James Reilly (March 28, 1835 – July 9, 1909) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was the sixth

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Early life

Reilly was born in 1835 in Napierville, Quebec, to immigrant parents from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. In Quebec he became an architect and builder before going to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, in 1882, then to Calgary in 1883. In Calgary he became actively involved with the local community. He played a key part in organizing a citizens group concerned about the location of the railway station that was built in Calgary. While proprietor of the Royal Hotel, he organized the first civic committee meeting on January 4, 1884. This was the first step leading to Calgary's municipal incorporation later that year.

Political life

Reilly continually sought opportunities for political positions throughout his time in Calgary, although only succeeding at the local level as councillor and mayor for Calgary. Reilly ran for mayor in Calgary's second municipal election in January 1886, and lost the popular vote to incumbent George Murdoch.

Stipendiary magistrate Stipendiary magistrates were magistrates that were paid for their work (they received a stipend). They existed in the judiciaries of the United Kingdom and those of several former British territories, where they sat in the lowest-level criminal ...

Jeremiah Travis overturned the result of the January 1886 election on weak charges of corruption by Murdoch, and appointed Reilly the mayor of Calgary. Murdoch would not accept Travis' order and both parties attempted to govern the town, leading to dysfunction and the absence of local government until the federal government reorganized the Northwest Territories governance, suspended Travis and a new election was organized for November 1886. Neither Reilly or Murdoch would contest the November 1886 election. The City of Calgary recognizes Murdoch as the elected mayor in January 1886. Reilly would later be elected town councillor in

1890 Events January * January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa. * January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House. * January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...

, and subsequently be elected Calgary's sixth mayor in 1891. Reilly served one term as mayor, and was again elected as a councillor in

1892 In Samoa, this was the only leap year spanned to 367 days as July 4 repeated. This means that the International Date Line was drawn from the east of the country to go west. Events January * January 1 – Ellis Island begins processing imm ...

. After serving one term as councillor, Reilly would remain out of municipal politics until second election as mayor in

1898 Events January * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queen ...

Territorial election attempts

Reilly would contest several Northwest Territory general elections, including the

1894 Events January * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United States. * Ja ...

and 1902 Northwest Territories general election in the constituency of East Calgary. Reilly would never garner more than 22 per cent of the vote, or finish better than third.

Federal election attempt

James Reilly would contest the 1891 Canadian federal election for the Alberta (Provisional District), losing by a considerable margin to Donald Watson Davis. In an advertisement in the February 28, 1891 Edmonton Bulletin, Reilly would explain his platform which was primarily focused on having Alberta become a province in Confederation. Reilly would also support greater trade through railways with the United States, local options for liquor prohibition, greater commercial development in

Banff, Alberta Banff is a resort town in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Calgary, east of Lake Louise, Alberta, Lake Louise, and above Banff was the first municipality to incorporate within ...

, removal of the Sarcee people for urban expansion, and supported the claims of

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

people for recognition from the government. While it is noted by historians that Reilly was a member of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

, and he was supported in his election by future Liberal Member of Parliament Frank Oliver, Reilly noted in an advertisement in the Edmonton Bulletin that he is "''a Conservative and supporter of that policy of Sir John A. Macdonald that has built up the financial credit of Canada...''".

Later life

In October 1899, Reilly left Calgary and traveled extensively. He retired in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, where he died on July 9, 1909, from

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

. His death came as a shock to many, as his condition had been seemingly improving. He was later interred in Calgary. After his death, it was said that "to write the life of the late James Reilly is to rewrite the history of Calgary." Reilly was married to May Watts.

Sources

*Frederick Hunter
THE MAYORS AND COUNCILS OF THE CORPORATION OF CALGARY

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, James 1835 births 1909 deaths Mayors of Calgary Canadian people of Irish descent Deaths from influenza Infectious disease deaths in British Columbia Politicians from Montérégie Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia 19th-century mayors of places in Alberta