McMahon, John Van Lear, 1800-1871

John Van Lear McMahon was born sometime around 1800, in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland, to William McMahon and Sarah Van Lear. He attended Allegany County Academy and then went on to Princeton University (originally the College of New Jersey) where he studied law with Roger Perry. He was admitted to the Bar in 1820. He moved to Baltimore where he practiced law and was elected to the House of Delegates in 1827 and 1828. Considered to an intelligent, forceful, and gifted orator, John McMahon had a reputation for fairness in his practice of law and legislation. He was an active supporter of Maryland’s 1826 “Jew Bill,” which removed the requirement that all elected officials in Maryland be Christian. He was also instrumental in the development and writing of the charters that supported the construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and the B&O Railroad. St. John’s College in Annapolis conferred on to him an Honorary Doctor of Law in 1869, stating: “Not many men in the United States have filled as many high public trusts as Mr. McMahon has rejected.” John McMahon had turned down the Chancellorship of Maryland, nominations to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, a seat as Judge on the Maryland Court of Appeals, a cabinet position with Pres. William Henry Harrison, and the position of U.S. Attorney General under Pres. John Tyler. He was the author of “An Historical View of the Government of Maryland” which is still a standard authority on the early History of Maryland. He married Elizabeth Gouger and together they had one son. He died on June 15, 1871, at the age of 70/71, and is buried in Cumberland, Allegany, Maryland.