Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-02-15
A. ]. SWEENEY DEAD.
A LEADING MANUFACTURER AND GOOD
CITIZEN PASSES FROM AMONG Us.
He Was Nine Times Chosen Mayor Of the City,
and Held Many Other Places of Honor.
4 Sketch Of an Honor
aSls Csrssr.

Col. A. j. Sweeney died at the fami-
" residence on North Main street. at
7 o'clock last evening,in the sixty-sixth
year of his age, of form OF Bright's
disease.
In his death Wheeling loses one OF
her oldest and best known citizens, one
who was justly esteemed as belonging
in the front rank Of enter prising manu-
facturers, and whose long career was
well typical Of the business activity of
the community in which he resided for
more than sixty years.
Andrew James Sweeney was born In
PiLtsbarg, January l, 1927. His father
was the late Thomas Sweeney, who was
born in Ireland in 1906, and whose faith
er, likewise named Thomas, was a
wealthy Irish stock grazer, who settled
in Duchess county, II. Y, about 1910,
and in 1915 removed to Pittsburg, when
the father of the subject OF this sketch
was nine years OF age.
In 1880 Thomas Sweeney came TO
Wheeling, his son A. j. being then
child OF three years. The succeeding
eighteen years were given up TO the
early training and education OF the fu-
ture successful business man, and In
1913 Mr.. Sweeney became interested in
his fathers business enterprises,
in the lines Of iron and
glass, and IN the same year,
in company with Mr.. Joseph Bell,
bought the North Wheeling glass ouSi-
ness, which had been previously man
aged by Michael Sweeney. In 1858
Col. Sweeney became a member Of the
manufacturing firm of Z. Sweeney IL
Co. Deceased was associated with his
father, Thomas Sweeney, until 1875,
when he assumed entire management or
| the extensive business enterprise, which
he conducted hencelorth in very salts
factory manner, building and coupling
steamboats,, rolling mills, machine
shops, plate glass factories, building
| engines and boilers, and doing gener-
ally vast amount OF similar work over
a wide extent OF country.
Col. Sweeny took an early interest in
matters pertaining TO the government
of the city, and in 1855 was chosen
Mayor to fill the unexpred term OF the
late James Paul. He was elected
Mayor in 1861, and was reelected in
1862, 1865, 1855 and 1867, and again in
1875, 1877 and 1879, filing the Office
nine times in all Later still he was in
Council, and during his last terms he
was President OF the Second Branch,
last filing that Office in the present
City Hall.
In 1863 he was chosen Colonel OF a
regiment of State military, and was on
duty with his command during the Nor
gan'and Jones raids.
His prominence as representative
citizen of the State was recognized in
| 1876 by his appointment as Commits
sioner of West Virginia TO the Centen-
NAL Exposition at Philadelphia. lie
was also a Commissioner TO the Vienna
Exposition in 1873, and the to one at Paris
in 1873, serving acceptabiy In all OF
| these responsible capacities.
Prominent in the Masonic fraternity,
he held membership In Ohio Lodge No.
/, A. i. and A. NJ, Wheeling Com
mandery No. ., X. T., and Osiris Tenn
| pie, Mobiles OF the Mystic Shrine. In
each OF these bodies he held from time
TO time many responsible positions.
Col. Sweeney was twice married. In
| 1s4S he married Mary r. Moore, daugh-
ter of the late John Moore. She died
March 10, 1850, leaving four children,
| John NJ, Nellie B., Rose N, and a. T..
| Sweeney. In the autumn OF 1861 Col.
Sweeney married Mary T.. Hanna,
| daughter Of Rev. Thomas Hanna, Of
Washington, Pa, by whom he had nine
children.
Col. Sweeney was an inventor OF no
small renown, q number Of valuable
patents having been granted him,
and his intimacy with all forms
of machinery and his knowl-
edge of applied mechanics was
second to that of no man in this com
munity. a proverbial hard worker, it
was almost his inVariable custom to
close a day OF toll as grimy as the hum
/ best man IN his employ, and twas con-
ceded that even at his age few men
/ could stand more hours Of labor than
he. For a generation he was intimate
ly connected with all that went TO bene-
fit this community, and all such i'm
provements as the street railway, the
paid fire department, the fire alarm
J telegraph, and the many new bridges
! and shipping facilities, found in Col.
Sweeney a staunch and powerful friend.