Volume III - ElectricCanadian.com

JVIEN4 TON. DANIEL was born in Mabon, C.B.,January 3ist, 1853. He is the secondson of Malcolm and Ellen McNeil, andbrother of Neil McNeil, D.D., Ph.D.,formerly rector of St. Francois-XavierCollege, Antigonish. He is descendedon the paternal side, from RoderickMcNeil, of Bara, Scotland, who settledin Cape Breton in the early part of thiscentury. Hon. Mr. McNeil was educatedat the St. Francois-Xavier College,studied law at Halifax, was calledto the Bar of Nova Scotia, in December,1879, and then located in Port Hood,the Shiretown of his nativecounty. There he formeda partnership with S. Macdonell,Q. C., ex-M. P.which was dissolved somethree and one half yearslater. In June, 1883, hewas appointed a school commissionerfor South Inverness,in July, of the sameyear a notary and tabellionpublic, in March 1884, acommissioner of the SupremeCourt of Nova Scotia,and has discharged theduties of these offices withmuch acceptance. For anumber of years he hastaken an interest in all thepolitical movements, Municipal,Provincial and Federal,and has always beenon the Liberal side. Hewas first elected to the NovaScotia Legislature in 1886,and was sworn in a memberof the Executive Council,June 28th, 1886, and tookoffice in the Fielding administrationwithout a portfolio.Mr. McNeil's careerin the House has been high-ly creditable, and his honorable appointmentwas a just recognition of his ability.In religion, he is an adherent of theRoman Catholic Church. On August4th, 1 88 1,he was married to EllenMaria Margaret, youngest daughter ofthe late James McDonnell, who, formore than a quarter of a century, heldthe important offices of prothonotary ofthe Supreme Court and Clerk of theCrown, at Port Hood. He was alsoregistrar of deeds for the County of Inverness,for many years, and firstinspector of schools for that county,under the present Provincial system ofeducation.