Biography

04/04/1860 - 03/16/1949

Lieutenant Colonel William Calder McConnell (R27) Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties 1909-1912 (R27) Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties 1915-1921

Early Life:

Lieutenant Colonel William Calder McConnell, born April 4, 1860, Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania; son of George Washington and Sarah Marsh McConnell; public school education; Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Cornell University; studied law, 1880; moved to Shamokin; engaged brick, ice, lumber businesses; incorporator, Roaring Creek Anthracite and Bear Gap Water Companies; president, treasurer, Shamokin Water Company; president, Shamokin Banking Company; president, Northumberland Water Company; director, Edison Electric Illuminating Company; Arc Light Company; delegate, Minneapolis Republican National Convention, 1892; delegate to numerous state conventions; Presidential Elector, 1904; Lieutenant Colonel, staff of Governor Daniel H. Hastings, 1895-1899; chaired, commission to build a state hospital, for the care of those injured, Treverton, Shamokin, and Mount Carmel Coal Fields, 1910; member, Union League of Philadelphia; Northumberland County, chair, Pennsylvania Society of New York, 1919-1921; prohibition administrator, Philadelphia; married Ida V. Martz, 1881; died, March 16, 1949, Shamokin Cemetery, Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. 

Early Career:

Studied law under Simon Cameron’s son-in-law, United States Attorney General Wayne McVeigh, 1880. Lieutenant Colonel, staff of Governor Daniel H. Hastings, 1895-1899. 

Pennsylvania Politics:

Elected, Republican Pennsylvania State Senate, 27th district, Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties 1909-1912; committee assignments, City Passenger Railways, Corporations, Elections, Judicial Apportionment (Chairman), Judiciary Special, Legislative Apportionment. 

Chairman, Commission For The Selection Of A Site And Erection Of A State Hospital For Injured Persons Of The Trevorton, Shamokin And Mount Carmel Coal Fields, 1910. Authorized, Act of June 13, 1907, P.L.699. 

Elected, Republican Pennsylvania State Senate, 27th district, Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties 1915-1921; vacancy, caused by the death, Honorable John T. Fisher; committee assignments, Appropriations, Banks and Building and Loan Associations, Executive Nominations, Finance, Forestry, Game and Fisheries, Insurance, Judiciary Special (Chairman), Law and Order, Public Grounds and Buildings, Public Roads and Highways. Resignation, July 15, 1921.

Legacy:

Father, George Washington McConnell, an executive with Simon Cameron’s Northern Central Railroad; McConnell Mansion (named for George) the first home, in 1882, to use electric lights. None other than Thomas Edison, on a visit to Shamokin, was responsible for the improvement.

Cited:

Cox, Harold. "Senate Members M". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.

Cox, Harold. Senate1790-1869 (wilkes.edu). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.

The Pennsylvania Manual, (1910). Miller, H.P., (Compiler). Baker, W.H., (Assistant Compiler). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, page 49.

The Pennsylvania Manual, (1912). Miller, H.P., (Compiler). Baker, W.H., (Assistant Compiler). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pages 1010-1013. 

The Pennsylvania Manual, (1921-1922). Miller, H.P., (Compiler). Baker, W.H., (Assistant Compiler). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pages 1345, 1350, Biographical Sketches of Senators, page 1323.

William Calder McConnell (1861-1949) - Find a Grave Memorial