Thomas Neill (1861 - 1938)

Born 4 Mar 1861 in Killead, Antrim County, Ireland

Husband of Ada Marion (Allen) Neill — married 16 Dec 1886 in Dawson, North Dakota

Descendants

Died 1 Apr 1938 at age 77 in Pullman, Whitman Co., Washington

Biography

Thomas Neill arrived in Pullman in 1888. Born in Ireland in 1861, he had come to Indiana to study law, and then moved on to North Dakota. There he saw a Northern Pacific Railroad advertise≠ment extolling the virtues of the town of Pullman in the midst of the rich Palouse farming land in Washington Territory. The advertisement suggested that the town needed a newspaper. Neill and his wife, Ada Allen Neill, moved to Pullman. He published the first issue of the Pullman Herald on November 2, 1888. The paper became a vigorous and enlightened spokesman for the area.

Thomas Neill was a lawyer and Irish immigrant whose ambition led him westward. He started his career as a newspaperman in the town of Dawson (ND), where he married Ada Allen. Frustrated with the pace of development in Dawson and lured by an magazine promotional piece, Neill became interested in the tiny town of Pullman in Washington Territory. He brought his editor, J. J. Sargent, and his wife with him where they founded the Pullman Herald together in 1881. Brothers-in-law Wilford, Ira, and Karl, who each would later serve as editors, soon followed.

Son of James Orr and Eliza (Gregory) Neill. Married Ada Marion Allen.

See: Thomas Neill papers 1892-1937 Cage 624 Washington State University at Pullman (ARCHIVES)

Thomas Neill (1861-1938) was born in Ireland and emigrated to the United States in 1879. He worked first as a laborer in various jobs, and then studied law in Indiana, where he was admitted to the bar. In 1886 Neill married Ada Marion Allen, after meeting her in the Dakota Territory where he was involved in a newspaper venture. They had three children: Roscoe, Ruth, and Royal.

The Neills relocated to Pullman in 1888. Neill established the Pullman Herald newspaper in the same year. He was very active in the newly incorporated town, becoming particularly involved in supporting civic improvements and establishing educational institutions, including what is now Washington State University. Neill Hall on the WSU Pullman campus is named in his honor.

He served as Superior Court judge for Whitman County from 1910 to 1912.

Judge Neill was interested in documenting the early history of Pullman, and published a pamphlet, Incidents in the Early History of Pullman and the State College of Washington, in 1922. A later edition of the pamphlet, published in 1977, includes a brief biography of Neill written by Lawrence R. Stark.

Sources

Sue Allen Kendrick

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Annette Allen for starting this profile.

Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Annette and others.