Faulk County, SD Biographies.....O'Neil, Patrick H. 1866 - living in 1909
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Author: C. H. Ellis
    PATRICK H. O'NEIL who is extensively engaged in stock raising and has come

to be recognized as the "Cattle King" of South Dakota, is a native of the Badger

state, having been born in New Richmond, St. Croix county, Wisconsin, on the

16th of February, 1866, being a son of Thomas O'Neil who was born and raised in

Ireland and when a young man came to America and located in Wisconsin , where he

maintained a home for forty years.



    The subject of this sketch was raised and educated in Wisconsin until he

attained his legal majority. In 1887 he came to Dakota Territory and located at

Faulkton where he engaged in the meat market business, which soon developed into

the live stock industry upon a large scale. In 1906 Mr. O'Neil had twenty-two

thousand acres under fence, twelve thousand of which he owned, upon which roamed

his thousands of head of neat cattle and sheep. That summer he sold ninty-seven

thousand eight hundred dollars worth of stock at one sale, to one man. His

average run of sheep was about fifteen thousand head.



    In 1906 Mr. O'Neil in the consciousness that the best interest of Faulk

county demanded an increase of population and the cultivation of its unbroken

prairie, yielded to the increasing demand for more farm land and sold ten

thousand acres of his pasture land to be cut up into farms. This has not

materially changed, but has to some extent modified, his plan of handling live

stock. In fact the unfaltering courage, the undying faith that has urged him on

while others stood still, is a part of the man. His sound judgment, prompt

action and careful looking after the details of every business transaction and

every branch of his business has led to success where others failed, a power

that enables him to carry out his plans and do the work of half a dozen Common

men. It is impossible to measure his business energy and force by any common

rule. In a single season to handle ten thousand head of cattle and cut eight

thousand to nine thousand tons of hay, with prosperity following every line of

industry, is no uncommon feat for the subject of our sketch.



    Since disposing of his large holdings in real estate, Mr. O'Neil has found

himself in a situation to take up other business industries.



    He has served on the local school board for several years and taken a deep

interest in our educational institution. He is a director in the Merchants' Bank

of Faulkton, vice president of the Bank of Cresbard and a stockholder in the

Western National Bank at Mitchell and the Redfield National. He is active in all

live stock interests. He has just returned from the Pacific coast where he was a

delegate to the American National Live Stock Association by whom he was elected

a member of the executive board of the association and made a member of the

committee on transportation. He was appointed on a committee of five by Governor

Crawford to represent the state at the National Corn Exposition at Omaha,

Nebraska. He was the first president of the Faulkton Commercial Club, and is

still holding that important local office.



    Mr. O'Neil is a republican in politics and an active worker in the party. He

was a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Chicago last June that

placed Judge Taft in nomination for the presidency; and vice president of the

convention for South Dakota.



    Socially he started right, on June 13th, 1888, when he was united in

marriage to Miss Annie Carline and to them have been born six children, viz:

Aloysius B., Johanna, Mary E., Ignatius Patrick, John Thomas and Henry A.



Additional Comments:
From:



HISTORY OF

FAULK COUNTY

SOUTH DAKOTA

CAPTAIN C. H. ELLIS



TOGETHER WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PIONEERS AND PROMINENT CITIZENS



ILLUSTRATED

19O9

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