bio-James Tooey

JAMES TOOEY of

Linneus and Lotus Creek Township

Page 478

“This gentleman, who is at this writing serving his third term as county collector, is a native of County Mayo, Ireland, and was there born in March 1832. His father, Augustine Tooey, was a farmer of that country, and left there in 1839 and came to the United States, and settled in Allegany county, New York. The family were frequently on the move, however, and Mr. Tooey scarcely lived long enough in one place during his boyhood to become a denizen of any one point till after he came to Missouri. He spent six years in New York and six in Canada, and then returned to the State of New York, and there remained till November, 1852. His education was acquired in New York, and the first business he ever did was that of railroad contracting with his brother. He had, however, before this, been engaged in working for three years on the Erie Canal, as driver on the towpath, a calling dignified by the fact of the late lamented President Garfield’s having been so engaged in his youth. He was eight years railroad contracting, till 1860, when he began merchandizing in Brookfield, Linn county, Missouri. He had come to St. Louis in 1852, and to Linn county in July, 1856. He has lived here ever since. He was twelve years merchandizing at Brookfield, till 1876. He received the appointment by the governor as collector of Linn county, when the township organization wasw annulled in Linn county, in 1877. He was nominated and elected on the Democratic ticket in 1878, and again in 1880. At this time his term of office is unexpired, and he must go out of office at the close of the present term, for the reason of the readoption of the township organization.

Mr. Tooey was married by the rites of the Catholic Church on November 26^th, 1859, at Hannibal, Missouri, to Miss Catherine McCormick, Rev. Father James Murphy officiating. Mr. and Mrs. Tooey have had eight children, three sons, and five daughters, three sons and three daughters of whom are still living.

Mr. Tooey and his entire family are Catholic in religion, and two of his children are at schools under church control, one at Brookfield and one at Chillicothe.

Politically, Mr. Tooey is a life-long Democrat, and has never voted any other ticket. Being of a race of freedom-loving people, though oppressed by the iron hand of British tyranny, Mr. Tooey could scarce be an affiliant of any other party.

He built the first store in Brookfield after the town was laid out, in 1860.”