Transcribed by Lora Radiches

HON. JOHN DEAN McGEE is the dean of the Rush County bar, having been admitted to the Indiana bar in 1876, and has to his credit a full half century of participation in his profession and in the civic affairs of his home community of Rushville. He was born in Rushville Township, Rush County, November 20, 1850, son of William and Ellen (Morris) Megee. He is a great great grandson of John McGee, who twice volunteered for service in the war for independence and spent the terrible winter in Washington's army at Valley Forge. His son, John McGee, moved west and settled in Jessamine County, Kentucky, in 1792 and in 1828 became one of the pioneers of Rush County, Indiana. Judge Mcgee's grandfather was also named John McGee. He married Mary Kenning. William Megee, father of Judge Megee, was born in Jessamine County, Kentucky, and married Ellen Morris, a native of Georgetown, Kentucky, whose parents were John and Mary (Miller) Morris, both natives of Kentucky. William McGee and wife settled in Rushville Township, on a farm, in 1844, where be died in 1866. His widow survived him until 1885. John Dean McGee attended common schools and completed his literary education in the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio. For four years he clerked in a dry goods store at Rushville and was then in that line of business for himself two years. He sold out and took up the study of law with Ben L. Smith, was admitted to practice in the local courts in 1876 and since 1877 has been qualified to appear before the Indiana Supreme Court and the Federal Court He has had an honored place at the bar at Rushville since 1876 except for the four years, 1881-85, while he was connected with a gold and silver mining enterprise in Chaffee County, Colorado. In 1913 he was appointed judge of the Circuit Court, to fill an unexpired term, until 1915. In 1892 and again in 1894 he was nominated on the Democratic ticket for the Office of appellate judge. He is a Democrat and served as minute clerk in the State Senate in 1887 and as minute clerk in the House of Representatives in 1889. Judge McGee in addition to his law practice is president of the Coal Oil and Gas Company at Rushville. He married in 1874 Miss Sue Sneed, who was born at Rushville, daughter of William C. S. and Jane (Cox) Sneed, her father a native of Tennessee and her mother of Rushville. Judge and Mrs. Megee have had the following children: Ethel, wife of Hugh S. Fleehart, of Rushville, has two children, John and Florence; Miss Alice died at the age of twenty-two years; Anna S., Mrs. Carl Freeland Eveleigh, of Indianapolis, and their two children are Sue Ann and Carl Freeland. Judge McGee is an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and since 1875 has been a member of the Masonic fraternity, being the oldest Mason and the oldest past master at Rushville. He is affiliated with the Phoenix Lodge No. 62, Knights of Pythias. Judge McGee and family reside at 730 North Harrison Street.