city, seat (1873) of McPherson county, central Kansas, U.S. Laid out in 1872 on the Santa Fe Trail, it was named for James B. McPherson, a Union general killed in the American Civil War. The city is now a processing and shipping point for nearby oil fields and the surrounding diversified agricultural area. Industries include oil refining, flour milling, and the manufacture of aluminum products, plastic pipe, and mobile homes. It is the seat of McPherson College (1887), with a museum displaying the world's first synthetic diamond, and Central Christian College (1884). McPherson State Fishing Lake and Maxwell Wildlife Refuge are nearby. Inc. 1874. Pop. (1990) 12,422; (2000) 13,770.