Marshall McDonald

Biography

Marshall McDonald was born on October 18, 1835, in Romney, Virginia, a town that later became part of West Virginia after the Civil War. He was the son of Angus William McDonald, a military officer and lawyer, and Leacy Anne Naylor. McDonald had a broad scientific education for his time, studying natural history under the well-known naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird at the Smithsonian Institution from 1854 to 1855. He then attended the University of Virginia and graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1860. At VMI, he was an assistant professor of chemistry, learning under Thomas J. Jackson, who later became famous as Confederate General Stonewall Jackson.

When the Civil War started, McDonald joined the Confederate States Army in 1861 and became a lieutenant and engineer officer. He worked as an inspector general on Stonewall Jackson's staff before taking on roles under Major General Martin Luther Smith and Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton. In 1863, Union forces captured him at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and he was held as a prisoner of war. After the war ended in 1865, McDonald returned to VMI, becoming a full professor with the rank of colonel. He led the departments of chemistry, geology, mineralogy, and metallurgy and started the institute's first museum, establishing himself as a respected educator and scientist.

By the mid-1870s, McDonald focused on fisheries science and fish farming. He got involved with the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, which was set up in 1871 to tackle the decreasing fish populations in American waters. Using his engineering skills, he invented several fish hatching devices that improved the efficiency and survival rates of artificially bred fish. He also designed a fish ladder to help salmon and other migratory fish overcome obstacles in waterways, increasing their spawning grounds.

In 1888, McDonald became the commissioner of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, a position he held until his death seven years later. His management of the commission was seen as honest and efficient, unlike many other federal agencies at the time, which were troubled by political scandals. Under his guidance, the commission made progress in protecting and cultivating fish species across the country. McDonald passed away in Washington, D.C., on September 1, 1895, while still serving as commissioner.