Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-04-12
DEATu JUDGE MCLEAN.

Judge John Mclean, LII, D., died on
Thursday morning, at Cincinnati, Ohio,
at the age of rs years. lie was born in
Morris county, n. j., March IL, 1875.
Four years afterward, his father, poor
man with a large family, removed to
the West, settling first at Morgantown,
Va, afterward near Nicholasville, KY,
and finally in 1899 in what is now
Warren county, Ohio. Here he cleai ed
farm, upon which he resided till his
death 40 years later. His son, at the
age Of 18, desiring to study law, went to
Cincinnati, where he maintained himself
by writing in the office Of the clerk of
the county, while he pursued his studies
under the direction of Arthur St. Clair,
an eminent counsellor, the son of the re-
volutionary general of that name In
the spring of 1907 he was married to
Miss Rebecca Edwards, and in the
autumn ef the same year was admitted
to the Bar, and commenced practice at
Lebanon, Warren county, Ohio. In
October, 1912, he was elected to repre-
sent in Congress his district, which then
! included Cincinnati, receiving a large
ajority, as a Democrat in favor of the
war with England, and supporter of
President Madison's administration
In 1914, he was unanimously y reelected,
receiving the vote of<every elector that
went to the polls.
In 1915, he declined to be candidate
for the United States Senate, though
his election was certain; and in 1916
the Legislature of Ohio having unani-
mously elected him Judge of the Su-
preme Court Of the State, he resigned
his seat in Congress at the close of the
session. He remained upon the Supreme
Bench of Ohio till 1922, when he was
appointed by President Monroe Com
missioner Of the General Land Office
In July, 1923, he was appointed Post
master General, the Post Office Depart
ment being then in a very disordered
and inefficient condition. Under his ad-
ministration this branch of the public
service was restored to order and man
aged with vi gor, method and economy,
that soon secured an almost unexampled
degree ofapplause and public confidence
By nearly unanimous vote of the Sen
ate and House, the Postmaster General S
salary was raised from $4,000 to Sc, 600
year John Randolph, who voted
against the increase, said he would vote
for it if the salary could be reduced to
| its original amount whenever Judge
Mclean went out of Office In 1929
having declined the War and Navy De-
partments, which were offered him by
President jackson, Judge Mclean re-
signed the office Of Postmaster General,
and accepted a seat upon the Bench OF
the Supreme Court of the United States,
entering upon his duties as Associate
Justice at the January Term of 1890
In nthis capacity his charges to Grand
Juries while on circuit are distinguished
for ability and eloquence One of the
most noted of these was delivered in
December, 1888, in regard to aiding ol
favoring unlawful military combinations
by our citizens against any foreign gov,
ernment or people with whom we are al
peace; with special reference to the
Canadian insurrection and its American
abettors, In the Drcd Scott case he dis
sented from the decision Of the Cour
as given ny Chief Justice fancy, and e1
pressed the opinion that slavery has it:
origin merely in power, and is agains
right, and in this country is sustained
only by local law. Judge Mclean has
long been identified with the party op
posed to the extension Of slavery, anc
his name was before the free soil Con
vention at Buffalo, i'll 1913, as candi
date for nomination as President. A
the Republican National Convention a
Philadelphia in 1856, he received 19t
votes for the same Office, to $50 for Col
Fremont At the Republican Conven
ton at Chicago in 1860, he also received
number of votes.-N. 7. Tribune.