Biography

01/06/1838 - 04/19/1912

William McAleer (D2) Philadelphia (Part) County 1886-1890 

Early Life:  

William McAleer, born January 6, 1838, County Tyrone, Ireland; immigrated, United States, parents, settled Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1851; attended public and private schools; partner, father, brothers, John McAleer and Sons, flour merchants, 1861; member, Philadelphia Common Council 1871-1873; president, Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick; member, board of guardians of the poor 1873-1898, vice president, president; member, Commercial Exchange, director, vice president, and president of the same; director of the Chamber of Commerce, 1880; elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State Senate 1886-1890; elected, Democrat, United States House of Representatives, Fifty-second Congress, reelected, Independent Democrat, United States House of Representatives, Fifty-third Congress, 1891-1895, unsuccessful candidate, renomination, 1894; elected, Democrat, United States House of Representatives, Fifty-fifth, Fifty-sixth Congresses 1897-1901, unsuccessful candidate, reelection, 1900, Fifty-seventh Congress; resumed business activities, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; married, Margaret Josephine Mooney, sons, William McAleer Jr., Joseph Leo McAleer; died, April 19, 1912 (age 74 years, 104 days), Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, interment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Early Career:

Immigrated, United States, parents, settled Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1851.  

Partner, father brothers, John McAleer and Sons, flour merchants, 1861.

President, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.

Elected, Philadelphia Common Council, (lower house of the city council at the time) 1870; not renominated, second term, appointed, Board of Guardians of the Poor; 1873-1898, vice president, president; member, Commercial Exchange, director, vice president, president; director, Chamber of Commerce, 1880, president, Frist District Charity Organization, 1886.

Professional titles; business ownership; board memberships; local government; club memberships:

Member, Southwark Literary Society; director, Mechanic Institute; vice president, president, Saint Phillips’ Literary Institute.  

Pennsylvania Politics:

Elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State Senate, 2nd district, Philadelphia (Part) County, 1886-1890, committee assignments, Appropriations, Finance, Legislative Apportionment, Railroads.    

Continued Government Service/National Politics:

Elected, Democrat, United States House of Representatives, Fifty-second Congress, reelected, Independent Democrat, Fifty-third Congress, 1891-1895; unsuccessful candidate, renomination, 1894; elected, Democrat, Fifty-fifth, Fifty-sixth Congresses, 1897-1901; unsuccessful candidate, reelection, Fifty-seventh Congress, 1900.  

Cited: 

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

Smull’s Legislative Handbook, (1890). Cochran, T.B., (Editor) Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pages 696, 702-704, Biographical Sketches of Senators, page 667.

William McAleer (1838-1912) - Find a Grave Memorial