He was born at
Matamoros, Mexico, on May 1, 1826. His parents were immigrants from
Ireland, who settled in
Mexico, where his father became a merchant. After his father's death, his mother relocated to
Brooklyn.
McCue graduated from
Columbia College in 1845, studied law with the Brooklyn firm of John Greenwood and
Harmanus B. Duryea, was admitted to the bar, and began a practice in Brooklyn. From 1851 to 1852 he served as an Assistant District Attorney in
Kings County.[1]
In 1861 to 1862 and 1867 to 1868 he was Brooklyn's
Corporation Counsel, and from 1870 to 1885 was a
Judge of the City Court.[2]
From 1885 to 1888 McCue served as Solicitor of the Treasury.[3]