William McCreery (May 17, 1786 – September 27, 1841) was a Jacksonian member of the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from Pennsylvania. William McCreery was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland. He immigrated to the United States in 1791 with his parents, who settled near

Fairfield, Pennsylvania Fairfield is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 526 at the 2020 census. History During the Gettysburg Campaign in the American Civil War, the Battle of Fairfield played an important role in securing the ...

. He moved to

Paris, Pennsylvania Paris is a census-designated place in Hanover Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. Although it is not tracked by the United States Census Bureau, Paris has been assigned the ZIP code 15021. As of the 2020 census the popu ...

, in 1812 and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1824 to 1827. He was a constructor of the Pennsylvania State Canal and of the Pennsylvania State Highway from 1826 to 1831. In 1828, McCreery defeated incumbent Joseph Lawrence, in a near-Democratic sweep of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation.Robert Seager II, ed., 'The Papers of Henry Clay'', Volume 7 (1828), p. 526. McCreery was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1830 It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Events January–March * January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) b ...

to the Twenty-second Congress. He served as collector of internal revenue at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1831 to 1833, and was again a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1833 to 1836. He served as superintendent of the Pennsylvania State Canal in 1835, residing in

Allegheny City, Pennsylvania Allegheny City was a municipality that existed in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1788 until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. It was located north across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, with its southwest border formed by ...

. He was the acting president of the Pennsylvania Board of Canal Appraisers at the time of his death in Fairfield in 1841. His remains were interred in Up-the-Valley United Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) People from Omagh Politicians from Pittsburgh 1786 births 1841 deaths Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub