James McCleery was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

.

Born in Mecca Township, Trumbull County, Ohio

Mecca Township, Trumbull County, Ohio

Mecca Township is one of the twenty-four townships of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,829 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

, McCleery attended Oberlin (Ohio) College in 1859 and 1860.
He served in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. He received a commission as second lieutenant of Company A, Forty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in 1861, and was wounded in the Battle of Shiloh

Battle of Shiloh

The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...

 in 1862, as a result losing his right arm. Yet he was promoted through the ranks to major in 1865. He entered the Regular Army as captain in the Forty-fifth Infantry in 1866 and subsequently received the brevets of major and brigadier general of Volunteers. He retired December 15, 1870, having settled in Saint Mary Parish, Louisiana

St. Mary Parish, Louisiana

St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...

, where he purchased a plantation and went into the practice of law

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

. He was connected with the Freedmen's Bureau not only in Louisiana but also in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. He soon moved to Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....

, where he was appointed superintendent of public education for the fourth division.

McCleery was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 from Louisiana's 4th congressional district

Louisiana's 4th congressional district

Louisiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district is located in the northwestern part of the state and is based in Shreveport-Bossier City. It also includes the cities of Minden, DeRidder, and Natchitoches.The district is currently...

 to the Forty-second Congress and served from March 4, 1871, until his death while on a visit in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 on November 5, 1871.

He was interred in the Christian Church Cemetery in Cortland, Ohio

Cortland, Ohio

Cortland is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States located on the eastern shore of Mosquito Creek Reservoir. Walnut Run is the creek that runs through town. The population was 6,830 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....

. McCleery's tombstone in the Cortland Christian Church cemetery reads as follows:

JAMES MCCLEERY

BREVET

BRIG GEN

41 OHIO INF

Born December 2, 1837

Died November 5, 1871