Representative George de Rue Meiklejohn

George de Rue Meiklejohn (August 26, 1857 – April 19, 1929) was an American politician and attorney who served as the fifth lieutenant governor of Nebraska, a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska, and United States Assistant Secretary of War. A member of the Republican Party, he served two terms in Congress from 1893 to 1897 and later held a key administrative post in the War Department during the Spanish–American War.

Meiklejohn was born in Weyauwega, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, on August 26, 1857. He attended the state normal school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, an institution that later became the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. After completing his studies there, he embarked on a career in education, serving as principal of high schools in his hometown of Weyauwega and in Liscomb, Iowa. Seeking a profession in law, he enrolled at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from which he graduated in 1880.

Following his admission to the bar in 1880, Meiklejohn moved to Nebraska and established a law practice in Fullerton, Nance County. He quickly became active in local legal affairs and served as prosecuting attorney for Nance County from 1881 to 1884. His work as a county prosecutor and attorney helped build his reputation within the Republican Party and laid the groundwork for his entry into state politics.

In 1884 Meiklejohn was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, where he served from 1884 to 1888. During this period he rose rapidly in influence: in 1886 he became president of the Nebraska Senate, in 1887 he served as chairman of the Republican State convention, and in both 1887 and 1888 he was chairman of the Republican State central committee. In 1889 he was elected the fifth lieutenant governor of Nebraska and served under Governor John Milton Thayer until 1891, further solidifying his standing as a leading Republican figure in the state.

Meiklejohn was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth Congresses, representing Nebraska in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1897. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by economic and political realignments in the 1890s. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process, represented the interests of his Nebraska constituents, and contributed to the broader democratic governance of the nation. He did not run for re-election in 1896, concluding his two terms in the House.

On April 14, 1897, President William McKinley appointed Meiklejohn United States Assistant Secretary of War. He held this position from 1897 until March 1901, a tenure that encompassed the Spanish–American War and the early period of American overseas expansion. In this role he was involved in the administration of the War Department during a time of rapid mobilization, military operations in Cuba and the Philippines, and the subsequent reorganization of American military responsibilities in new territories.

In 1901 Meiklejohn sought further advancement in national office and ran unsuccessfully for election to the United States Senate from Nebraska to fill the seat of Monroe Hayward. After this defeat, he returned to private life and resumed the practice of law in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1918 he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he continued to practice law and engaged in mining activities, reflecting the economic opportunities of the region during that era.

George de Rue Meiklejohn died in poverty at Los Angeles County General Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on April 19, 1929. He was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. His career spanned local, state, and national office, including service as lieutenant governor of Nebraska, two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and a senior administrative post in the War Department at a pivotal moment in American military and political history.