John G. McCullough
Encyclopedia
John Griffith McCullough (September 16, 1835 – May 29, 1915) was an American businessperson and attorney. He was Attorney General
of California during the Civil War
, and the 49th Governor
of Vermont
from 1902 to 1904.
, to Albert and Rebecca (Griffith) McCullough. His father was Scotch-Irish, and his mother Welsh
. An ancestor on his mother's side had fought in Oliver Cromwell
's army.
His father died when he was three years old, and his mother four years later. Relatives and family friends took him in, and provided him with a private school education.
He attended Delaware College, and graduated first in his class after just two years of schooling. He clerked in the law firm of St. George Tucker Campbell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while attending law school at the University of Pennsylvania
. He graduated with an LL.B. in 1858, and was admitted to the bar of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. After a heart attack he was advised to seek a warmer climate. He sailed to California, where he took up the practice of law in Mariposa, California
. He was admitted to the bar of the California Supreme Court.
when the Union
general seized Fort Alcatraz in 1861, preventing Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston
from using the fort in support of bringing California in on the side of the Confederacy
.
His public speech-making in support of Sumner led to his election to the California State Senate
the same year. He was re-elected in 1862. In 1863, he was elected Attorney General
, but lost re-elected in 1867. He moved to San Francisco, where he established a lucrative legal practice.
president Trenor W. Park
, on August 30, 1871. The couple had four children: a son, Hall Park McCullough, and daughters Elizabeth Laura McCullough, Ella Sarah McCullough, and Esther Morgan McCullough.
His father-in-law appointed him vice-president and general manager of the Panama Railway. After Park's death in 1882, he became the railroad's president. He helped reorganize the Erie Railroad
in 1884 and 1893, becoming chairman of the company's executive committee. He was president of the Bennington and Rutland Railway from 1883 to 1900, and president of the Chicago and Erie Railroad from 1890 to 1900.
A lifelong Republican, McCullough was very active in politics. He was elected a delegate to the Republican National Convention
in 1880, 1888 and 1900, being elected chairman of the delegation in 1900. He was elected to the Vermont State Senate in 1898, and elected president pro tempore
.
McCullough was elected Governor of Vermont in 1902. During his administration, Vermont abandoned prohibition
.
.
He was widely admired, and received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Middlebury College
in 1900, the University of Vermont
in 1904, and Norwich University
in 1905.
McCullough died in New York City on May 29, 1915.
, where Trenor Park and (after his death) Governor McCullough lived, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The John G. McCullough Free Library in North Bennington, Vermont
, was built by McCullough's widow, Eliza McCullough, in memory of her husband. The two-story brick building was designed by the firm of Renwick, Aspinwall and Tucker, and opened on August 24, 1921.
California Attorney General
The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The...
of California during the 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...
, and the 49th Governor
Governor of Vermont
The Governor of Vermont is the governor of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected in even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years; Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every two years, instead of every four...
of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
from 1902 to 1904.
Early life
John G. McCullough was born on September 6, 1835, in Newark, DelawareNewark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
, to Albert and Rebecca (Griffith) McCullough. His father was Scotch-Irish, and his mother Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. An ancestor on his mother's side had fought in Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's army.
His father died when he was three years old, and his mother four years later. Relatives and family friends took him in, and provided him with a private school education.
He attended Delaware College, and graduated first in his class after just two years of schooling. He clerked in the law firm of St. George Tucker Campbell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while attending law school at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He graduated with an LL.B. in 1858, and was admitted to the bar of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. After a heart attack he was advised to seek a warmer climate. He sailed to California, where he took up the practice of law in Mariposa, California
Mariposa, California
Mariposa is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Mariposa County, California, United States. The population was 2,173 at the 2010 census, up from 1,373 at the 2000 census. Its name is Spanish for "butterfly", after the flocks of Monarchs seen overwintering there by early...
. He was admitted to the bar of the California Supreme Court.
California years
McCullough supported General Edwin Vose SumnerEdwin Vose Sumner
Edwin Vose Sumner was a career United States Army officer who became a Union Army general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American Civil War...
when the Union
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
general seized Fort Alcatraz in 1861, preventing Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
from using the fort in support of bringing California in on the side of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
.
His public speech-making in support of Sumner led to his election to the California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
the same year. He was re-elected in 1862. In 1863, he was elected Attorney General
California Attorney General
The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The...
, but lost re-elected in 1867. He moved to San Francisco, where he established a lucrative legal practice.
Return to Vermont and governorship
He returned to Vermont in 1873, where he devoted himself to business. He had married Eliza Hall, daughter of Panama RailwayPanama Railway
The Panama Canal Railway Company is a railway line that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across Panama in Central America. It is jointly owned by the Kansas City Southern Railway and Mi-Jack Products...
president Trenor W. Park
Trenor W. Park
Trenor William Park was an American lawyer, political figure, businessman, and philanthropist.-Life:Trenor William Park was born in Woodford, Bennington County, Vermont on December 8th, 1823...
, on August 30, 1871. The couple had four children: a son, Hall Park McCullough, and daughters Elizabeth Laura McCullough, Ella Sarah McCullough, and Esther Morgan McCullough.
His father-in-law appointed him vice-president and general manager of the Panama Railway. After Park's death in 1882, he became the railroad's president. He helped reorganize the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
in 1884 and 1893, becoming chairman of the company's executive committee. He was president of the Bennington and Rutland Railway from 1883 to 1900, and president of the Chicago and Erie Railroad from 1890 to 1900.
A lifelong Republican, McCullough was very active in politics. He was elected a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
in 1880, 1888 and 1900, being elected chairman of the delegation in 1900. He was elected to the Vermont State Senate in 1898, and elected president pro tempore
President pro tempore
A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...
.
McCullough was elected Governor of Vermont in 1902. During his administration, Vermont abandoned prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
.
Later life
After leaving the governorship, McCullough became active in business again. He was president or a director of the First National Bank of North Bennington, the Bank of New York, the Fidelity & Casualty Co., National Life Insurance Co. of Vermont, Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, Central Vermont Railroad, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, and the Lackawanna Steel CompanyLackawanna Steel Company
The Lackawanna Steel Company was an American steel manufacturing company that existed as an independent company from 1840 to 1922, and as a subsidiary of the Bethlehem Steel company from 1922 to 1983. Founded by the Scranton family, it was once the second-largest steel company in the world ....
.
He was widely admired, and received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in 1900, the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
in 1904, and Norwich University
Norwich University
Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of...
in 1905.
McCullough died in New York City on May 29, 1915.
Notable placenames
The Park-McCullough Historic HousePark-McCullough Historic House
The Park-McCullough Historic House is one of the finest and best-preserved Victorian mansions in New England. It is a thirty-five room mansion, set on 200 acres of grounds, and located off Route 67A in North Bennington, Vermont, USA....
, where Trenor Park and (after his death) Governor McCullough lived, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The John G. McCullough Free Library in North Bennington, Vermont
North Bennington, Vermont
North Bennington is an incorporated village in the town of Bennington in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,428 at the 2000 census....
, was built by McCullough's widow, Eliza McCullough, in memory of her husband. The two-story brick building was designed by the firm of Renwick, Aspinwall and Tucker, and opened on August 24, 1921.