Col. Dan Hugh McLean is dead. “The silver tongued orator of the Cape Fear,” as he was admirably known to his thousands of friends throughout the State of North Carolina died at his home in Lillington early Sunday morning. His death came unexpected, and news of his death was heard by thousands of his friends with sadness and sorrow.
Dan Hugh McLean was a leading lawyer, a leading statesman, a leading citizen, a fighter for the principals for which he stood, a Democrat. In Harnett county col. Dan Hugh had been known and loved and admired as no other statesman and politician. Wherever he went his influence was felt, wherever he worked this power was manifest, wherever he associated his personality made friends. It has not been long since he was the “war horse” of the Democratic party in Harnett. In Democracy lay his life work, in the principles for which his political party stood lay the ambition, the ideals, of Col. Dan Hugh McLean.
The school of political leaders to which Dan Hugh McLean belonged is past. When he lived and was in his prime as a fighter for the principles of the Democratic party, the power of the party rested in silver tonged oratory, vividness of language, glory of deed and act. It was in this type of oratory that Col. McLean excelled. Many fiery and brilliant speeches did this Democratic war horse deliver in his day, and the influence of his work is felt even yet. In his day the power of a beautiful language and brilliant oratory was at its height, and Dr. Hugh McLean was a leader of the school, with all its glory. The new school, as the News and Observer explains it, “matter of fact, business-like, coldly logical, conversation of the man who relies on facts and the rule of reason for carrying his point,” came after Mr. McLean had retired from the firing line. Perhaps if he had lived in this age he would not have been the great man that he was. Perhaps! Certainly he was of different calibre, of different ideals and reasoning, but Col. McLean would have been great in any period. He was a fighter for all that he believed was right, and as a fighter he was unconquerable.
The victories and achievements won by Harnett’s famous citizen were numerous and various. The majority of his life he spent in working for others, in putting other men across with the same ideals for which he stood. In work of this nature he was fearless and powerful. He never believed there was such a word as defeat, and if defeat did come, he was of the calibre to take it as it should be taken. That was Dan Hugh, and that was how he lived.
In Dunn he was widely known, loved, honored, admired. Sunday when the news came to the city that Harnett’s great citizen had passed away the gloom that must have enveloped his home town of Lillington was felt equally here. Hundreds of people here, as thousands of people out over the state, were made sad by the unexpected news.
From the lead editorial in The Dunn Dispatch, Monday, July 12, 1921
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