The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-26

''There is no reason why Chancellor
McGin should take the stump for the pur-
pose Of mixing himself known to the peo-
Pc" said workingman the other day."
for his name is known to every man and
woman and child in the State and every
voter knows what fearless and honest
man he is in the administration of his
dutfes''
Although it is true that Chancellor Nc
Gill is so well known throughout the
State. the majority of Jersey men, per
haps. are not SO well acquainted with
the particulars of his origin and career.
Alexander Taggart McGill, the man of
whom the workingman quoted above
spoke so truthfully, and into whose
hands the thinking people of New Jer-
sey propose to place the administration
of their States affairs next month,
comes of good Scotch-Irish ancestors on
both his paternal and maternal side.
His paternal grandfather. being i'm
bued with that great love of civil and
religious liberty co CHARACTERISTIC of the
British Government and its methods IN
Ireland, determined to cast in his for
tunes with the infant republic of the
western continent and emlgrated to the
United States from the north of Ireland
in 17SS. settling in the western part OF
REVOLUTIONARY ANCESTORS.
In 1907 Alexander Taggart McGil. the
Washington county. Pa. After gradua-
ting from college IN 1926, he went south
ana settled in AIinedgeVille, Ca, where
he studied law and was admitted to the
Georgia bar in 1881, being also about this
time elected clerk of the Georgia House
returned to the north abandoned the
profession of the law, studied theology,
one of the most distinguished and learn
ed teachers OF theology in the country
serving as professor in the divinity
S. G., and Princeton, N. j.
The maternal grandfather of Chancel-
was a native OF Kentucky He settled
in Pennsylvania in his early manhood
and became noted later in life as a State
Senator, Member of Congress and Major
General of Pennsylvania militia.
On the maternal side. the Chancellor is
tionary stock. Colonel Thomas Turbett.
ais f5sbtgg great graadfatherf being an Indian
later in life he distinguished @ Himself Gdis ans as
an officer lieutenant coloneD of the
Continental army, under Washington.
of Alexander .s;a De- Taggart McGill. the subject
ii rity ms 8 sKe6c9 ct 15,, was ST. born in Allegheny
years old his parents r-oved to Prince
Ton. where his father had been chosen to
Seminary. The future governor entered
the Edgehill Grammar School, to pre-
pare ntered for tP Princeton college and in 1850
DAY Governor Olden passed through
fElc, PfTlEncston on his wsy to Trenton. Young
dents turned cut to give the CHIEF Ex-
eoullVe a rece nt3on worthy the high
office Which he filed. Soon after the
Chancellor was nominated and received
letter from one of the boys who was
with him when they cheered Gov Olden,
The writer congratulated the Chancellor
on ms nofnInation, and calling to his
mind the a1d odsa e, episode predicted that
a lapse of more than thirty years. and
that instead of being cheering school,
boy the Chancellor would be the digni-
In 1854 young McGill graduated from
Princeton College and entered Columbia
there ten years later and entered the
law office. of the late Edward w Scud-
rsnt5n der Jnstge Of the dsnRTde j. ceSr
as an attorney in 1867, and in 1870 he was
made a counsellor: Soon. afterward. he
partnership with the late Attorney Cen
IIIs PUBLIC CAREER.
He began his public career in 1873 when
ne was made Corporation Counsel of the
CITY OF Bayonne. 1t was at this time that
ne began I to display those rare legal tai
ents which ultimately made him the high
est judicial officer in the State
In lS47 he was nominated by the Demo-
Gratis of the old First Assembly district
of Hudson County to be their candidate
for Assemblyman. and although up to
this time this district had slways been
Republican by safe majority Of 300 or
400. he carried It by nearly 200 majority,
and again, in 1875, being renominated, he
carried it by a greatly Increased majority.
While in the House of Assembly, Chan
cellor McGiH served on several Important
committees and made an enviable record
for intelligent, honest and faithful service.
During his term innumerable attempts
were made to gTfdiron the county with
boulevards. Lucre-seeking politicians
strove in vain, backed by powerful and
wealthy people, to foist expensive schemes
people of Hudson County; but in Assem-
blyman McGill they ran UP against an un-
compromising foe. Pledges, promises and
seductive offers did nst prevail with him.
and he alone knocked the costly, fraudu-