Martin Boswell McKneally (December 31, 1914 – June 14, 1992) was a

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member of the

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from New York. He also served as the National Commander of

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from 1959 to 1960.

Early life

McKneally was born in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

, the son of George F. and Ellen (née Lahey) McKneally. He attended Newburgh's public schools, and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy. McKneally graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1936 and

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in 1940. McKneally was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Newburgh and New York City.

Military service

McKneally was drafted in 1941. He attended The JAG School then at

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and entered U.S. Army JAG Corps. He received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. He taught military law at Grinnell College, then deployed to the Pacific theater. In the Pacific, he served on the staff Lieutenant General Robert C. Richardson, commander of the Central Pacific Area. He was released from service in 1946 with the rank of major.

Continued career

He was New York's state American Legion commander from 1957 to 1958, and national American Legion commander from 1959 until 1960. His administration of the American Legion was notable in that he disaffiliated the 40 and 8 Society from the Legion due to their racially discriminatory membership requirements. McKneally was active in local government, and served as president of Newburgh's school board. He was a special counsel to Lieutenant Governor Malcolm Wilson from 1960 to 1968, and counsel to the 1964 World's Fair from 1961 to 1965. In 1968, he was elected to Congress, defeating Democratic incumbent John G. Dow. He served from January 3, 1969 until January 3, 1971.

Tax evasion charges

McKneally was a candidate for re-election in 1970, but it was revealed during the last month of the 1970 campaign that he had not paid Federal income taxes for many years. He claimed that the IRS had over withheld him, but the voters did not believe him and he was defeated by Dow, 52% to 48%. McKneally was later found guilty of

tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the tax ...

and sentenced to one year of probation and fined.

Death and burial

McKneally never married and had no children. His siblings included his brother George, who served as mayor of Newburgh. He died at the Veterans Administration facility in

Castle Point, New York Castle Point is a hamlet (New York), hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, New York (state), New York, United States. The community is north of Beacon, New York, Beacon. Castle Point has a post office with ZIP code 12511. Referenc ...

on June 14, 1992. He was buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Newburgh.

References

External links

*
Martin B. McKneally
at

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, - {{DEFAULTSORT:McKneally, Martin B. 1914 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians American people of Irish descent Burials in New York (state) College of the Holy Cross alumni Fordham University School of Law alumni National Commanders of the American Legion New York (state) lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School alumni