John A. McMahon (February 19, 1833 – March 8, 1923) was a three-term United States Representative from Ohio from 1875 to 1881. He was the nephew of Clement Vallandigham, another Representative from Ohio.

John A. McMahon
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio
In office
March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1881
Preceded byLewis B. Gunckel
Succeeded byHenry Lee Morey
Constituency4th district (1875–1879)
3rd district (1879–1881)
7th Ohio State Bar Association President
In office
December 29, 1886 – December 28, 1887
Preceded byWilliam J. Gilmore
Succeeded byE. P. Green
Personal details
Born(1833-02-19)February 19, 1833
Frederick County, Maryland
DiedMarch 8, 1923(1923-03-08) (aged 90)
Dayton, Ohio
Resting placeWoodland Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMollie R. Sprigg
Childrentwo
Alma materXavier

Biography

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McMahon was born in Frederick County, Maryland, and graduated from St. Xavier College in 1849. He taught at Xavier for a year, and settled in Dayton, Ohio, in 1852.[1] He studied law with his uncle, Vallandigham, and was admitted to the bar in 1854, forming a partnership with his uncle.[2] In 1861 he formed a partnership with George W. Houk, which lasted 19 years.[2]

Congress

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He was elected to the Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth, and Forty-sixth United States Congresses, from 1875 until 1881.

McMahon was appointed by the House of Representatives as a manager to conduct impeachment proceedings against Secretary of War William W. Belknap.

He was unsuccessful for re-election in 1880.

Later career

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He returned to private law practice in Dayton. He served as the president of the Ohio State Bar Association in 1886,[3] and was a losing candidate for the Senate in 1889.

Death and burial

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He died in Dayton and was buried in Woodland Cemetery.

Family

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McMahon was married January 23, 1861, to Mollie R. Sprigg, of Cumberland, Maryland.[1] They had a son, J. Sprigg McMahon, and daughter, Louise McMahon.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Reed, George Irving; Randall, Emilius Oviatt; Greve, Charles Theodore, eds. (1897). Bench and Bar of Ohio: a Compendium of History and Biography. Vol. 2. Chicago: Century Publishing and Engraving Company. pp. 312–314.
  2. ^ a b Powell, Thomas Edward, ed. (1913). The Democratic party of the state of Ohio: a comprehensive history. Vol. 2. The Ohio Publishing Company. pp. 19–21.
  3. ^ Reports ... Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Association ...., Volume 9. Ohio Bar association. 1888. p. 99.
  4. ^ Randall, Emilius; Ryan, Daniel Joseph (1915). History of Ohio: the Rise and Progress of an American State. Vol. 6. New York: The Century History Company. p. 286.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 4th congressional district

1875–1879
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 3rd congressional district

1879–1881
Succeeded by