USA > South Carolina > Men of mark in South Carolina; ideals of American life: a collection of biographies of leading men of the state, Volume IV > Part 13
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JAMES HIGGINS M'INTOSH
where he engaged in the practice of medicine. After remaining here ten years he removed to Columbia, South Carolina, where he is still in active practice. In 1900 he became visiting surgeon on the staff of Columbia hospital, at Columbia; and in 1904 he became medical referee for South Carolina, for the Mutual Life Insurance company of New York, a position which he still retains. At this writing he is president of the Columbia Medical society and has been vice-president of the South Carolina State Medical association.
In the choice of a profession he was free to follow his own inclination. In estimating the relative strength of various influences which have helped him in his work he mentions that of home as first, his mother, especially, having exerted a strong influ- ence on his intellectual and moral life; and second he places con- tact and rivalry with men in active life. His principal relaxation is found in reading. He is a member of the following named fraternities and societies: Beta Theta Pi, Alpha Chi chapter, 1884; the Columbia Medical society, the South Carolina State Medical association, the American Medical association, and the society of the Alumni of Bellevue hospital. In politics he is a Democrat, but has never followed the majority of the party in its course favoring free silver coinage. His religious affiliations are with the Baptist church.
He was married November 2, 1892, to Frances Nance Baxter. Of their seven children five are now living.
The address of Dr. McIntosh is Number 1319 Blanding street, Columbia, South Carolina.
EVANDER RODERICK MCIVER
M CIVER, EVANDER RODERICK, of Charleston, South Carolina, farmer, president of the State Fair asso- ciation, for two years a representative of his county in the state legislature, a captain of the Charleston guards, aide on Governor Hampton's staff, and state treasurer of South Carolina, was born at Tuskegee, Macon county, Alabama, on the 23d of October, 1843. His father, William Cowan McIver, was a lawyer. His mother was Mrs. Louisa Penn (Grigg) McIver of Milledgeville, Georgia. The earliest known ancestor of the family in America was Roderick McIver, who came to America from Scotland, soon after the battle of Culloden.
His early life was passed in a village. He had attended the village schools near his home and was a student at the Citadel, at Charleston, South Carolina, when the War between the States broke out. Leaving the Citadel with the class of 1862, he enlisted as a private in the ranks of the Confederate army, and served from 1862 to 1865.
In 1872, he established himself as a farmer, in Darlington county, South Carolina, drawn to this occupation by his love of the country and of agriculture. He soon became prominently identified with all the efforts made by the people of South Caro- lina to improve the agricultural methods of the South, and as president of the Darlington Agricultural society, and later as president of the State Fair association, he was for years actively interested in the successive efforts to improve the crops, the stock, and the agricultural life of his adopted state, South Carolina. Chosen by the people of his county to represent them in the state legislature, he served for two terms, from 1882 to 1886. In 1889, Governor Richardson appointed Mr. McIver state treasurer, to fill the place of G. S. Bamberg, who had died while in office.
He served as captain of the Darlington guards for some years. Governor Wade Hampton appointed him aid on his staff, with the rank of colonel; and that honored leader of South Caro- linians in the War between the States and in the years which followed reconstruction, said of Mr. McIver: "He was true to his state and to his country, during the war and since the war."
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In his political life, he was identified with the Democratic party.
His religious convictions led to close association with the Presbyterian Church, South, although he was not a communicant of that church.
On the 28th of December, 1870, Colonel McIver married Miss Mary Erwin. They had ten children.
His favorite forms of amusement and exercise were reading and hunting. During the twenty years from 1872, when he settled in Darlington county to identify himself with the farming interests of the county, and until his death, on the 13th of Septem- ber, 1904, he was justly regarded by the residents of his county as a leading man in all that promoted the agricultural interests and the public welfare of his county and his state.
PETER ALEXANDER MCKELLAR
M cKELLAR, PETER ALEXANDER, wholesale mer- chant, of Bennettsville, Marlboro county, South Caro- lina, was born in Marion county, on the 3d of May, 1873. His father, James McKellar, was a farmer and miller, of Scotch descent, as was also his mother, Mrs. Flora Katherine (McEachem) Mckellar. The ancestors of the family on both sides came from Scotland and settled in the Carolinas before the Revolution. Mr. Mckellar claims as his great-grandmother on his mother's side, Flora McDonald, of Scotland, whose historical rescue of Prince Charles Stuart is recounted in Wheeler's History of North Carolina, for Cumberland county, as the achievement of an ancestor of the branch of the family which had settled at Fayetteville, North Carolina.
His mother died when he was but eight days old, but care of the little boy was assumed by wise friends who early gave him a training which he feels has been of the greatest benefit to him in later life. Until he was fifteen, his life was passed in the country. He learned farm work in his boyhood, plowing and hoeing cotton, etc. He attributes his success in business to the habits of industry and economy which were thus inculcated in his youth. He attended some of the country schools within reach of his early home, but never had an opportunity for an extended course of study, either at preparatory schools or at college.
At the age of fifteen, he took the position of clerk in a store at Bennettsville, South Carolina. He is fond of relating the fact, as illustrating his early determination to acquire and save enough money to become independent and undertake business for himself, that when "he was but ten years old, he planted cotton in the jam of the fence and worked it with a hoe; and selling this per- sonally-grown crop, he bought his own clothes from the proceeds."
He gradually made his way from the position of clerk to the head of a retail business which he himself conducted for several years; and he has been for some years the head of the wholesale firm which does business in his name.
On the 15th of November, 1893, he married Miss Annie Titer Mckellar. Of their six children, five are now (1909) living.
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He is identified by religious conviction with the Presbyterian Church, South. His political affiliations are with the Democratic party. To the younger men of his state who are aiming at success in life, he commends first of all "strict honesty, and then the habit of finishing thoroughly and successfully whatever one under- takes,-one thing at a time. More men fail from undertaking many things, which they leave half done, than from concentrating too strongly upon one line of effort."
ANTHONY FOSTER McKISSICK
M cKISSICK, ANTHONY FOSTER, president of the Grendel Cotton mills, of Greenwood, South Carolina, was born in Union county, in that state, on June 10, 1869. His father, Isaac G. McKissick, was a prominent and suc- cessful lawyer, who during his career held the office of county clerk of court, and was a member of the state legislature. He was a man of marked devotion to his family and was characterized by his rugged honesty, stern fidelity to duty and gentle, winning humor. His mother, who was Miss Sarah Foster, was a woman of rare charm of character, and her influence for good on the life of her son was strong and permanent. Earlier ancestors have been distinguished in peace, and some of them in war; among them being such men as Captain Anthony Foster who served in the Mexican war and Colonel B. B. Foster of the Confederate States army.
The childhood and youth of Anthony McKissick were passed in the village of Union. He was well and strong and when not in school he indulged freely in outdoor sports and games. He studied at the Male academy at Union, and from there went to South Carolina college, at Columbia, where he was graduated in June, 1889, with the degrees of B. S. and A. M. He afterward took a post-graduate course at Cornell university, where in 1895 he took the degree of M. M. E. Led chiefly by his personal pre- dilections he entered business life, in July, 1889, as superintendent of the electric lighting plant at Columbia, South Carolina, which position he held for over a year, resigning it to take the chair of electrical engineering at Alabama Polytechnic institute, Auburn, Alabama, where he remained until 1899. In the latter year he became mechanical and electrical engineer for the Pelzer Manu- facturing company, of Pelzer, South Carolina, a position which he held until 1902, when he became president and treasurer of the Grendel Cotton mills, at Greenwood. He is also vice-president and treasurer of the Ninety-Six Cotton mill at Ninety-Six, South Carolina, having been elected to that position in 1904.
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ANTHONY FOSTER M'KISSICK
He is a member of the water and light commission of the town of Greenwood, and in caring for the public welfare in the important matters thus committed in part to his charge he has exhibited the same zeal, energy and fidelity which have marked his attention to his own affairs, and which have brought him success and prominence.
On December 17, 1891, he married Miss Margaret Adger Smyth. They have had four children, one of whom is now living.
The success in life of Mr. McKissick may be attributed in greatest measure to the high ideals and lofty principles of duty and integrity implanted in him by the influence of his early home life and the teachings and examples of his excellent parents. He is a member of the Baptist church. In politics has been identified with the Democratic party. He is prominent in local Masonic circles and is a member of the Mystic Shrine. Always fond of outdoor sports, having been an athlete and football player in his more youthful days, he still prefers to take his relaxation in the open air and is especially devoted to fishing and hunting.
Perhaps the secret of real success in life cannot be better embodied in concise form than it is in the words he has chosen for his motto: "Fear God and work."
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ISAAC GOING McKISSICK
M cKISSICK, ISAAC GOING, was born in Union county, South Carolina, December 16, 1825. He was the son of Joseph and Rhoda McKissick. His father was a farmer, who was devoted to his home and private duties. When Isaac was but seven or eight years old the father died, leaving a widow, five sons and one daughter.
Mr. McKissick was of Scotch-Irish stock, his ancestors having lived near the border between Scotland and Ireland. His early life was passed in the country on the farm, where he was inured to toil. He attended the "old field" school for a short time, but his school days would number less than twelve months all told. A large part of his education was obtained by studying at night by the light of a pine knot.
Mr. McKissick's active life-work began when, at the age of twenty-five, he was elected clerk of the court of Union district over one of the most influential men in that section, Mr. William J. Keenan. His election at that age was a high compliment to his native ability and worth. When the time came to take the oath of office and assume his duties, all teams on his mother's plantation were so busily engaged in gathering the crop that he walked from her home to Union court-house, a distance of twelve miles. From that time until the war began, he held the office of clerk of the court. Judge Wardlaw once pronounced him the best clerk of the court he had ever seen.
Colonel McKissick espoused the cause of secession with all the fervor of his warm nature. He made speeches throughout the upper section of South Carolina, and until his dying day believed in state rights. During his term of office as clerk of the court he was successively elected lieutenant-colonel, and afterward brigadier-general of the state militia. When the war came on he organized a company which was known as the "McKissick Rangers," and which was sent to Charleston, where there were other companies in the Holcombe legion under the command, at that time, of Colonel P. F. Stevens, now bishop of the Reformed Episcopal church. This command was named after Governor Pickens's wife, Lucy Holcombe. While Colonel McKissick was
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serving on Governor Pickens's plantation, which was then for- tified, Governor Pickens, his staff and Mrs. Pickens visited the legion and presented it with a flag, saying: "Soldiers, this flag represents one dear to our hearts; never let it trail." The legion was afterward transferred to Virginia, with headquarters near Williamsburg. It was here that the McKissick Rangers achieved, perhaps, their greatest victory during the war. It was here, too, that Colonel McKissick, on September 9, 1862, led a charge that would have reflected credit upon any of the great soldiers of history, routing the enemy and putting them to flight with a force but one-third as great as their own. At Cold Harbor, Virginia, May 31, 1864, he was shot down while, at the head of his command, leading a charge against the Federal line of infantry entrenched and supported by sharpshooters behind trees. From this wound Colonel McKissick never fully recovered.
Afterwards the Holcombe legion was disbanded, and the McKissick Rangers were transferred to the Seventh South Caro- lina cavalry, of which Alexander C. Haskell was colonel and I. G. McKissick lieutenant-colonel. At Old Church, near Cold Harbor, this regiment, commanded by General M. C. Butler, fought one of its hardest battles. Colonel McKissick was severely wounded, and, while being taken from the field, lost his sword, -a fact he always regretted. After lying in the hospital at Richmond a long time, he went home, and, while recuperating, was elected to the legislature, where he served until his wound was healed, when he returned to the front. Although on fur- lough, he was present at the surrender. He wanted to fight his way out with some of Gary's brigade; but, on account of his condition, his soldiers would not allow him to do so.
After the war, Colonel McKissick took up the study of law in the office of Honorable A. W. Thompson. In 1866 he was admitted to the bar in a very large class, among whom were Judge VanWyck, of Brooklyn, New York; Honorable Robert Aldrich, of Barnwell, and many other prominent men who have . made their impress on the history of their country.
About 1870, Colonel McKissick formed a law partnership with General William H. Wallace, which lasted until 1877, when General Wallace was elevated to the bench. In 1870, Colonel McKissick was nominated for congress by the Democrats, and was elected by a large majority, although his opponent, A. S.
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Wallace, of York, was counted in by the Republicans after a long and tedious contest in Washington. In 1876, Colonel McKissick did valiant work for the cause of Hampton and of every honest Carolinian. He worked day and night, making speeches everywhere. None rejoiced more than he at the success of the Democratic party. He was elected to the legislature at the head of the ticket, and was successively reelected until 1890, when he refused to stand again for this office. Colonel McKissick's services in the legislature are well known to the people of South Carolina. When Judge Wallace was elevated to the bench, Colonel McKissick formed a partnership with J. H. Rion, which lasted until the death of the latter. He was then associated with J. S. R. Thompson; and, later, with Judge Cothran, which connection lasted until his death.
In 1866, Colonel McKissick was married to Miss Sallie Foster, daughter of Colonel B. B. Foster, of Glenn Springs, Spartanburg county.
Colonel McKissick was highly esteemed by hundreds of people in all parts of the state. He was generous, large-hearted, full of love for his neighbor, kind to every one, a genial com- panion, a helpful friend in time of need, without bitterness, with strong faith in the people, a lover of his country, his church and his God. He was plain and simple in his manner and tastes-a true type of the American citizen.
On every occasion Colonel McKissick was sustained by a manly courage that never quailed in the presence of opposition, however imposing. He was marked by an independence of soul which had no scorn for the lowly nor cringing adulation for the exalted; by a sterling integrity which was beyond the reach of temptation; and which, at the close of his public service, left no blot or stain on his record.
Colonel McKissick died at his home in Union county, on June 8, 1896.
yours Truly
THOMAS GORDON McLEOD
M CLEOD, THOMAS GORDON, of Bishopville, Lee county, South Carolina, lawyer, president of several important corporations, bank director, from 1901 to 1902 member of the South Carolina house of representatives, from 1902 to 1906, state senator from Lee county, and now (1909) serving his second term of two years as lieutenant-governor of the state of South Carolina, was born at Lynchburg, Sumter county, South Carolina, on the 17th of December, 1868.
His father, William James McLeod, of Scotch descent and bearing an honored Scotch name, is directly descended from David McLeod, a Scotch immigrant to the Carolinas just prior to the Revolution. He was a merchant and farmer who held no civil office but served as a captain of Company E, Sixth South Carolina regiment, throughout the War between the States. He had many of the best characteristics of his Scotch ancestry; and he is described as "brawny, energetic, firm and uncompromising in matters of principle, a man of stern character, but fair and just; rigid in discipline, but impartial." He married Miss Amanda Rogers, who was a daughter of William Rogers of New England Puritan stock, who came to the Carolinas from Lebanon, Connecticut, in 1835. Lieutenant-Governor McLeod writes: "My parents were both devoted Christians and the home influences were of the best. My mother died when I was but ten years of age; but her place was taken by my stepmother, and to her training and influence I am as much indebted for whatever success I have attained, as I am to any other influence in my life. My early experience in my father's country store brought me in contact with all classes of people; and the knowledge there gained of human nature, and the friendly dealing with people of all kinds and classes, appear to have been to me the most useful part of my life training and the foundation certainly of whatever success I have attained in public life."
His boyhood was passed in the village of Lynchburg, his health was always good, his physical development was robust and his strength and spirits vigorous. He knew the amusements which were usual to country boys in South Carolina in the decade
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after the war. Even in very early years he was taught to do "his own share of the work around home"; and for two or three years before he left home for college, he worked in the field, thus acquiring a practical knowledge of farm life, planting, and the management of labor, which has been of value to him throughout his life.
Prepared for college at private schools which were main- tained by the efforts of his father and others in the neighbor- hood, he entered Wofford college and was graduated, A. B., in 1892. He took a summer course in law at the University of Vir- ginia. He was led to the choice of the law as his profession because of his fondness for debate and his active interest, even in boyhood and early youth, in the political measures and the political views of his state and of the country at large. Before he entered college and after he left the preparatory school he was engaged for three years as a clerk in his father's store. After graduation, in 1892, he taught for one year at Bethel academy and for a second year at Line academy.
He was admitted to the bar in 1896, but on account of the failure of his father's health and subsequent death returned to his home and took charge of the business affairs of the family, where he remained until 1903, when he moved to Bishopville and began the practice of law, upon the establishment of Lee county. In addition to his duties as a practicing lawyer, he has taken an active interest in all that concerns the development of the resources and the business interests of his county and state. He is president of the W. J. McLeod company and of the Stuckey- Woodward company, attorney for several mercantile firms, and a director in and attorney for the Bank of Bishopville.
In 1901, he was elected a member of the South Carolina house of representatives from Sumter county. In 1902 he was chosen first senator from Lee county; and in the campaigns of 1906 and 1908 he was elected lieutenant-governor of the state, without opposition. He was also elected by the State Democratic con- vention one of the delegates to the National Democratic conven- tion which nominated Alton B. Parker for president.
Mr. McLeod is a Democrat and has been unswerving in his allegiance to the party, its measures and its nominees. In college he was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. He is a Knight
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of Pythias. He is a Mason and a Woodman. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; and he honors the Christian character of his parents.
On the 31st of December, 1902, Senator McLeod married Miss Elizabeth Alford, daughter of W. McD. and Sarah E. Alford, of Marion county, South Carolina. They have had three children, all of whom are living in 1909.
In the heredity and the life record of Lieutenant-Governor McLeod it is interesting to trace the influence of Scotch ancestors through his father, and of the "New England conscience" and the high idealism and practical efficiency of the Puritan forefathers from whom his mother is descended. And while he does not offer in his own words any form of advice to the young men of his state who wish to attain success, they cannot read the tribute which in this sketch he pays to the memory and the influence of his Chris- tian parents, without discovering the secret of the truest success in life.
ROBERT MACFARLAN
M ACFARLAN, ROBERT, of Darlington, South Caro- lina, attorney at law, was born at Cheraw, Chesterfield county, South Carolina, on the 25th of July, 1862. His father, Allan Macfarlan, a lawyer, planter, railroad president, and a member of the state legislature of South Carolina, was born in Renfrewshire, Scotland. He came to South Carolina in early manhood; and his business ability, integrity, liberality and public spirit gave him much influence in the state. He married Miss Julia Gamble, daughter of John G. Gamble. Through her, Mr. Macfarlan is related to Governor Greenup of Kentucky, and to the families of Wirts, Carrington, Cabell, and Howard and Hunter of Virginia. Allan Macfarlan died in 1869.
Robert Macfarlan was but seven years old when his father died, and he had lost his mother three years before that time. Left to the care of relatives and friends, although the war had destroyed his father's property, the son was able to secure a thorough education. An early and persistent fondness for the study of machines and mechanics guided him in his course at South Carolina college, from which institution he was graduated in 1883 with the degree of bachelor of science. He directed his studies chiefly to natural science and mathematics; and not only in his study at college but in his private reading, he has found his chief delight in works upon chemistry, geology, mineralogy, mechanics, physics, and psychology.
In his early youth he supported himself as a clerk in two or three different lines of business, until he entered college. After graduation he studied law; and upon his admission to practice (May, 1885,) he became a clerk in the law office of R. T. Caston, and later in the office of C. A. Woods, Esq., of Marion, South Carolina. From January, 1886, to January, 1887, he was one of the editors of the "Pee Dee Index" of Marion. From 1889 to 1895 he was in the law office of C. A. Woods, under the firm name of Woods and Macfarlan. In January, 1895, he removed to Darlington, forming a partnership in the practice of law with E. O. Woods, a brother of C. A. Woods. This partnership was dissolved in July, 1905, since which date Mr. Macfarlan has
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practiced law without a partner. His practice is chiefly in con- nection with real estate, and in kindred business.
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