parents. As early as 1765 he was leader of the *• Sons of Liberty" of New York, an organization that had been formed in 1735 to oppose the Colonial policy of the British government, and which upheld John Peter Zenger (q.v.), publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, when he was tried for publishing sedi- tious libels. Upon the passing of the stamp act, this society was foremost in its denunciation of the acts of Parliament, and the name was retained by the patriots in New York until the formation of the Whig and Tory parties, when Mooney joined the Whigs and the Sons of Liberty disband- ed. He engag- ed in business as an uphols- terer in New York. He was one of the ori- ginal founders of the Colum- bian Order, in 1786, which was in corpo- rated in 1789 as the Society Tammany and he was the first man to sign its constitution. This organiza- tion was formed as a secret patriotic be- nevolent society in political opposition to the Order of the Cincinnati. It upheld the princi- ples of Thomas Jefferson, in opposition to the Federal system, each member at his initiation being compelled to repeat the assertion to sus- tain the state institutions and resist a consoli- dation of power in the general government. Mooney proposed the name in honor of Columbus, the system of Indian government to be insti- tuted through an official head known as the Great Father, but it was changed to Society of Tammany in honor of Chief Tammany, and the official head was called the grand sachem. Mooney was appointed first grand sachem, May 12, 1811. He was elected by the voters of New York city keeper of the almshouse, which office he held for many years. The date of his death is not known, but he was alive as late as 1831, and was then mentioned as the last of the original members of the Society of Tammany,

MOOR, Wyman Bradbury Sevey, senator, was born in Waterville, Maine, Nov. 3, 1811 ; son of Daniel and Rebecca (Spring) Moor. He was gradu- ated from Colby university, A.B., 1831, A.M..

1834, and was admitted to the bar in 1833. He practised in Waterville, 1834-49 ; was a represen- tative in the state legislature, 1839-42 ; attorney- general of the state, 1844-48, and was appointed U.S. senator by Governor Dana to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John Fairfield, serving from January to June, 1848, when Hannibal Hamlin was elected to fill the balance of Senator Fairfield's term. He practised law in Bangor 1849-52, and in Waterville, 1852-57, and in 1857 was apix)inted by President Buchanan, U.S. consul-general at Montreal, Canada, where he served until the inauguration of President Lin- coln in 1861. He engaged in furnishing army supplies and in the tobacco business, 1861-69. He removed to Lynchburg, Va., in 1866, and died there, March 10. 1869.

MOORE, Alfred, a.ssociate justice, was born in Brunswick county, N.C., May 21, 1755; son of Judge Maurice and Anne (Grange) Moore, and a descendant of Roger Moore, a leader of the Irish rebellion of 1641. His first ancestor in America emigrated from the Barbadoes prior to the accession of Charles II. to the throne, and settled in South Carolina. In 1764 Alfred Moore was sent to Boston, Mass., to complete his education, when he learned military tac- tics and was offered a commission in the army. He was ad- mitted to the bar in 1775, and on Sept. 1,

1775, was appointed

captain in the 1st North Carolina regiment, com- manded by his uncle, James Moore, and took part in the campaign resulting in the British defeat at Moore's Creek, February, 1776. He was then or- dered to assist in the defense of Charleston ; en- gaged in the attack on Fort Moultrie, in June,

1776, and after the repulse of the British at Charles- ton, drilled his regiment at Wilmington. He re- signed his commission, March 8, 1777, on account of the misfortunes of his family in North Caro- lina, where he recruited a troop of guerillas, and BO annoyed the British that Major Craig sent a detachment to his plantation which plundered and burned his house and left him destitute. He was attorney-general of North Carolina as suc- cessor to James Iredell, 1779-90, when he re- signed and retired to his plantation. He was the unsuccessful Federalist candidate for U.S. senator in 1795 ; was elected a judge of the state supreme court in 1798, and was appointed by President

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