William McAdoo (New Jersey politician)

William McAdoo (October 25, 1853 – June 7, 1930) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for four terms from 1883 to 1891. He also served as New York City Police Commissioner in 1904 and 1905.[1]

William McAdoo
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
In office
March 20, 1893 – April 18, 1897
Preceded byJames R. Soley
Succeeded byTheodore Roosevelt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 7th district
In office
March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1891
Preceded byAugustus Albert Hardenbergh
Succeeded byEdward F. McDonald
New York City Police Commissioner
In office
1904–1906
Appointed byGeorge B. McClellan, Jr.
Preceded byFrancis Vinton Greene
Succeeded byTheodore A. Bingham
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
In office
1882
Personal details
Born(1853-10-25)October 25, 1853
Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland
DiedJune 7, 1930(1930-06-07) (aged 76)
Manhattan, New York City

Early life and career

McAdoo was born in Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland on October 25, 1853. He immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1865, where he attended public school. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1874 and commenced practice in Jersey City. He was employed as a newspaper reporter from 1870 to 1875. He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1882.

Tenure in Congress

McAdoo was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth and to the three following Congresses, serving in office from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1891. He was chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee and chairman of the Committee on the Militia in the Fiftieth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1890. [2]

McAdoo was a staunch environmentalist. While in Congress in the 1880s, he expressed these sentiments and argued for the preservation of wilderness. In a statement to the floor he once said, "In the great West [there are] inspiring sights and mysteries of nature that elevate mankind and bring it closer to communion with omniscience.... It should be preserved on this if no other ground."[3]

Later career

After leaving Congress, he moved to New York City in 1892 and resumed the practice of law. He was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and served from March 20, 1893, to April 18, 1897, when he resigned. He was appointed to serve as New York City Police Commissioner in 1904 and 1905. Later he resumed the practice of law and also engaged in literary pursuits. He was appointed by Mayor William Jay Gaynor as chief magistrate of the city magistrates' courts, first division, City of New York on July 1, 1910, in which capacity he served until his death.

Death

He died in at his home at 1192 Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York City on June 7, 1930, from arteriosclerosis and apoplexy.[1] He was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

References
  1. "Magistrate M'Adoo Dies Suddenly At 76. Chief of Lower Courts for 20 Years Succumbs at His Home After Illness of 4 Days. In Public Life 50 Years. In Congress 4 Terms, Assistant Secretary of Navy and Once Police Commissioner. Funeral to Be Held Tomorrow. A Native of Ireland". New York Times. June 8, 1930. Retrieved 2014-10-01. William McAdoo, Chief City Magistrate since 1910, died early yesterday morning at his home, 1192 Park Avenue, after an illness of four days. Death was caused by arterio-sclerosis and apoplexy. He was 76 years old.
  2. Shulman, Mark. Navalism and the Emergence of American Sea Power, 1882–1893.(Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1995), 30.
  3. Nash, Roderick. Wilderness and the American Mind, 3rd ed. (New Haven: Yale University, 1982), 115


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