Israel C. O'Neal

Israel Christopher O'Neal (1818 – March 2, 1899) was an American politician and law enforcement official. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1874 to 1875. He rarely used the name Israel, instead identifying himself as "I.C." (which has often been misinterpreted in handwritten records as "J.C.").

Early life O'Neal was born in Frederick, Maryland, to John and Rebecca O'Neal. He was christened at Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Law enforcement and other government service In 1853, O'Neal was elected sheriff of Frederick County, having run as a member of the Whig Party. He served in that office until 1855.

During the Civil War, he was a sutler to a regiment of the Union Army.

In October 1867, he was appointed Assistant Superintendent of Freedman's Village, a position he held until February 1868. He served as the Collector of Taxes for the Northern District of Alexandria in 1868.

He was appointed sheriff of Arlington County, Virginia in April 1869. After a change in law required the sheriff of Arlington County to be elected instead of appointed, he was elected to that office in November 1870 and served for three years, until December 31, 1873.

In April 1874 he was appointed by C. P. Ramsdell to be a Deputy United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia. He held that position into the 1880s.

Politics After the decline of the Whig Party in the late 1850s, O'Neal became involved in Radical Republican politics. He participated in Radical Republican meetings throughout the 1860s and 1870s.

In 1874 O'Neal was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a Republican, representing Alexandria County along with Delegate John B. Syphax.

While in the House of Delegates, he introduced bills to:

prohibit unlawful hunting, fishing, and ranging in Alexandria County; extend the corporate powers of the German Banking Company of Alexandria; incorporate the Virginia Turnpike Company; authorize the Hebrew Congregation of Alexandria to borrow money; and amend the law regarding printing records of the Court of Appeals. He also: advocated against the sale of liquor on Sunday; voted against a resolution protesting the seizure of the Louisiana statehouse by federal officials; was assigned to a special committee to investigate "the whereabouts of certain bonds which should be in the State Treasurer's office but are not"; and presented petitions on behalf of the citizens of Alexandria seeking: an investigation into the alleged monopoly of the steamer Arrow in landing passengers at Mount Vernon; and discretionary powers for the School Board of Alexandria to admit children age seven and under to public schools.

O'Neal was nominated by Alexandria's conservative Republicans to be a candidate for Congress in 1876. He lost the election to Eppa Hunton, a Democrat and former Confederate general.

In 1883 the Republicans of Alexandria again nominated him as a candidate for the Virginia legislature.

Business interests Throughout his life, O'Neal was involved in numerous businesses. The 1850 United States Census listed him in Frederick with the occupation of shoemaker.

O'Neal formed a partnership with Frank E. Corbett in 1874. They purchased a brickworks from John Tucker and Robert Lucas for $7,700 in 1875. The business, known as O'Neal & Corbett, operated where the Gunston Hall Apartments are currently located in Alexandria.

O'Neal also had a real estate business with Samuel H. Lunt, They had nine children, including Lewis I. They divorced in 1859 shortly after the birth of their ninth child.

O'Neal married his second wife, Annie Elizabeth Chandler, on February 18, 1860, in Baltimore. She died two years later, on July 14, 1862, of unknown causes. He married his third wife, Amanda Entwistle, on September 3, 1863, in Washington, D.C.

He died on March 2, 1899, at his home at 911 Prince Street in Alexandria. The administration of his estate took more than 10 years, after it was determined that he was insolvent at the time of his death.

He was a member of the Sons of Temperance and a noted orator on the subject of temperance.