Representative James Bernard Reilly

James Bernard Reilly (August 12, 1845 – May 14, 1924) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania who served multiple nonconsecutive terms in Congress between 1875 and 1895. A prominent lawyer and public official from Schuylkill County, he was active in state and national Democratic politics and held several important legal and federal appointments over the course of his career.

Reilly was born in Pinedale, Pennsylvania, on August 12, 1845. He was raised in the anthracite coal region of Schuylkill County and attended the local public schools. He completed his early education at the Bunker Hill School in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1862. Coming of age during the Civil War era, he pursued legal studies in the years that followed and prepared for a career in the law.

After reading law, Reilly was admitted to the bar in 1869 and commenced the practice of law in Pottsville. He quickly established himself in local legal and political circles and was elected district attorney of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, serving from 1871 to 1875. His tenure as district attorney brought him public recognition and provided the foundation for his subsequent election to national office.

Reilly entered Congress as a Democrat with his election to the Forty-fourth Congress, beginning his first period of service in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1875. He was reelected to the Forty-fifth Congress, serving continuously during these two terms. In the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history marked by the later years of Reconstruction and the nation’s economic and industrial expansion. Representing his Pennsylvania constituency, he took part in debates and votes affecting both his district and the broader national interest. After leaving Congress at the close of the Forty-fifth Congress, he resumed the practice of law in Pottsville.

Remaining active in Democratic Party affairs, Reilly served as a delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention, reflecting his continuing influence within the party at the state and national levels. He sought judicial office as a candidate for law judge of Schuylkill County in 1881 and again in 1882, but was unsuccessful in both campaigns. He also ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic candidate for election to the Forty-ninth Congress in 1884, demonstrating his ongoing ambition to return to federal legislative service.

Reilly was again elected to Congress as a Democrat to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses, returning to the U.S. House of Representatives for a second extended period of service. During these later terms, which brought his total congressional service to five terms between 1875 and 1895, he played a more prominent role in committee work. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Pacific Railroads during the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses, a position that placed him at the center of legislative oversight and policy concerning the development and regulation of rail transportation to and across the Pacific region. His work on this committee coincided with a time of intense national interest in railroad expansion, federal land grants, and the economic integration of western territories. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894, which ended his final term in Congress in 1895.

Following his congressional service, Reilly continued his public career in federal law enforcement. He was appointed United States marshal for the eastern district of Pennsylvania, serving from 1896 to 1900. In this capacity he was responsible for the execution of federal court orders and the administration of various aspects of federal law within the district. After completing his term as U.S. marshal, he again resumed the practice of law in Pottsville, maintaining his longstanding professional base in his home community. He remained engaged in public life and was an unsuccessful candidate for justice of the superior court of Pennsylvania in 1913.

James Bernard Reilly spent his later years in Pottsville, where he continued to be identified with the legal profession and Democratic politics until his death. He died in Pottsville on May 14, 1924. He was interred in St. Patrick’s No. 3 Cemetery, closing a life marked by repeated service to his county, his state, and the nation in both elective and appointive office.