Trivia 3-23-17

[Trivia Master]

Before becoming a Confederate officer, I was assistant professor in chemistry to Thomas J. Jackson at the VMI, post-war I headed a US commission dealing with a certain type of animal.
Who was I and what was the name of the US Commission?

Credit: @sarladaise

 

[Stony]

Marshall McDonald (October 18, 1835 – September 1, 1895) was an American engineer, geologist, mineralogist, pisciculturist, and fisheries scientist. McDonald served as the commissioner of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries from 1888 until his death in 1895. He is best known for his inventions of a number of fish hatching apparatuses and a fish ladder that enabled salmon and other migrating fish species to ascend the rapids of watercourses resulting in an increased spawning ground. McDonald's administration of the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries was notably free of scandal and furthered the "protection and culture" of fish species throughout the United States.
He was the commissioner of the US Commission of Fish & Fisheries.
source-wiki
Pretty cool stuff.

 

[Reb]

Marshall McDonald, United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries

 

[DBF]

Who Am I: Marshall McDonald
Name: U.S. Commission of Fish & Fisheries
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=133309366
Great question and an interesting fellow.

 

[William G Hendry]

Marshall McDonald (October 18, 1835 – September 1, 1895) was an American engineer, geologist, mineralogist, pisciculturist, and fisheries scientist.[1] McDonald served as the commissioner of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries from 1888 until his death in 1895.[1] He is best known for his inventions of a number of fish hatching apparatuses and a fish ladder that enabled salmon and other migrating fish species to ascend the rapids of watercourses resulting in an increased spawning ground.[1][2] McDonald's administration of the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries was notably free of scandal and furthered the "protection and culture" of fish species throughout the United States.[1][2]

 

[Brenal]

I'm probably way out here but I will guess that this is Lt Col. George M Edgar but I have no idea what Commission he headed or what type of animal it involved, fish maybe?

 

[Wallyfish]

He was Marshall McDonald and he later headed the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries.

Source Wikipedia Marshall McDonald

My two passions are Gettysburg and fishing, so this is a great question.

 

[adisciu9]

Marshall McDonald
Commission on Fish and Fisheries

 

[Copperhead-mi]

Marshall McDonald, United States Fish and Fisheries.

Excellent question, and for me, it has been the most difficult trivia question so far this month to find the answer to.

 

[Study the Past]

Marshall McDonald. The United States Fish Commission.

 

[JOHN42768]

Marshall McDonald (October 18, 1835 – September 1, 1895) was an American engineer, geologist, mineralogist, pisciculturist, and fisheries scientist.[1] McDonald served as the commissioner of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries from 1888 until his death in 1895
Source:

 

[57th Indiana Infantry]

Marshall McDonald
US Fish Commission

 

[FarawayFriend]

You are Marshall McDonald
The name of the US Commission was: United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries

"Marshall McDonald (October 18, 1835 – September 1, 1895) was an American engineer, geologist, mineralogist, pisciculturist, and fisheries scientist.[1] McDonald served as the commissioner of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries from 1888 until his death in 1895.[1]
[...]
McDonald served as an assistant professor in chemistry under Jackson at the Virginia Military Institute from Fall 1860 until the outbreak of the American Civil War"
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshall_McDonald&oldid=765953413

 

[amweiner]

I am Marshall McDonald (Major, CSA), and I was the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries from 1888 to 1895.

 

[sarladaise]

Credit for question

 

[lelliott19]

Marshall McDonald (October 18, 1835 – September 1, 1895)
In 1885, McDonald was appointed Chief Assistant Commissioner of the Fish Commission and in 1888 he was appointed by President Grover Cleveland to serve as Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries.....his position was called "Fish Commissioner." wiki/Marshall_McDonald

 

[Schwallanscher]

marshall mcdonald - united states commission of fish and fisheries

 

[GELongstreet]

Suppose this was Marshall McDonald, who headed the US Commission of Fish and Fishery.

 

[MaryDee]

Pardon the long article, but I lost several sources from yesterday's research so wanted to put the rest down before I lost them too! Lots and lots of searching for this one!

The professor of chemistry at VMI from 1846 to 1861 was William Gilham. After the war he became president of Southern Fertilizer Co. in Richmond and died in 1872. After hours of searching, I found two assistant professors of chemistry at VMI before the Civil War. Both were listed as under Gilham, not Jackson.

One was Robert E. Rodes, who left when Jackson arrived, because he wanted the same position (wikipedia, "Robert E. Rodes"). Since Rodes was killed at 3rd Winchester, he's definitely not our man. As of 1855, he's the only assistant professor of chemistry listed. The other was Mark Bernard Hardin per https://books.google.com/books?id=CjwUAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA27&lpg=RA4-PA27&dq=assistant+professor+of+chemistry+vmi+under+Thomas+Jackson&source=bl&ots=BhFb-leMit&sig=erqx0ROf58VBT9ZCKj5iu5r-mVo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjE9oPm_-_SAhUTzGMKHUvZBbQQ6AEIQzAG#v=onepage&q=assistant professor of chemistry vmi under Thomas Jackson&f=false. He was there from 1858-61 per http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=vmi/vilxv00068.xml. Ahttp://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu/ark:/99166/w6322jnb
https://www.clemsonwiki.com/wiki/Mark_Bernard_Hardin
In none of these sources can I find that he served on any US commission after the war.

Just as a wild guess (mentioned in one of the sources I lost when searching for US commissions post-CW), I tried the US Commision of Fisheries. Eureka, I have found it! Our guy is Marshall McDonald. Per the wikipedia article of the same name, the details match. He taught at VMI both just before (860-61) and after the war. During the war he was an engineer under (among others) Jackson, Pemberton, and Bragg, reaching the rank of brigadier general. In 1875 he became interested in fish farming, developed a fish ladder, and was Fish Commissioner of Virginia. In 1879 he was appointed to the United States Commision on Fish and Fisheries. He was named Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries in 1888.

 

[JohnW.]

William Gilham...he served on no US commissions of any kind post bellum.