Meagher, Thomas Francis

(1823 – 1867) Born in Waterford, Ireland in 1823, Meagher became a leading figure in the Irish independence movement of the early 19th century. Meagher was later tried for treason as an Irish patriot and banished to the island of Tasmania off the coast of Australia. Meagher would later escape and flee to New York where he gained prominence as a journalist and lawyer. When the American Civil War erupted in 1861, Meagher formed a company of 145 men of Irish descent, called the 69th Regiment, to fight for the Union. Abraham Lincoln would go on to appoint Meagher the commanding general of “Irish Brigade.”
Meagher’s fame and military record later provoked President Andrew Johnson to appoint him Secretary of the Montana Territory in 1865. Eventually, he became the Acting Territorial Governor — a position he held from September of 1865 to July 1867.
Unfortunately, Meagher’s colorful life came to an abrupt and mysterious end in the waters of the Missouri River at Fort Benton. On the night of July 1, 1867, Meagher mysteriously disappeared from a boat. Whether he fell off or was thrown from the boat was never determined. But his body was never recovered.
(From the Helena Independent Record)