Montana Man

Thomas Meagher is regarded as a hero in the American state, explains Mike O’Connor

One-hundred and fifty years after his death, Thomas Francis Meagher remains a figure of intrigue and influence across the globe. At first glance, Montana may seem like an unlikely place for a statue of an Irish revolutionary, but when you understand Montana, Meagher’s role in the development of the state, and the Irish in Montana, his legacy across the state is clear. Meagher’s fame and military accomplishments in the Civil War prompted President Andrew Johnson to appoint him Secretary of the Montana Territory in 1865, and after arriving, he became the Acting Territorial Governor.

Meagher saw the opportunity that lay before him. When he arrived in September of 1865, there was a Fenian Hall only a couple miles away from his home in the Territorial Capitol of Virginia City. Meagher had come to a territory with many likeminded countrymen. Irish immigrated to the Montana Territory as veterans, miners, and families. Meagher embraced this Fenian community, and called for his countrymen to do the same so they would be able to shape the State in their own image. On St Patrick’s Day, 1866, Meagher said, “the Irish people in America will not, and cannot, forget the land of their birth, their sufferings, their dearest memories, and proudest hopes.” Meagher looked not only to heal a war-torn country, but to put together a foundation – Montana would be a homeland for the exiled children of Éire. Meagher’s vision was, as the great historian Dave Emmons said: “The West would not be the place where the Irish were turned into Americans: it would be the place where Americans were turned into Irish.”

Meagher’s tenure as Territorial Governor in Montana was marked by turmoil due to the politics of the times, enflamed by the fervor of the man. Reconstruction-era Montana Territory was a wild and lawless political maelstrom. Outlaws were widespread in these postwar years and they were little worse than the vigilantes who were supposedly protecting the innocent. Additionally, the legislature and the executives were at each other’s throats. While, refugees, many who were Irish Catholics, were pouring in, Meagher’s rhetoric and desire to bring more of these Irish Catholics into the territory was a declaration of war to the Northern Republicans whose ranks were filled with Freemasons and vigilantes. Meagher rallied against their Americanist and anti-Irish attitudes saying they were “vicious bigots – men of small brains and smaller hearts.” The Vigilantes took to spreading rumors about Meagher’s penchant for alcohol, to discredit him. This rancor would only increase as Meagher proceeded with early legislation.

In these wild times, Meagher is given credit for leadership in the progress toward statehood. He called for the second legislative session in the state’s history, and summoned a constitutional convention to meet. Ever the powerful orator, Meagher ignited passion within many people and hate from others.

In the midst of such efforts, Meagher’s colorful career came to a sudden and still unexplained end. On July 1st, 1867, while in Fort Benton, Meagher mysteriously disappeared from a steam ship docked on the Missouri. There are competing theories about what happened. One theory was Meagher, drunk, fell overboard. Another says he was murdered and thrown from the vessel during the night. Masons, vigilantes, and British nationals have all been implicated, though the full story remains unknown. His body was never recovered.

The Irish of Montana have continued to celebrate Meagher. At the state capital in Helena, Montana, the most prominent statue is of Meagher, horseback with

Thomas Meagher was the standard of what is meant to be an Irish patriot

saber held high. The Irish of Montana privately funded this statue and thousands attended its dedication in 1905. Leading up to the Easter Rising and the War for Independence, many prominent leaders came to Montana such as Douglas Hyde, Eamon de Valera, Countess Markievicz, and many others. When Mary MacSwiney came to advocate against the Anglo Irish Treaty on St Patrick’s Day in 1921, her picture was juxtaposed with Meagher in the Anaconda Standard paper. Meagher was a bonafide – the standard of what it meant to be an Irish patriot. The Helena Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians is the Thomas Francis Meagher Division. On June 28, 2009, the A.O.H. erected a statue in Fort Benton of Meagher, another beautiful tribute to the Immortal Irishman.

This year the celebration of the life and legacy of Meagher continues as the Montana based Thomas Francis Meagher Association will be hosting the first MeagherFest. This festival will include a bus tour to Meagher’s cabin in Virginia City, a visit to the historic Fort Benton, and a day-long celebration that will include music, dance, and other cultural events. This exciting festival will take place from June 30 to July 2, in Helena, Montana. We hope you can join us to celebrate this event on the 150th anniversary of Meagher’s disappearance. For more information or to get involved please visit us at