Selden Allen McMeans (July 1806 – July 31, 1876) was an American physician and politician. Born near

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

, McMeans first began practicing medicine in the 1840s in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

. In 1846, he volunteered for service in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. After the war ended, he moved to

El Dorado County, California El Dorado County (), officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The County is part of the Sacramento- Roseville-A ...

, where he was a member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

for the 12th District (1852–54) and served as the second California State Treasurer (1854–56). In the fall of 1859, McMeans moved to

Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

after the Comstock Lode silver strike. When the news of the firing on Fort Sumter reached Virginia City in 1861, McMeans announced that he would capture Fort Churchill for the Confederacy, but was quickly disabused of this notion by news of a detachment of

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldiers heading from Fort Churchill to Virginia City. After 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 ...

, he organized the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in Nevada and became its first chairman. He eventually moved to

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

, where he died at age 70 in 1876.

External links

"Dr. Selden A. McMeans, Nevada's Early Politician Doctor", ''Greasewood Tablettes'', University of Nevada Medical School, Spring 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMeans, Selden A. 1806 births 1876 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Physicians from South Carolina Members of the California State Assembly Nevada Democrats People from El Dorado County, California People from Knoxville, Tennessee State political party chairs of Nevada State treasurers of California 19th-century American legislators People from Virginia City, Nevada Politicians from Reno, Nevada 19th-century California politicians