William R. O'Neal

William Russell O'Neal (1864 – January 23, 1946) was a lawyer and businessman who was involved in banking, insurance, real estate, was a passenger agent for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Orlando, owned newspapers, and wrote a newspaper column.[1] He was a trustee of Rollins College.[2] A Republican, he ran for governor, U.S. Senate, and Florida Superintendent of Public Education, losing each time to the candidate of the then dominant Democratic Party.[3]

He was born in Ohio. He married in Maine and moved to Orlando in 1886.[4]

He served as postmaster in Orlando[5] and was president of the city council for 10 years.[4] He wrote for the Orange County Reporter[6] and Orlando Sentinel.

He led Florida's provisional League to Enforce Peace delegation.[7]

His political campaigning in 1920 for the Republican Party after the Ocoee Riots was seen as a threat to the White Supremacy promoted by the dominant Democratic Party.[8]

In 1886, O'Neal married Mabelle Copeland in Maine. They had two daughters, Helen and Mabelle. Mrs. O'Neal died in 1910 and in 1914 O'Neal married Jessie Malory Thayer. She died in 1923.[4]

He is buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando.[9]

References
  1. Writer, Joy Wallace Dickinson, Sentinel Staff. "Newsmaking house saw hunk of history October 15, 2006". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  2. "William R ONeal". lib.rollins.edu.
  3. Cutler, Harry Gardner (April 9, 1923). "History of Florida: Past and Present, Historical and Biographical". Lewis publishing Company – via Google Books.
  4. "William Russell O'Neal". archive.wppl.org.
  5. Senate, United States Congress (April 9, 1931). "Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America". order of the Senate of the United States – via Google Books.
  6. "The Florida Historical Quarterly". Florida Historical Society. July 9, 1980 – via Google Books.
  7. Peace (U.S.), League to Enforce (April 10, 1917). "The League Bulletin" – via Google Books.
  8. Hoffmann, Carlee; Hoffman, Carlee; Strom, Claire (2014). "A Perfect Storm: The Ocoee Riot of 1920". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 93 (1): 25–43. JSTOR 43487653.
  9. "O'Neal, William Russell". Carey Hand Undertaker's Memoranda 1946. January 23, 1946.
Party political offices
New title Republican nominee for United States Senator
from Florida
(Class 1)
1916		 Vacant
Title next held by
Barclay Harding Warburton I


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