Edward O'Neill (Wisconsin politician)
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Edward O'Neill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Milwaukee | |
| In office 1863, 1867–1870 | |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Senate | |
| In office 1856–1857 | |
| Constituency | Sixth District |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
| In office 1854–1855 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 14, 1820 Killarney, Ireland |
| Died | March 28, 1890 (aged 70) Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Clarissa A. McLaughlin
(m. 1847; died 1890) |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | Businessman, politician |
| Signature |  |
Edward O'Neill (March 14, 1820 – March 28, 1890) was an American merchant, banker and politician, who served in the Wisconsin State Senate and the State Assembly; and four one-year terms as Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as nine years on the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, four of them as its president.[1][2] He was a Democrat.
O'Neill was born March 14, 1820, in Killarney, Ireland, and was educated in the parochial schools. He came to the United States at the age of 17 and settled in Manchester, Vermont, where he remained for some time. In 1847 he married Clarissa A. McLaughlin of Arlington, Vermont. The O'Neills moved in October 1850 to Milwaukee. In 1852 O'Neill helped to organize the Milwaukee Union Guard, of which he was elected captain and remained in that office until elected lieutenant-colonel of the First Regiment of the Wisconsin State Militia.
In the legislature
He served two one-year terms (1854–1855) in the Assembly and was elected to the State Senate's Sixth District in 1855 for the 1856–1857 sessions. He was particularly proud of his role in establishing the House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents (later renamed the State Reform School, then the Industrial School for Boys), a state reform school in Waukesha. He would serve as president of its board of managers for ten years, and was repeatedly reappointed by Republican governors on account of his interest in the school.