James Bernard Reilly
Encyclopedia
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
James B. Reilly was born in Pinedale, Pennsylvania. He attended the public schools and was graduated from the Bunker Hill School
Bunker Hill School
Bunker Hill School is a historic school at 68 Baldwin Street in Charlestown, Massachusetts, a neighborhood of Boston.The school was designed by James Rand in 1866 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987....
in Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pottsville is the only city in and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, north-west of Philadelphia...
, in 1862. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1869 and commenced practice in Pottsville. He was district attorney of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....
, from 1871 to 1875.
Reilly was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth
44th United States Congress
The Forty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1875 to March 4, 1877, during the seventh and...
and Forty-fifth
45th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:-Leadership:-Senate:*President: William A. Wheeler *President pro tempore: Thomas W. Ferry -House of Representatives:*Speaker: Samuel J. Randall -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
Congresses. He resumed the practice of law in Pottsville. He was a delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention
1880 Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention of 1880 met June 22 to 24 of that year, at the Cincinnati Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio. George Hoadly served as temporary chairman and John W. Stevenson served as permanent president. Delegates nominated Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania for President of the...
. He was an unsuccessful candidate for law judge of Schuylkill County in 1881 and again in 1882, and an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election in 1884 to the Forty-ninth Congress.
Reilly was again elected to the Fifty-first
51st United States Congress
The Fifty-first United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...
, Fifty-second
52nd United States Congress
The Fifty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...
, and Fifty-third
53rd United States Congress
The Fifty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1893 to March 4, 1895, during the fifth and sixth...
Congresses. He served as chairman on the United States House Committee on Pacific Railroads during the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894. He served as United States marshal for the eastern district of Pennsylvania from 1896 to 1900. He again resumed the practice of law in Pottsville and was an unsuccessful candidate for justice of the superior court in 1913. He died in Pottsville in 1924. Interment in St. Patrick’s No. 3 Cemetery.