Edward McPherson
Encyclopedia
Edward McPherson was a prominent Pennsylvania
newspaperman, attorney, and United States Congressman. As a director of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association
, he effected efforts to protect portions of the Gettysburg Battlefield
.
, and attended the common schools. He graduated from Pennsylvania College
as valedictorian
in 1848 and studied law and botany. After passing the bar exam, he joined the practice of Thaddeus Stevens
in Lancaster
and came to share Stevens' political views as a Whig
. Falling ill, McPherson left the law practice and moved to Harrisburg
, where he briefly edited the Harrisburg American in 1851. He returned to Lancaster to edit the Independent Whig from 1851–54, and the Pittsburgh
Daily Times in 1855. He moved back to Gettysburg in 1856 and resumed his legal career. His father died in 1858 and willed him a large farm two miles west of town along the Chambersburg Turnpike
.
That same year, McPherson was nominated to represent Pennsylvania's 17th District in the United States House of Representatives
. He was elected as a Republican
to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses, serving from 1859 through March 1863. He was a member of the Republican National Committee
in 1860. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress when his district was expanded to include Somerset County
, a moderate region opposed to McPherson's Radical Republican views. President Abraham Lincoln
appointed McPherson as Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue
in 1863.
The Battle of Gettysburg
ruined the crops and pastures of McPherson's tenant farmer
, John Slentz, and caused considerable damage to fences, buildings, property and supplies, for which McPherson was never compensated (McPherson sold the farm in 1868).
McPherson presided over the Republican National Convention
in 1876. President Rutherford B. Hayes
appointed him as Director of the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing
in 1877 and 1878. Returning to the newspaper business, he was editor of the Philadelphia Press
from 1877 until 1880. He also served as editor of the New York Tribune Almanac
from 1877–1895 and was editor and proprietor of a newspaper in Gettysburg from 1880 until 1895. He was the American editor of the Almanach de Gotha
.
He again served as Clerk of the House of Representatives from December 1881 to December 1883 and for a third time from December 1889 to December 1891. He died four years later in Gettysburg, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
He and his wife Annie Crawford McPherson were married in 1862 and had four sons and a daughter.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
newspaperman, attorney, and United States Congressman. As a director of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association
Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association
The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association was an historic preservation membership organization and is the eponym for the battlefield's memorial association era...
, he effected efforts to protect portions of the Gettysburg Battlefield
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
.
Early life and career
McPherson was born in Gettysburg, PennsylvaniaGettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
, and attended the common schools. He graduated from Pennsylvania College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
as valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
in 1848 and studied law and botany. After passing the bar exam, he joined the practice of Thaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens , of Pennsylvania, was a Republican leader and one of the most powerful members of the United States House of Representatives...
in Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
and came to share Stevens' political views as a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
. Falling ill, McPherson left the law practice and moved to Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, where he briefly edited the Harrisburg American in 1851. He returned to Lancaster to edit the Independent Whig from 1851–54, and the Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
Daily Times in 1855. He moved back to Gettysburg in 1856 and resumed his legal career. His father died in 1858 and willed him a large farm two miles west of town along the Chambersburg Turnpike
U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania
In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, U.S. Route 30 runs east–west across the southern part of the state, passing through Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on its way from the West Virginia state line east to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River into New Jersey...
.
That same year, McPherson was nominated to represent Pennsylvania's 17th District in the United States House of Representatives
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...
. He 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...
to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses, serving from 1859 through March 1863. He was a member of the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
in 1860. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress when his district was expanded to include Somerset County
Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Somerset County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 77,742. Somerset County was created on April 17, 1795, from part of Bedford County and named for Somerset, United Kingdom. Its county seat is Somerset. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania,...
, a moderate region opposed to McPherson's Radical Republican views. President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
appointed McPherson as Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service , a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury.The office of Commissioner was created by Congress by the Revenue Act of 1862...
in 1863.
The Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
ruined the crops and pastures of McPherson's tenant farmer
Tenant farmer
A tenant farmer is one who resides on and farms land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management; while tenant farmers contribute their labor along with at times varying...
, John Slentz, and caused considerable damage to fences, buildings, property and supplies, for which McPherson was never compensated (McPherson sold the farm in 1868).
Postbellum career
Rep. Thaddeus Stevens used his considerable influence to have his protégé McPherson appointed as Clerk of the House of Representatives, a position he held from December 8, 1863, to December 5, 1875. He authored a pair of books, Political History of the United States of America During the Great Rebellion (1864) and The Political History of the United States of America During the Period of Reconstruction (1871).McPherson presided over 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 1876. President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
appointed him as Director of the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is a government agency within the United States Department of the Treasury that designs and produces a variety of security products for the United States government, most notable of which is paper currency for the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve itself is...
in 1877 and 1878. Returning to the newspaper business, he was editor of the Philadelphia Press
Philadelphia Press
The Philadelphia Press is a defunct newspaper that was published from August 1, 1857 to October 1, 1920.The paper was founded by John W. Forney. Charles Emory Smith was editor and owned a stake in the paper from 1880 until his death in 1908...
from 1877 until 1880. He also served as editor of the New York Tribune Almanac
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
from 1877–1895 and was editor and proprietor of a newspaper in Gettysburg from 1880 until 1895. He was the American editor of the Almanach de Gotha
Almanach de Gotha
The Almanach de Gotha was a respected directory of Europe's highest nobility and royalty. First published in 1763 by C.W. Ettinger in Gotha at the ducal court of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, it was regarded as an authority in the classification of monarchies, princely and ducal...
.
He again served as Clerk of the House of Representatives from December 1881 to December 1883 and for a third time from December 1889 to December 1891. He died four years later in Gettysburg, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
He and his wife Annie Crawford McPherson were married in 1862 and had four sons and a daughter.