John Randolph Neal (November 26, 1836 – March 26, 1889) was an American politician and a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

for

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

's 3rd congressional district.

Biography

Neal was born near

Clinton, Tennessee Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, Tennessee. Clinton is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area. Its population was 10,056 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Early history Prehistoric Native A ...

in Anderson County son of John O'Brien and Permelia Young Neal. He attended the common schools and Hiwasse College in

Monroe County, Tennessee Monroe County is a County (United States), county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 46,250. Its county seat is Madisonville, Tennessee, Madisonville, ...

. He graduated from

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry University (E&H or Emory) is a private university in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry U ...

in Emory,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in 1858. He taught school at Post Oak Springs and studied law; was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

in 1859, and commenced practice in

Athens, Tennessee Athens is the county seat of McMinn County, Tennessee, United States and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 53,569. The city is located almost equidistantly between the major cities of Knoxville a ...

. At the beginning of the war, he married Mary E. C. Brown, daughter of Franklin Brown. They had three children; Dr. John R. Neal, Jr., Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee, and Scopes Trial attorney; Commander George F. Neal, U. S. N. and D. S. O. from

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

for distinguished service during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

for sinking a German submarine, and Navy Cross from Congress for loyal service; and Amanda Neal Wheelock.

Career

During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Neal enlisted in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

and was elected

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of a Cavalry troop, which afterward became a part of the 16th Battalion, Tennessee Cavalry. He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant colonel of the battalion. He taught school for several years, settled at Rhea Springs, Tennessee, and continued the practice of law. He was a member of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

in 1874. He served in the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee , Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any ...

in 1878 and 1879, and served as its presiding officer in 1879. Neal was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses. He served from March 4, 1885, to March 3, 1889, but declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1888 on account of ill health.

Death

Neal died at

Rhea Springs, Tennessee Rhea Springs was a community once located along the Piney River in Rhea County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Originally established in the 19th century as a health resort, the community was inundated when the completion of W ...

, in Rhea County on March 26, 1889 (age 52 years, 120 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at the W.F. Brown family cemetery in Post Oak Springs, Roane County, Tennessee.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neal, John Randolph 1836 births 1889 deaths Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Democratic Party Tennessee state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee People from Anderson County, Tennessee People from Athens, Tennessee 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly