Representative Thompson Ware McNeely

Thompson Ware McNeely (October 5, 1835 – July 23, 1921) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Illinois who served two terms in the United States Congress from 1869 to 1873. Born in Jacksonville, Illinois, he spent his early years in that community and was educated in the local public schools. Seeking further instruction, he attended Jubilee College in Peoria, Illinois, one of the early institutions of higher learning in the state, which provided him with a foundation in classical and liberal studies that would support his later legal and political career.

McNeely continued his education at Lombard College in Galesburg, Illinois, from which he graduated in 1856. He then pursued legal studies at the law department of the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, completing his course of study there in 1857. That same year he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Petersburg, Illinois, the Menard County seat. His early legal practice in Petersburg established him as a professional figure in the community and brought him into contact with the political and civic affairs of central Illinois during a period of rapid growth and intensifying national tensions over slavery and union.

McNeely’s first significant public role came during the Civil War era, when he served as a member of the Illinois constitutional convention in 1862. This convention, convened to consider revisions to the state’s fundamental law, placed him among the state’s leading lawyers and politicians and gave him experience in legislative drafting and constitutional questions. His participation in the convention helped to raise his profile within the Democratic Party in Illinois and prepared the way for his subsequent congressional career.

In 1868, McNeely was elected as a Democrat to represent Illinois’s 9th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served in the Forty-first and Forty-second Congresses from March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1873, a significant period in American history marked by Reconstruction and the nation’s political and economic reorganization following the Civil War. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents in central Illinois, contributing to debates and votes on issues arising from Reconstruction, postwar economic policy, and the evolving relationship between the federal government and the states. He did not seek renomination in 1872, thereby concluding his congressional service after two terms.

After leaving Congress, McNeely resumed the practice of law in Petersburg, Illinois, returning to the profession that had first brought him public recognition. He remained active in Democratic Party affairs at the state and national levels. Reflecting his continued influence and standing within the party, he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1872, 1892, and 1896, participating in the nomination of presidential candidates and the formulation of party platforms over a span of decades that saw major shifts in national politics, including debates over currency, tariffs, and economic reform.

In addition to his legal practice and party service, McNeely held a judicially related office later in life. He was appointed master in chancery for Menard County in 1910, a position involving the handling of equity matters and the taking of testimony and evidence in complex civil cases. He served in that capacity from 1910 until his death, underscoring his long-standing reputation for legal competence and integrity within his community.

Thompson Ware McNeely died in Petersburg, Illinois, on July 23, 1921, having spent the greater part of his professional life in that city. He was interred in Rosehill Cemetery in Petersburg. His career spanned the antebellum period, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the early twentieth century, and included service as a lawyer, constitutional convention delegate, member of Congress, national party delegate, and master in chancery, reflecting a lifetime of engagement in the legal and political life of Illinois and the nation.