James A. McDougall

James A. McDougall

James Alexander McDougall (born November 19, 1817 in Bethlehem , New York , † September 3, 1867 in Albany , New York) was an American lawyer and politician . He was attorney general of the states of Illinois and California and member of the United States House of Representatives and in the Senate of the United States of California.

Early life

James Alexander McDougall was born on November 19, 1817 in Bethlehem, Albany County . He attended Grammar Schools in Albany, where he excelled in math and civil engineering. He took part in the exploration of the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad , later known as the Albany and Schenectady Railroad and one of the first in the country. He began law school in Albany and then moved to Pike County , Illinois. In 1838 he married the daughter of an influential Jacksonville lawyer and joined the Democrats . After graduating from college, he began practicing in Cook County . Here he met the Chicago lawyer Stephen A. Douglas , who later became very successful .

Political career

Illinois

In January 1843, 25-year-old McDougall was elected to succeed Josiah Lamborn as Attorney General of Illinois and confirmed for another term in 1844. Though small in stature, he had exceptional physical and mental stamina. He was a brilliant speaker who used his linguistic skills skillfully to become one of the most widely recognized speakers in the West.

After the end of his tenure as Attorney General, McDougall practiced again as a lawyer in Chicago and built a law firm together with Ebenezer Peck . During his time in Illinois, McDougall became friends with many well-known lawyers, including Edward Dickinson Baker and Abraham Lincoln . In 1849, McDougall was one of the most influential men in Illinois; however, he was also very interested in exploring and developing the West. McDougall organized and accompanied the explorations of the Rio del Norte , Gila River and Colorado River . He reached the headwaters of the Rio Grande in the southwest of the Colorado Territory, which was being established . Upon learning of the California gold rush, McDougall returned to Illinois and moved with his family to San Francisco on board the California .

California

In California, McDougall initially worked as a lawyer again, but was elected California Attorney General in October 1850 . He resigned after a year to take a seat in the California State Legislature .

In 1852, McDougall was elected to the United States House of Representatives for the second constituency of his state . One of his main concerns was to get federal government support for a railway line to the Pacific. He submitted a corresponding bill; however, this was rejected by Thomas Hart Benton . After his tenure ended in 1855, McDougall returned to San Francisco as an attorney.

In 1860, McDougall was elected to the US Senate. The California Democrats were divided over secession . To prevent a Democratic secessionist from being elected, the Republicans supported McDougall, which helped him to victory.

Washington, DC

McDougall continued to advocate building a Pacific Railroad, but alcoholism made him ineffective. As early as 1862 he neglected his Senate duties and was noticed by numerous scandals. He fought some of Lincoln's laws of war but was unable to do anything. He did not return to California once during his entire tenure.

Retirement

After the end of his tenure as Senator, McDougall returned to his youth home in Albany, where he died on September 3, 1867, presumably of the effects of alcoholism. According to his wishes, his body was brought to California and buried in the Lone Mountain Cemetery (later Calvary Cemetery ) in San Francisco . In 1942 his bones were reburied in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma .

literature

• William Horatio Barnes: History of the Thirty-ninth Congress of the United States . Harper and Brothers, New York 1868, p. 605 (Retrieved May 8, 2009).
• "Appletons' Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1867" D. Appleton New York 1869 Volume 7 p. 484 Google Books
• James A. McDougall, 2nd Attorney General . In: Office of the Attorney General website . State of California, Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
• Newton Bateman and Paul Selby "Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois" Munsell Publishing Company 1905, page 363 Google Books
• Russell Buchanan: James A. McDougall: A Forgotten Senator . In: California Historical Society Quarterly . XV, No. 3, September 1926, pp. 199-212.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Shuck, Bench and Bar in California , p. 357
2. ↑ ^{a b} James Farr: Not Exactly a Hero: James Alexander McDougall in the United States Senate . In: California History . 65, No. 2, June 1986, pp. 104-13, 152-53. Retrieved on September 15, 2011.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ Rhodes, James A. McDougal , in Shuck, ed. Representative and Leading Men of the Pacific , p. 689
4. ^ Evarts Boutell Greene , Charles Manfred Thompson: The governors' letter-books, 1840-1853 . Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, Chicago, Illinois 1911, p. 166 (accessed May 8, 2009).
5. ^ Ehrman Syme Nadal: A Virginian Village, and Other Papers . MacMillan, New York 1917, p. 130 (Retrieved May 8, 2009).

Web links

• James A. McDougall in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)