James A. McDougall

James Alexander McDougall (November 19, 1817 – September 3, 1867) was an American politician.

Born in Bethlehem, New York, he was educated in the common schools, studied law, and settled in Pike County, Illinois in 1837. He practiced law in Cook County, Illinois.

In 1842 and 1844 he was elected Illinois Attorney General. In 1845 he was involved in the negotiations by which the Mormons agreed to leave Illinois. Following his term in the state capitol, McDougall established a law partnership in Chicago. With news of the California Gold Rush, he headed west, organizing an exploring expedition to Rio del Norte, Gila and Colorado Rivers, then settling in San Francisco to practice law and get back into politics.

McDougall was elected California Attorney General and started his term on October 7, 1850. He was an effective public speaker and defense attorney. He resigned on December 30, 1851. In 1852 he ran successfully for Congress as a Democrat, pledging to get federal support for a railroad to the Pacific. He did introduce a Pacific Railroad bill, but it was opposed by Thomas Hart Benton. McDougall served a single term in the House before returning to law practice in San Francisco.

The Democrats in California split into factions, and election of a California Senator in 1860 became entangled in the national crisis over secession. When it appeared that a secessionist Democrat might be elected, Republicans abandoned their own candidate and threw their support to McDougall.

While serving in the U.S. Senate during the Civil War, McDougall again worked on behalf of a Pacific railroad project, but alcohol abuse made him ineffective. By 1862, McDougall was making a spectacle of himself and neglecting his Senate duties. He fought against some of Lincoln's war measures, but he was mostly dysfunctional. Not once did he travel back to California during his entire six-year term.

Upon leaving office, McDougall retired to his boyhood home in Albany, New York, where he died on September 3, 1867, presumably of alcoholism. His body was sent to California, per his wishes, and buried in Lone Mountain Cemetery in San Francisco, later renamed Calvary; his remains were reinterred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California in 1942.

References

*Russell Buchanan, "James A. McDougall: A Forgotten Senator," California Historical Society "Quarterly", vol XV, no. 3 (September 1926), pp. 199-212.
* [http://ag.ca.gov/ag/history/2mcdougall.php James A. McDougall, 2nd Attorney General]