Edward McPherson
Edward McPherson (July 31, 1830 – December 14, 1895)[1] was a Pennsylvania newspaper editor and politician who served 2 terms as a United States Congressman. As a director of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, he effected efforts to protect and mark portions of the Gettysburg Battlefield.
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Early life and career [edit]
Born near Gettysburg, McPherson studied law and botany to graduate as 1848 Pennsylvania College valedictorian. In Thaddeus Stevens' firm in Lancaster, McPherson became a Whig. McPherson left the law practice due to illness and moved to Harrisburg, editing the Harrisburg American in 1851, the Lancaster Independent Whig (1851-1854), and the Pittsburgh Daily Times (1855).[2] He moved back to Gettysburg in 1856 and resumed his legal career. He inherited his father's farm west of town along the Chambersburg Turnpike in 1858.[citation needed] and was elected to the 36th and 37th United States Congresses (1859-March 1863, Republican). He was a member of the Republican National Committee in 1860.
American Civil War [edit]
McPherson organized Company K of the First Pennsylvania Reserves at the beginning of the American Civil War,[3] and was defeated in the 1862 reelection when his House of Representatives district (Adams, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, and Juniata counties)[4] was expanded to include opposing Radical Republicans in Somerset County[citation needed] (substituted for Juniata).[5] President Abraham Lincoln appointed McPherson as Deputy Commissioner of Revenue in 1863. After the Battle of Gettysburg, McPherson became an officer of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association with an office on the corner of Baltimore and Middle streets [6] and after Congressman Morehead nominated him, Thaddeus Stevens had him appointed as Clerk of the House of Representatives (December 8, 1863-December 5, 1875).[citation needed]
Postbellum career [edit]
McPherson presided over the Republican National Convention in 1876, and President Hayes appointed him as Director of the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing (1877-8). Returning to the newspaper business, he was editor of the Philadelphia Press from 1877 until 1880. He also served as editor of the New York Tribune Almanac from 1877–1895 and was editor and proprietor of a newspaper in Gettysburg from 1880 until 1895. He was the American editor of the Almanach de Gotha. He again served as Clerk of the House of Representatives from December 1881 to December 1883 and for a third time from December 1889 to December 1891. McPherson was the attorney for the 1893 complaint against the Gettysburg Electric Railway which ended in the Supreme Court case of United States v. Gettysburg Electric Ry. Co.[7]
McPherson died of accidental poisoning in Gettysburg[8] (interred Evergreen Cemetery (Adams County, Pennsylvania)) after being married to Annie D. Crawford McPherson in 1862[9][10] with four sons and a daughter: William L. McPherson.[11] The Edward Mcpherson Society is named in his honor.
Works [edit]
In 1941, the papers of Edward McPherson were added to the Library of Congress,[1] and his published works include:
- McPherson, Edward (1864). Political History of the United States of America During the Great Rebellion.
- —— (1871). The Political History of the United States of America During the Period of Reconstruction.
- —— (12 September 1889). "Remarks of Hon. Edward McPherson". The Star and Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
References [edit]
- ^ "Edward McPherson gravestone". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- "Image". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ "McPherson, Edward". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (United States Congress). Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ "Two Hundred Gather to Hear Stories of 3-day Battle". Gettysburg Compiler. 12 August 1950. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
- ^ "Hon. Edward McPherson Clerk of Congress". The Adams Centinel. 30 October 1866. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
- ^ "Part III, History of Adams County". History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania (Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co.). 1886. pp. 364–365.[dead link]
- ^ "Improvements". Gettysburg Compiler - Sep 23, 1902. 23 September 1902. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- ^ Hensel, W.U. (15 August 1893). "Gettysburg Trolley: Attorney General Hensel Refuses to Interfere". Gettysburg Compiler. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
- ^ "Death of Edward M'Pherson" (pdf). The New York Times. 15 December 1895. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- ^ "Harvest of Grim Reaper: Mrs McPherson Quickly Succomes to the Unexpected". Gettysburg Compiler. 5 December 1906. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- ^ "Married". The Adams Centinel. 18 November 1862. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- ^ "William L. McPherson Author and Editorial Writer, Dies Suddenly". Gettysburg Compiler. 15 November 1930. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- Martin, David G. (2003). Gettysburg July 1. Combined Publishing. p. 584. ISBN 0-938289-81-0. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Wilson Reilly |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district 1859–1863 |
Succeeded by Archibald McAllister |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Emerson Etheridge |
Clerk of the United States House of Representatives 1863–1875 |
Succeeded by George M. Adams |
| Preceded by Henry C. Jewell |
Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing 1877 – 1878 |
Succeeded by O. H. Irish |
| Preceded by George M. Adams |
Clerk of the United States House of Representatives 1881–1883 |
Succeeded by John B. Clark, Jr. |
| Preceded by John B. Clark, Jr. |
Clerk of the United States House of Representatives 1889–1891 |
Succeeded by James Kerr |
|
- 1830 births
- 1895 deaths
- 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
- Clerks of the United States House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania lawyers
- Pennsylvania Republicans
- Pennsylvania Whigs
- People from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- Union political leaders
- United States Department of the Treasury officials
- Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Adams County, Pennsylvania)
