McGrath, John, 1835-1924.

John McGrath, a newspaperman, worked on the South Carolina newspaper the CHARLESTON COURIER, and the Louisiana newspapers THE PICAYUNE, and the BATON ROUGE GAZETTE. He founded the Baton Rouge newspapers DAILY TRUTH and WEEKLY TRUTH. McGrath worked as an agent for the Baton Rouge, Grosse Tete and Opelousas Railroad and was a soldier in William Walker's expedition to Nicaragua (1855). He enlisted in the Delta Rifles in 1861 and was transferred to the 13th Louisiana Infantry. He served as a major in that unit under the command of Colonel Randall Lee Gibson. During the Spanish-American War, he was commissary general of Louisiana. A local historian, McGrath was president of the Historical Society of East and West Baton Rouge.

From the description of John McGrath papers and scrapbook, 1861-1949. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122297205

John McGrath, printer, editor, adventurer, and soldier was born in Bangor, Maine. He moved to Baton Rouge, La., at age ten where he began his apprenticeship as a newspaperman. He joined William Walker's filibustering expedition in Mexico and Nicaragua in 1853-57 and later served as a Confederate officer in the Civil War. He worked in Louisiana state government while pursuing his newspaper publishing business.

From the description of John McGrath family papers, 1752-1924. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 259195871