Biography
McDougall was born in Ross County, Ohio ca. 1818 to John McDougall, an Ohio state representative from 1813–1815, and Margaret Stockton. The family produced four other sons: William Creighton McDougall, married to abolitionist Frances Harriet Whipple Green McDougall; Dr. Charles McDougal, surgeon in the US Army; Admiral David McDougal, commander of USS Wyoming during the Battle of Shimonoseki; and George P. McDougall, California and Colorado pioneer. The family later moved to Indianapolis.
In 1846 McDougall joined the Indiana Volunteer Infantry as a lieutenant in the 1st Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment and served in the Mexican-American War. He was soon elected as captain of Company H. He later re-enlisted in the 5th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
In 1848, after the Mexican-American War, McDougall moved to California, arriving in 1849 aboard SS California with his wife Jane and their daughter Sue. He worked as a miner and then a merchant during the gold rush. Shortly after his arrival, he entered into the new territory's politics, attending the first constitutional convention in Monterey in 1849. McDougall was one of the original signers of the Constitution of California. During the convention, McDougall was nominated for lieutenant governor, whereupon he remarked, “I reckon I'll take that. I don't believe anyone else will have it.” After defeating five other contenders for the office, McDougall was sworn in as the state's first lieutenant governor in December 1849, along with Peter Burnett, the state's first governor.
Read more about this topic: John McDougall (California Politician)
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