San Diego-San Francisco-Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....McNealy, W. T. 1848 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 21, 2006, 3:37 am Author: Theodore S. Van Dyke JUDGE McNEALY. ONE of San Diego's leading citizens, prominent alike as a lawyer and a jurist, is Judge W. T. McNealy. He is a native of Georgia, having been born in Thomas County, in that State, the 22d of January, 1848. When he was about two years old his parents removed to Jackson County, Florida, and located near Mariana. His youth was spent on his father's farm, and he attended the neighboring schools until he was fourteen. He had at that early age progressed so rapidly in his studies that, being without a teacher in the district school, young McNealy was called upon to take charge, and for six months he taught the pupils acceptably. He felt desirous, however, of continuing his studies and he went to the State military school at Marietta, Georgia, known as the Military Cadet School. He remained there one year, and then the students were attached as State troops to Joe Johnston's army during the last year of the war. Young McNealy then returned to Florida and taught school for a year. At the age of eighteen he began to read law in the office of Hon. A. H. Bush, the Circuit Judge. While a law student he acted as Deputy Clerk of Jackson County. On the 7th of January, 1869, after having studied law for three years, he started, by the way of Panama, for California, and arrived in San Francisco the 22d of February. He first came to Los Angeles, and after remaining there a few days started for San Diego by stage, reaching there the last day of March, in 1869. Soon after his arrival he was admitted to the bar, and that fall was nominated and elected District Attorney of the county on the Democratic ticket. Two years later he was re-elected without opposition. In 1873 he was elected Judge for the Eighteenth Judicial District, then comprising San Diego and San Bernardino Counties, for a term of six years. In 1879 he was elected Superior Judge of San Diego County for a term of five years; in the same year he declined the nomination for Justice of the Supreme Court on the Workingmen's ticket. In 1884, when the nominating convention was about to meet, Judge McNealy's friends and the members of the bar insisted on his being a candidate for re-election. His health was such, however, that he hesitated a long time, but finally gave a reluctant consent, and was again elected Superior Judge. In September, 1886, his health became so bad that it was physically impossible for him to perform the duties of his office, and he sent his resignation to the Governor, to take effect on the first of the following October. He then retired from active business and endeavored to avoid all professional cares of every nature, in order to thoroughly recover his health. To a man of Judge McNealy's active disposition, however, this was well-nigh impossible, and he had to keep his mind employed. The result was that before many months he found himself engaged in the active practice of his profession. The requirements of a general practice were such that it was not possible for him to limit his labors to his strength. Finally, however, a few months since, he decided to give up all his general law practice, and now he only acts as counsel in a few special cases and may be said to have practically retired from the profession. Judge McNealy's career in San Diego County has been, in many respects, a remarkable one. Coming here as he did, an entire stranger, just arrived at man's estate, his ability as a lawyer, united with his personal popularity, at once made him a place in the community. His administration of the office of District Attorney during his first term, was such as to win for him the encomium of the best people in both parties. During his second term he merely emphasized in the minds of the public the opinion that had been previously formed of him. Of his career upon the bench during a continuous period of thirteen years it is impossible to speak in too high terms. He performed an immense amount of labor and rendered many important decisions, some of which involved large property interests. All of his rulings appear to have been made with but one object in view,—the strict administration of justice,—and when, at length, he retired from the bench the people felt that they had lost a champion, and the bar that they had been deprived of the services of an upright and impartial judge. Judge McNealy was married in 1872, in San Diego, to Miss Linn E. Wadham. They have five children living, four boys and one girl. Additional Comments: From: THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. ILLUSTRATED, AND CONTAINING BI0GRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT MEN AND PIONEERS. SAN DIEGO, CAL. LEBERTHON & TAYLOR 1888 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sandiego/bios/mcnealy837nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 5.2 Kb