George de Rue Meiklejohn
United States Assistant Secretary of War
In office
1897–1901
PresidentWilliam McKinley
Preceded byJoseph Doe
Succeeded byWilliam Cary Sanger
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Nebraska's 3rd district
In office
March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897
Preceded byOmer Madison Kem
Succeeded bySamuel Maxwell
5th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska
In office
1889–1891
GovernorJohn Milton Thayer
Preceded byHibbard H. Shedd
Succeeded byThomas Jefferson Majors
Personal details
Born(1857-08-26)August 26, 1857
Weyauwega, Wisconsin
DiedApril 19, 1929(1929-04-19) (aged 71)
Los Angeles, California
Political partyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
University of Michigan Law School
Occupationlawyer
Signature

George de Rue Meiklejohn (/ˈmiːkəlˌdʒɒn/; August 26, 1857 – April 19, 1929) was an American politician who served as the fifth lieutenant governor of Nebraska under Governor John Milton Thayer and as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Nebraska. He was the United States Assistant Secretary of War from 1897 to 1901.[1][2]

Early life and education

de Rue Meiklejohn was born in Weyauwega, Wisconsin, on August 26, 1857. He went to the state normal school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (now University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh).

Career

He became a principal of high schools in Weyauwega and Liscomb, Iowa. After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1880, he was admitted to the bar and established a practice in Fullerton, Nebraska. He was the prosecuting attorney for Nance County, Nebraska, from 1881 to 1884.[1][2]

In 1884 Meiklejohn was elected a member of the Nebraska Legislature, serving from 1884 to 1888. In 1886, he became president of the Senate, in 1887 the chairman of the Republican State convention, and in 1887 and 1888 chairman of the Republican State central committee. In 1889 he became the Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska and served until 1891. He was elected as a Republican to the 53rd and 54th Congresses (March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897), but did not run for re-election in 1896. On April 14, 1897, U.S. President William McKinley appointed him the Assistant Secretary of War and he served through the Spanish–American War until March 1901.[1]

Meiklejohn ran unsuccessfully for election to the United States Senate from Nebraska in 1901 to fill the seat of Monroe Hayward. After that, he resumed his law practice in Omaha, Nebraska, moving to Los Angeles, California, in 1918, where he practiced law and mining.

Personal life

He died in poverty at the Los Angeles County General Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on April 19, 1929.[1] He was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "G. De R. Meiklejohn Dies at Age 72. Assistant Secretary of War in Administration of President McKinley. Made Poor By Liberality. Couldn't Say 'No' to Those in Distress. Often Tried Court Cases Without a Fee". The New York Times. April 20, 1929. Retrieved April 19, 2015. George De Rue Meiklejohn, Assistant Secretary of War under President McKinley and a former Lieutenant Governor and Representative in Congress from Nebraska, who had been decorated by kings, died in a ward of the Los Angeles General Hospital last night. His age was 72.
  2. 1 2 3 "George de Rue Meiklejohn". Political Graveyard. also known as George D. Meiklejohn — of Fullerton, Nance County, Neb. Born in Wisconsin, 1857. Republican. Lawyer; member of Nebraska state senate, 1885–88; Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, 1889–91; U.S. Representative from Nebraska 3rd District, 1893–97. Died in 1929 (age about 72 years). Interment at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Calif.

Further reading

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