Scope and Contents Thompson W. McNeely (1835-1921) was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, and later attended Jubilee College (Peoria) and Lombard University (Galesburg) in Illinois before completing his education at the University of Louisville law department. McNeely subsequently practiced law at Petersburg, Illinois, beginning in 1857. As a Democrat McNeely served as a delegate to the 1862 Illinois Constitutional Convention and served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1869-1873. He also served as a...