George Davis McDill

George D. McDill
George D. McDill
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
	In office; January 1, 1883 – January 5, 1885
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	Frank Nye
Constituency	Polk district
	In office; January 3, 1881 – January 1, 1883
Preceded by	Lars L. Gunderson
Succeeded by	District abolished
Constituency	Ashland–Barron–Bayfield–Burnett–Douglas–Polk district
District Attorney of Polk County, Wisconsin
	In office; January 5, 1874 – January 7, 1878
Preceded by	Samuel Thompson
Succeeded by	Varnum M. Babcock
Personal details
Born	July 28, 1838; Wayne Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 15, 1899 (aged 60); Osceola, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Hope Cemetery, Osceola, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Emma Ankeny (m. 1871; died 1892)
Children	James McDill; (b. 1872; died 1874); Susan McDill; (b. 1874; died 1896); Hugh McDill; (b. 1876; died 1910); Alexander Stuart McDill; (b. 1879); Ruth Emma McDill; (b. 1881; died 1964); Gladys McDill; (b. 1883); Mary Eliza (Thompson); (b. 1885); Ella (Dickinson); (b. 1888);
Parents	Hugh McDill (father); Jane (Davis) McDill (mother);
Relatives	Alexander S. McDill (uncle); Thomas McDill (uncle);
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Volunteers; Union Army
Years of service	1861–1864
Rank	1st Lieutenant, USV
Unit	6th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry; 37th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry;
Battles/wars	American Civil War Northern Virginia campaign First Battle of Rappahannock Station; Second Battle of Bull Run; ; Maryland campaign Battle of South Mountain; Battle of Antietam; ; Fredericksburg campaign Battle of Fredericksburg; Mud March; ; Chancellorsville campaign Battle of Chancellorsville; ; Gettysburg campaign Battle of Gettysburg; ; Bristoe campaign; Battle of Mine Run; Siege of Petersburg Battle of the Crater; Battle of Boydton Plank Road; ;

George Davis McDill (July 28, 1838 – June 15, 1899) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served four years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Polk County and surrounding areas. He also served four years as district attorney of Polk County and was chairman of the county board of supervisors. He served in the Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac through most of the American Civil War.

Early life

McDill was born on July 28, 1838, in Wayne Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. When he was a toddler, he moved with his parents to Beloit, Wisconsin Territory, and then to De Soto, in Vernon County, Wisconsin.

Civil War service

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he joined up with a company of volunteers for service in the Union Army. His company was enrolled as Company I in the 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment in the summer of 1861. The 6th Wisconsin Infantry was organized into a brigade which became famous as the Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac, serving in the eastern theater of the war. McDill served with the regiment through the first three years of the war, fighting in some of the most important battles of the war, including Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.[1]

In March 1864, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to Company K of the newly-raised 37th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to first lieutenant two months later. Serving with the 37th Infantry, he participated in the Siege of Petersburg and was wounded at the Battle of the Crater—named for the detonation of a sapper mine intended to undermine the Confederate defense line. He was designated for promotion to captain in September 1864 but was mustered out due to his wounds before the promotion was confirmed.[2]

Legal and political career

After the war, McDill studied law and was admitted to the bar at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in 1870.[3] In 1872 he established a legal practice in Polk County, Wisconsin, where he lived for most of the rest of his life. In 1873, he was elected district attorney of Polk County. He was re-elected in 1875. He also served five years as chairman of the Polk County Board of Supervisors.[4]

McDill was a member of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, and was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1880 from the district comprising Polk, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, and Douglas counties. He was re-elected from that district in 1881.[4] After redistricting and a constitutional amendment which changed legislative terms in 1882, he was elected to a two-year term from a new Assembly district comprising just Polk County.[5] He was not a candidate for re-election in 1884.

His legal practice flourished in Polk County for the rest of his life. He died on June 15, 1899, at his home in Osceola, Wisconsin.[6]

Personal life and family

George Davis McDill was a grandson of James McDill, an Irish American immigrant who served in the Pennsylvania Militia during the War of 1812. George Davis' uncles, Alexander S. McDill and Thomas McDill were also prominent politicians in Wisconsin.[7] Alexander McDill served a term in the United States House of Representatives; Thomas McDill served in the Wisconsin Assembly and served as a quartermaster in the Union Army.[1]

George Davis McDill married Emma Ankeny on November 25, 1871. They had eight children together, though their first son, James, died in infancy.[7]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1880, 1881, 1882)

Wisconsin Assembly, Ashland–Barron–Bayfield–Burnett–Douglas–Polk District Election, 1880[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 2, 1880
	Republican	George D. McDill	2,848	64.74%
	Democratic	Charles B. Marshall	1,551	35.26%
Plurality			1,297	29.48%
Total votes			4,399	100.0%	+45.90%
	Republican hold

Wisconsin Assembly, Ashland–Barron–Bayfield–Burnett–Douglas–Polk District Election, 1881[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 8, 1881
	Republican	George D. McDill (incumbent)	2,498	71.99%	+7.25%
	Democratic	Frank M. Angel	972	28.01%
Plurality			1,526	43.98%	+14.49%
Total votes			3,470	100.0%	-21.12%
	Republican hold

Wisconsin Assembly, Polk District Election, 1882[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
General Election, November 7, 1882
	Republican	George D. McDill	656	64.13%
	Democratic	Daniel Mears	292	28.54%
	Prohibition	C. H. Staples	75	7.33%
Plurality			364	35.58%
Total votes			1,023	100.0%
	Republican win (new seat)

References

"Sixth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. 1. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 531. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
"Thirty-Seventh Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. 2. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 628. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
Reed, Parker McCobb (1882). The Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Milwaukee: P. M. Reed. pp. 393–394. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 540. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
Heg, J. E., ed. (1883). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 501. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
"Hon. Geo. D. McDill". Vernon County Censor. July 5, 1899. p. 3. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
Woods, Robert McDill (1940). McDills in America : a history of the descendants of John McDill and Janet Leslie of County Antrin, Ireland. Edwards Brothers Inc. p. 124. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
Heg, J. E., ed. (1881). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 504. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

External links

George Davis McDill at Find a Grave

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[roster1-1] "Sixth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. 1. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 531. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

[roster2-2] "Thirty-Seventh Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. 2. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 628. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

[bench-3] Reed, Parker McCobb (1882). The Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Milwaukee: P. M. Reed. pp. 393–394. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

[1882bio-4] Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 540. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

[1883bio-5] Heg, J. E., ed. (1883). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 501. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

[6] "Hon. Geo. D. McDill". Vernon County Censor. July 5, 1899. p. 3. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[mcdill-7] Woods, Robert McDill (1940). McDills in America : a history of the descendants of John McDill and Janet Leslie of County Antrin, Ireland. Edwards Brothers Inc. p. 124. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

[1881bio-8] Heg, J. E., ed. (1881). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 504. Retrieved December 12, 2021.