Alexander Stuart McDill (March 18, 1822 – November 12, 1875) was an

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medical doctor,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

pioneer. He served one term in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, representing northern Wisconsin. He also served three years in the

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican ...

and was Superintendent of the State Hospital for the Insane, where he implemented important reforms in the state hospital system.

Early life

Alexander Stuart McDill was born on March 18, 1822, near

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The city is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It was the first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The population was 13,388 at the 2010 censu ...

, the eighth of nine children born to

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immigrants James and Mary (' Brawley) McDill. He attended

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

and graduated from

Cleveland Medical College Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Res ...

in 1848. He returned to

Crawford County, Pennsylvania Crawford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,938. Its county seat is Meadville. The county was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County and named for Colonel Wi ...

, and practiced medicine there until 1856, when he moved to

Plover, Wisconsin Plover is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Stevens Point, it is part of the Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,519 at the 2020 United States census. History An 1825 treaty establ ...

, at the urging of his elder brother,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, who had become well-established in the new state. He quickly established himself as a leading physician in central Wisconsin, residing at the village of "McDill", named for his brother Thomas. He was also successful in pioneer mercantile interests, partnering with his brother on a general store, sawmill, and lumber business.

Public office career

He entered politics with the Republican Party in the midst of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He was elected to the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

in 1861, and was then elected to the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

in 1862. In 1864, he had the honor of being chosen as a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

for

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's re-election. While serving in the Legislature, he was appointed to the commission for the State Hospital for the Insane near Madison, and was intensely involved in that organization. In 1868, he was named superintendent of the hospital. He instituted reforms at the hospital to end abusive treatment, coordinating with the state courts, and he lobbied the state Legislature to reform the State Board of Charities into the State Board of Charities and Reform—the prior organization was solely tasked with managing the financial concerns of the state hospitals; the new entity was also tasked with ensuring that the hospitals were well-run. In 1872, he was elected to the

in the newly created 8th congressional district—then comprising nearly all of the northern half of the state. He served in the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873March 3, 1875). He ran for re-election in

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

, but fell just 2 votes short of his Democratic opponent,

George W. Cate George Washington Cate (September 17, 1825 – March 7, 1905) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district in the Forty-fourth Congress. ...

. McDill initially declared his intention to challenge the results, but later withdrew his challenge and retired from politics. On his return from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, he was reappointed to his position as superintendent of the state hospital. However, just a few months later, on November 12, 1875, he died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

near Madison. He was interred at Madison's historic Forest Hill Cemetery.

Family and legacy

Alexander Stuart McDill was a son of James McDill, an

immigrant who served in the Pennsylvania Militia during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Alexander McDill's older brother, Thomas McDill, served as a quartermaster for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in the

, and later served four terms in the

. His nephew, George Davis McDill, served in the

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought enti ...

of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

and served three terms in the State Assembly. Alexander McDill married Eliza Jane Rich of

Woolrich, Pennsylvania Woolrich ( ) is an unincorporated community in Pine Creek Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its elevation is 725 feet (221 m), and it is located at (41.1911819, 77.3720595). Woolrich is a company town, the home of Woolric ...

, on July 31, 1849. They had two children. * Narcissa McDill, married medical doctor William Fox of Fitchburg. * John Rich McDill became a prominent medical doctor and served as a major in the

U.S. Army Medical Corps The Medical Corps (MC) of the U.S. Army is a staff corps (non-combat specialty branch) of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an M.D. or a D.O. degree, at least one ye ...

, serving in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and managing a veterans hospital in

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha. History The area that ...

. John Rich McDill is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. McDill Pond, McDill Elementary School, and a section of the bike/walk trail, the Green Circle, among other things in the Plover/Stevens Point area, have been named for Alexander McDill.

Electoral history

U.S. House of Representatives (1872, 1874)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1874

References

External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McDill, Alexander S. 1822 births 1875 deaths People from Meadville, Pennsylvania People from Plover, Wisconsin Physicians from Pennsylvania Physicians from Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Burials in Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians