MacVeagh family.

Dates:
Active 1831
Active 1950

Biographical notes:

In 1856, Wayne MacVeagh (1833-1917), a recent Yale graduate and native of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, became an outspoken advocate of Republican presidential candidate John C. Fremont. He quickly made a name for himself as a compelling political speaker. MacVeagh thus embarked upon a life of public service and political involvement that would span three continents and fourteen presidencies and would begin a family legacy of statecraft. Serving as Chester County district attorney (1859-1864) ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, U.S. attorney general under Garfield (1880-1881), and ambassador to Italy (1894-1897), MacVeagh consistently approached politics with a reformer's eye, speaking out in favor of abolition, civil service reform, and an international system of arbitration. MacVeagh's second marriage to Virginia Cameron, the daughter of the controversial Senator Simon Cameron, did not tarnish his reputation. Following Wayne's success, his brother, Franklin MacVeagh, eventually rose to be secretary of the treasury under President Taft. Wayne MacVeagh's diplomatic legacy continued on for two generations, with the appointment of his son Charles to the Japanese Ministry and his grandson Lincoln as ambassador to Greece.

From the description of MacVeagh family papers, 1831-1950, bulk 1851-1917. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 77625196

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Subjects:

  • Alcoholics
  • Ambassadors
  • Ambassadors' spouses
  • Civil service reform
  • Family life
  • Great Fire, Chicago, Ill., 1871
  • Pennsylvania Railroad
  • Politicians
  • Presidential candidates
  • Spanish

Occupations:

  • Lawyers

Places:

  • Pennsylvania (as recorded)
  • Europe (as recorded)
  • Venezuela (as recorded)
  • Turkey (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)

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