John McNeese (July 4, 1843 – June 5, 1914) was an educator in

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...

, and the first superintendent of schools of Imperial Calcasieu Parish.

McNeese State University McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. ...

in Lake Charles is named in his honor.

Biography

McNeese was born on July 4, 1843, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Scottish-American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish people, Scottish Americans are cl ...

parents, who died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

when he was nine. He lived with the family of Dr. Nathaniel Stafford in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

until joining 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 1861 during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Afterward, McNeese moved to

Menard County, Texas Menard County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,962. The county seat is Menard. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1871. It is named for Michel ...

, where he became a businessman and rancher. He also served as the county's clerk from 1871 to 1873. In 1873, McNeese began a

cattle drive A cattle drive is the process of moving a herd of cattle from one place to another, usually moved and herded by cowboys on horses. Europe In medieval central Europe, annual cattle drives brought Hungarian Grey cattle across the Danube River ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, but due to a drought and the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "Lon ...

, he was forced to end the drive after reaching the Sabine River. He sold his cattle and settled in Oberlin. McNeese married Susan Bilbo in 1876; the couple had nine children, seven of whom survived infancy. In 1887, McNeese earned his law degree from

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

in New Orleans. The next year, he was hired as the first Superintendent of Schools of Imperial

Calcasieu Parish Calcasieu Parish (; french: Paroisse de Calcasieu) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 216,785. The p ...

. As superintendent, McNeese advanced education in the parish; he pioneered the concept of using taxes to fund parish schools, supported consolidated schools in rural areas, and advocated supervision of rural schools in the parish. McNeese retired in 1913, and died a year later on June 5, 1914. In 1940, Lake Charles Junior College changed its name to John McNeese Junior College to recognize McNeese. The institution developed a four-year curriculum and graduate programs and is now established as

, part of the state system.

References

External links

The Life and Services to Education of John McNeese
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeese, John 1843 births 1914 deaths People from Lake Charles, Louisiana Educators from New York City McNeese State University People from Oberlin, Louisiana Educators from Louisiana