Ramsey County History – Spring 1973: “A Revolutionary, a Scientist, and a Civil Rights Leader: 300 Years of Pioneering for St. Paul’s Colorful Markoes”        

A Revolutionary, a Scientist, and a Civil Rights Leader: 300 Years of Pioneering for St. Paul’s Colorful Markoes                                                                                                                 Author: Jeffrey H. Smith

The Markoes, originally Huguenots, had a long history in colonial America before William Markoe arrived in St. Paul in 1856. He dealt in real estate, served on the city council, and ran a Catholic school. William Markoe was also the state’s first aeronaut, making a balloon ascent in September 1857 north of downtown and coming to rest in Anoka County. William’s grandson, John Markoe, attended West Point, playing on the football team with Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley. He served along the Mexican border during the Mexican Revolution, and was cashiered for drunkenness, went into business in St. Paul, returned to the military, and then turned to the priesthood. Ordained a Jesuit in 1928, he worked in St. Louis and Omaha, giving special attention to civil rights. His special vehicle was the De Porres Club, involved in all the great civil rights struggles of the 1940s and ‘50s.
PDF of Smith article