McCRADY
Mccreary
results were apparent as soon as he undertook to
make original observations. He was appointed as-
sistant professor of mathematics in the College of
Charleston in 1856, and in addition to the duties of
that chair he pursued his scientific researches.
He was an enthusiastic member and curator of
the Elliot Society of Natural History. His paper
on the medusae occupied over one hundred pages
of the Proceedings of that society, and mark an
event in the history of zoology in the south, inas-
much as naturalists who preceded Mr. McCrady
had confined themselves to describing species
almost exclusively among the vertebrate animals,
whereas with the assistance of the microscope he
studied out carefully the development of the
various medusae from the ovum to the adult state.
He was thus enabled to eliminate many forms
which were thought to be distinct species, but
which, upon more careful examination, were
found to be the same animal in various stages of
its growth. At the time of his work the subdivi-
sion to which sea blubber belongs had only been
slightly investigated in America and his papers
upon the subject have since been commented
upon as never having been exceeded in accuracy.
Upon the breaking out of the war between the
states he at once resigned his professorship and
entered the service of the state as an officer of
engineers, becoming a major in that corps in the
Confederate States army. He served upon the
military staff of General Beauregard, in charge
of the construction of the fortifications around
Savannah ; joining the army of Gen. Joseph E.
Johnston after the evacuation of Savannah and
attaining reputation as a skilful military engineer.
His manuscripts and books recording the result
of his scientific researches and labors of the seven
years before the war were burned in Columbia in
1865. He was professor of mathematics in the
College of Charleston, 1865-73 ; succeeded Agassiz
as professor of zoology at Harvard, 1874-77, and
delivered a course of lectures before the theolog-
ical school of the university. In August, 1877, he
was elected professor of biology and the relation
of science and religion in the University of the
South at Sewanee, Tenn., and spent the remainder
of his life in that institution. In the winter of
1880-81 he delivered a series of lectures at the
Johns Hopkins university in which he outlined
his philosophical system. He married Sarah,
daughter of Paul Dismukes of Tennessee and
granddaughter of Thomas Lynch (q . v. ) . His son ,
the Rev. Edward McCrady, was in 1901 rector of
Trinity church, Abbeville, S.C. In September,
1881, Professor McCrady was taken ill, and while
convalescent, the house in which he lived and the
manuscripts of his lifelong work were burned.
This shock arrested his recovery, and he died at
Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 16, 1881.
■So^-^??k'^^^^<^
McCRARY, George Washington, cabinet
officer, was born near Evansville, Ind., Aug. 29,
1835 ; son of James and Matilda (Forrest) Mc-
Crary. His parents removed beyond the Missis-
sippi in 1835 and made their liome in the limits of
Iowa Territory. He
studied lav/, was ad-
mitted to the bar in
1856, and settled in
practice in Keokuk.
He was married in
1857 to Helen A.
Gelatt. He was a
Republican represent-
ative in the Iowa
legislature in 1857
and a state senator,
1861-65. He served
in the senate as chair-
man of the com-
mittee on military af-
fairs and of the judi-
ciary committee. He was a Republican represent-
ative from the first Iowa district in the 41st, 42d,
43d and 44th congresses, 1869-77, being chairman
of the committee on elections in the 42d con-
gress. He introduced the bill in congress that
led to the appointment of the electoral commis-
sion of 1877. In arguing the Florida case before
the commission he denied the power of congr'ess
to go behind the returns, and his view of the ques-
tion was adopted by the commission. He wa»
also the author of the law under which the
judiciary of the United States was re organized.
He was appointed secretary of war by President
Hayes, March 12, 1877 ; resigned in December,
1879, upon receiving the appointment of judge
of the 8th judicial district of the U.S. circuit
court, and served until March, 1884, when he re-
moved to Kansas City, Mo., to serve as attorney
and counsellor for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe railroad company and to engage in the general
practice of law. He is the author of The Amer-
ican Law of Elections (1875). He died in St.
Joseph, Mo., June 23, 1890.
McCREARY, James Bennett, governor of Kentucky, was born in Richmond, Ky., July 8, 1838 ; son of Robert and Sabrina ^Bennett) Mc- Creary and grandson of James and Mary (Barr) McCreary. His ancestry on both sides removed from Virginia to Kentucky. He was graduated at Centre college, Ky., A.B., 1857; Cumberland university, LL.B., 1859. He practised law in Richmond, Ky., was major and lieutenant-col- onel of the nth Kentucky cavalry, C.S.A., 1862- 65. serving in the west under Generals Bragg and Morgan and in the east under General Breckin- ridge. He was married. June 12. 1867. to Katie, daughter of Thomas Hughes of Fayette county.
