Biographical Sketch of U. A. McBride, Johnson County, Missouri, Warrensburg Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** U. A. McBride, the present postmaster of Warrensburg, is one of the widely known newspaper men of Missouri who for a number of years has been prominently identified with public affairs. He was born in 1869 in Henry county, Missouri, a son of William H. and Mattie J. (Randall) McBride, natives of Kentucky. William McBride was a son of James Mc- Bride, one of the honored pioneers of Henry county, who owned valuable property interests in Montrose and Butler at the time of his death, which occurred in Kansas, when he was 89 years of age. William H. Mc- Bride came from Kentucky to Missouri in 1865 and located in Cooper county near Boonville, later moving to a farm northwest of Montrose in Henry county. He was widely known in this county and in Cass county. For many years he was engaged in the contracting business at Clinton and Butler and built the first brick business house erected in Sedalia, the John Houx Hardware Store in Sedalia, and the "Bazoo" Building on High street in Sedalia. The latter structure was erected just after the Civil War. Mattie J. (Randall) McBride was a daughter of Dr. Ran- dall, a pioneer physician of Louisville, Kentucky. To William H. and Mattie (Randall) McBride were born six children: James Owen, who was a druggist at Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where he died at the age of 39 years, burial being made at Warrensburg, Missouri; Susie, the wife of William J. Hutchinson, editor of the "Mt. Washington News," Mt. Wash- ington, Missouri; Mary E., the wife of Richard Stream, of Kansas City, Missouri; U. A., the subject of this review; Thomas F., who was a pharmacist at Marshall, Missouri, where his death occurred and inter- ment was made; and George Vest, the assistant fire chief and captain of Station Number 7 at Kansas City, Missouri. The father's death occurred at Pleasant Hill in 1907 and his last resting place is in the cemetery at Pleasant Hill. The widowed mother resides with her daughter, Mrs. William J. Hutchinson, at Mt. Washington, Missouri. In the public schools of Clinton and Butler, Missouri, U. A. McBride received his education. Early in life, he became interested in the newspaper busi- ness and he made his entry in the world of newspaper men at Adrian, Missouri, when he assumed charge of the "Journal" there. He later pur- chased this paper, made it a paying proposition, and sold it, to estab- lish the "Pleasant Hill Gazette," which is now the "Pleasant Hill Times." In December, 1893, Mr. McBride disposed of his ownership of this paper and came to Warrensburg, where he purchased the "Journal Democrat." While in control of the "Journal Democrat," he issued the call for the state organization of democratic editors to meet at Pertle Springs. The meeting was attended by all the leading newspaper men of Missouri, among whom were Charles H. Jones, of the "St. Louis Post Dis- patch" and Charles W. Knapp, of the "St. Louis Republic," and L. A. Lesver, editor of the "Kansas City Times." This organization is still maintained and has been and is of great benefit to the newspaper men of the state. At this particular meeting, the following officers were elected: H. Martin Williams, of Hermann, Missouri, president; Charlie Walters, of Rich Hill Missouri, vice-president; U. A. McBride, of Warrensburg, Missouri, recording secretary; and John Black McDonald, of Warrensburg, Missouri, corresponding secretary. U. A. McBride control- led the "Journal Democrat" until 1895, when he sold the paper and erected a printing plant, known as the McBride Printing Plant, which he put in successful operation. He started the "Daily Tribune" during the excited campaign for free silver in 1896. This paper was later moved to Clinton, Missouri and established there as the "Clinton Tribune." The paper was a marked success and was sold by U. A. McBride to his partners, when he returned to Warrensburg to enter the job printing and book publishing business and later to associate with C. D. Middle- ton in publishing the "Johnson County Star." He afterward sold his interest in this paper to the Middletons. When Mr. Crossley purchased the "Johnson County Star," he offered the management of the paper to Mr. McBride, which position he accepted. In 1912, U. A. McBride was elected secretary of the Democratic State Central Committee and as his political work took his entire time, he retired from newspaper work. Mr. McBride was secretary of the Johnson County Democratic Central Committee prior to his election to the same position with the state committee. He was filling the state position at the time of his appointment as postmaster of Warrensburg in 1914, which position he now occupies at the time of this writing, in 1917. U. A. McBride was offered the appointment to the office of deputy insurance commissioner, under Governor Major's administration, which honor he declined to accept, but instead accepted the position of chief statistician of the State Board of Health, which he resigned at the time of his appointment as postmaster of Warrensburg. During Governor Major's administration, Mr. McBride was the official reporter of the House of Representatives and State Senate. The Warrensburg postoffice has shown a gradual in- crease in business for many years. In 1916, the sales of stamps alone amounted to twenty thousand dollars. The postoffice building was erected in 1912, at a cost of sixty-five thousand dollars. The office employs nine rural carriers, four city carriers, five clerks, including the assistant postmaster, one parcel post man, and two substitute carriers. February 19, 1890, U. A. McBride was united in marriage with Isa Sarah Dewar, daughter of Thomas and Mattie Dewar. Thomas Dewar was a well known miller at Pleasant Hill, Missouri. His death occurred when his daughter, Isa Sarah was a little child, two years of age. The mother died in Warrensburg in 1913 and the remains of both parents were interred in the cemetery at Pleasant Hill. To U. A. and Isa Sarah (Dewar) McBride was born one child, a daughter, Mildred M., who died at the age of fourteen years. Mr. and Mrs. McBride reside in one of Warrensburg's most attractive homes, a beautiful bungalow, built in 1914 at 424 South Holden street. One of the biggest things ever done for Warrensburg was done by U. A. McBride, when he secured the meeting of the big Silver Convention at Pertle Spring in 1896. This meeting was of national interest and the management of the convention crowd, which was accomplished in an excellent and masterly manner, was no small task for a city the size of Warrensburg. Special arrangements were made to take the mammoth crowd to the pavilion one and a half miles south of the city and cots were shipped into Warrensburg by the carload from Kansas City. The convention attracted newspaper men from every part of the United States and even today frequent mention is made by the press of the "Pertle Springs Convention." Bland, the idol of the silver men, was defeated for presidential nomination at the Chicago convention on the fifth ballot, when William Jennings Bryan received the necessary two-thirds majority. U. A. McBride was a member of the convention held in Chicago. Mr. McBride is president of the Warrens- burg Commercial Club, holding the position since March, 1917, at which time he was visited by a committee of representative business men who prevailed upon him to accept the presidency of the club. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny Harrell ====================================================================