Thomas Lawrence Reilly (September 20, 1858 – July 6, 1924) was a

U.S. Representative 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

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Biography

Born in

New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol ...

, Reilly attended the common schools and was graduated from the Connecticut State Normal School in 1876. He served as assistant town clerk of New Britain in 1876. He moved with his parents to

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden ( ) is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planni ...

, in 1877. He studied law for a year. He was employed as a bookkeeper for several years. He engaged as a newspaper correspondent until 1886. He was one of the founders of the Meriden Journal in 1886 and became the city editor. He served as member of the Meriden Board of Education 1896–1903. He served as chairman of the town committee in 1900. He served as mayor of Meriden 1906–1912. Reilly was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Sixty-second and Sixty-third Congresses (March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1914 to the Sixty-fourth Congress. He was employed in the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

in 1916 and 1917. While representing Connecticut in the Sixty-second Congress Reilly authored section 5 of the appropriations bill that limited postal workers 8-hour shifts to be spread out over no more than 10 hour spans. This was known as the Reilly Eight in Ten Law. Reilly was elected sheriff of New Haven County in 1918. He was reelected and served until his death in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, July 6, 1924. He was interred in Sacred Heart Cemetery,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, Thomas Lawrence 1858 births 1924 deaths Connecticut sheriffs Mayors of places in Connecticut Politicians from Meriden, Connecticut Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives