Hon. Welty McCullogh

HON. WELTY McCULLOGH was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, October 10, 1847, and was graduated from Princeton College in the class of 1870. He read law with the late W. H. H. Markie, Esq. in Greensburg and was admitted to the bar in 1872. Very early in his professional life he became a corporation lawyer and devoted most of his time to railroad law. For many years he was solicitor for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and other important corporations. Whilst he always resided in Greensburg and practiced in our courts, he almost continuously kept an office in Pittsburg and practiced in the Allegheny county courts as well. He was renowned both there and in Westmoreland county as a lawyer of high standing particularly in corporation law. In the preparation of papers and in all the varied work of an all around lawyer, he had but few equals in either of these counties. He was married on June 3, 1872, to Ada B. Markle, of Greensburg, a daughter of W. H. H. Markle, Esq., with whom he had read law.

He was scrupulously careful to perform his share of the work or bear his share of the burdens that fell upon him and his friends. He always took an active part in politics, and made many public addresses of that character. In doing so he did not select the places easily accessible to his home, but willingiy did his share of the work in remote regions of the county. Nor did he really ever seek office, though in 1886 he was nominated for congress by the Republicans of Westmoreland, Fayette, and Greene counties. The district was strongly Democratic but there were two Democrats in the field which divided the vote of that party and Mr. McCullough was elected. Unfortunately after the close of his term in congress he was taken sick and died August 1, 1889.

The bar associations of both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties passed highly eulogistic resolutions of his work and merit as a lawyer and a citizen. Mr. McCullogh was a man of strong physique, a handsome face and as has been shown above had talents of a high order. One of his leading characteristics was his thorough honesty, not only in business matters but in the expression of opinion and in everything he did. He could not feign a friendship he did not feel. Had he been less sincere he might perhaps have been more popular. His circle of friends was not as wide as that of many, but all who knew him personally were most devoted to him and remained so through life.

Source: Page(s) 131-132, History of Westmoreland County, Volume II, Pennsylvania by John N Boucher. New York, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906.
Transcribed February 2006 by Nathan Zipfel for the Westmoreland County History Project
Contributed for use by the Westmoreland County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/westmoreland/)

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