John G. Breslin was a Democratic politician from the

U.S. State In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He was elected to the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

, and was

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

at age 24. He later was

Ohio State Treasurer The treasurer of the U.S. state of Ohio is responsible for collecting and safeguarding taxes and fees, as well as managing state investments. The Treasury was located in the Ohio Statehouse from 1861 to 1974, when it was moved to the Rhodes Stat ...

and in the railroad business.

Biography

Breslin was born at

Lebanon, Pennsylvania Lebanon ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lebanon was founded by George Steitz in 1740 and was originally named ...

in about 1824. Both his parents died when he was about three years old, and he was adopted by a family named McKissen. They moved to

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

when John was a boy, and he decided to make his own way at age 12. At age 12, Breslin walked to

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, where he hired on as a printers apprentice to

Samuel Medary Samuel Medary (February 25, 1801 – November 7, 1864) was an American newspaper owner and politician. Biography Born and raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, he settled in Bethel, Ohio, in 1825. After a term in the Ohio House of Represent ...

, editor of the ''Columbus Statesman'', a Democratic paper. He applied his time to work and study for six years. In 1842, Colonel Medary received a letter from Democrats in

Tiffin, Ohio Tiffin is a city in Seneca County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Developed along the Sandusky River, Tiffin is located about southeast of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 17,953 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, asking him to recommend a young man to edit a Democratic paper in their city, and Medary recommended Breslin. Breslin published the first edition of the ''Seneca Advertiser'' May 6, 1842, and he continued with the paper until 1854. Breslin was elected to the

in 1848, and was re-elected in 1849. In 1848 he was selected by his peers as Speaker of the House at age 24. In 1851, Ohio adopted a new constitution. The office of

became elective, and Breslin ran against the Whig incumbent

Albert A. Bliss Albert Asahel Bliss (25 March 1812 – 14 May 1893) was a Whig politician from the U.S. State of Ohio. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives and was the Ohio State Treasurer for five years. Biography Albert A. Bliss was born March 25, ...

, and won office. While Breslin was Treasurer in Columbus, he met and married Anna C. Borland of

Lancaster, Ohio Lancaster ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, and its county seat. The population was 40,552 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Ohio, Ohio's 30th largest city, having surpassed Warren, Ohio, Warren and Fin ...

. He was re-elected in 1853, but lost to Republican William H. Gibson in 1855 while seeking a third term.Bell, 1876 : 121, 125 Gibson was a fellow Tiffin resident, and was related by marriage to Breslin. Breslin served until the second Monday of January, 1856, and then moved back to Tiffin. In June, 1857, Gibson was forced to resign, when it became public that Breslin had left the Treasury several hundred thousand dollars short at the end of his term. Breslin assured Gibson the money would be made good. Gibson was found guilty of nothing more than being too trusting. Breslin removed to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

to avoid the unpleasantness. the runaway state treasurer July 12, 1858

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

After residing in Lancaster, Ohio for a year and a half, Breslin and his wife moved to

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell County, West Virginia, Cabell and Wayne County, West Virginia, Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The County seat, seat of Cabell County, the city is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, O ...

in 1871, where he was general ticket agent for the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...

. He worked there until his death February 22, 1889.

References

External links

Breslin Treasury defalcation March 12, 1859
in

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breslin, John G. 1824 births 1889 deaths 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Politicians from Columbus, Ohio Politicians from Huntington, West Virginia People from Tiffin, Ohio Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives State treasurers of Ohio People from Lebanon, Pennsylvania Politicians from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania Politicians from Dayton, Ohio 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers Journalists from Ohio Journalists from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly