John Henry O'Neall (October 30, 1838 – July 15, 1907) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Indiana from 1887 to 1891.

Biography

Born in

Newberry, South Carolina Newberry is a city in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States, in the Piedmont northwest of Columbia. The charter was adopted in 1894. The population was 10,277 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Newberry County; at one time ...

, O'Neall was left an orphan at eight years of age and was raised by his grandfather, who lived in

Daviess County, Indiana Daviess County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 33,381. The county seat is Washington. About 15% of the county's population is Amish of Swiss origin, as of 2017. History Aft ...

. He attended country schools and graduated from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

in 1862. He then graduated from the law department of the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1864. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

the same year and practiced in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

and later in

Washington, Indiana Washington is a city in Daviess County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,017 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Daviess County. It is also the principal city of the Washington, Indiana Micropolitan S ...

. He served in the State legislature in 1866. He was appointed prosecuting attorney for the eleventh judicial circuit in 1873. O'Neall was elected to the office in 1874, but resigned before his term was completed.

Congress

O'Neall was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1890.

Later career and death

He resumed the practice of law in

. School trustee of Washington for fifteen years. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1896. City attorney of Washington 1899-1907. Organized the Federal Trust Co. in 1899 and was its president until 1902, when it was made a national bank. He died in

, July 15, 1907. He was interred in St. John's Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneall, John H. 1838 births 1907 deaths 19th-century Indiana politicians Indiana University Bloomington alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni People from Daviess County, Indiana Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana People from Newberry, South Carolina Indiana lawyers People from Washington, Indiana People from Terre Haute, Indiana 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives