James Wilson Alexander MacDonald (August 25, 1824 - August 14, 1908) was an American sculptor.

Life

MacDonald was born on August 25, 1824, in

Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville ( ) is a city in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Ohio River west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Weirton–Steubenville m ...

. He began his career in publishing as a clerk in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri in 1841, but quit shortly after to dedicate himself to sculpture. MacDonald designed many busts, some of which were installed in courthouses and public parks. Among his subjects were Senator Thomas Hart Benton, Congressman Charles O'Connor, and Ambassador

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

. MacDonald became known as "America's oldest sculptor." MacDonald died of paralysis on August 14, 1908, in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

, at age 84.

References

1824 births 1908 deaths People from Steubenville, Ohio American male sculptors Sculptors from Ohio 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists {{US-sculptor-stub