John Reilly (February 22, 1836 – April 19, 1904) was a Democratic member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Biography

John Reilly was born in Abnerville,

Indiana County, Pennsylvania Indiana County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the west central part of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,246. Its county seat is Indiana. Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Mi ...

. He received home instruction and attended the public schools. He entered the service of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

, on April 10, 1854. He was appointed superintendent of transportation April 1, 1865. Furthermore, he served until his resignation in 1875, having been elected to Congress. He served as president of the Bells Gap Railroad from 1871 to 1873 and president of the board of city commissioners of

Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona ( ) is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, w ...

, in 1872 and 1873. He was married to Anna Lloyd. Their daughter, Marion Reilly, was a famous education leader. Reilly was elected as a Democrat in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1876 Events January * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. *January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts. February * Febr ...

. He again served as superintendent of transportation of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and served from 1877 until his resignation in 1885. He moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1881.He was interested in various business enterprises. Reilly died in Philadelphia in 1904 and was interred in

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is in size, and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in nearby Philadelphia. ...

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

.John Reilly
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Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fr ...

''. Accessed August 29, 2007.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
1836 births 1904 deaths People from Indiana County, Pennsylvania Politicians from Altoona, Pennsylvania 19th-century American railroad executives Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub