Representative Luther Reily

Luther Reily (October 17, 1794 – February 20, 1854) was an American physician, local officeholder, and Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was born in Myerstown, Pennsylvania, then part of Dauphin County (later Lebanon County), where he spent his early years before pursuing professional training in medicine. Little is recorded about his family background or early schooling, but his subsequent medical career indicates that he received the customary education and apprenticeship required for physicians in the early nineteenth century.

Reily studied medicine in Pennsylvania at a time when formal medical schools were only beginning to emerge and most practitioners were trained through apprenticeships with established physicians. After completing his medical studies, he settled in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the state capital, where he began the practice of medicine. Harrisburg’s growing importance as a political and administrative center provided opportunities for professional advancement, and Reily established himself as a practicing physician in the community.

During the War of 1812, Reily rendered military service in the Pennsylvania Volunteers, reflecting the widespread mobilization of state militia units during the conflict. He first served as a private in Captain R. M. Crane’s company of Pennsylvania Volunteers from August 3 to September 7, 1814. Following this initial enlistment, he continued his service in a medical capacity, acting as surgeon’s mate in Major General R. Watson’s company from September 7 to December 5, 1814. His role as surgeon’s mate combined his medical training with military duty and placed him within the medical support structure of the state’s forces during the latter stages of the war.

After the war, Reily returned to Harrisburg and resumed his medical practice, becoming a well-known physician in the area. In addition to his professional work, he held various local offices, participating in the civic life of Harrisburg and Dauphin County. These local responsibilities, though not extensively documented by title, helped establish his reputation as a public-spirited citizen and provided the foundation for his later entry into national politics.

Reily was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth Congress, representing Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Twenty-fifth Congress convened from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1839, during the administration of President Martin Van Buren and a period marked by the Panic of 1837 and debates over banking, currency, and internal improvements. As a Democratic member, Reily aligned with the party that had grown out of the Jacksonian movement, generally supporting limited federal government and states’ rights, although the specific details of his committee assignments and legislative initiatives are not extensively recorded in surviving contemporary sources.

At the conclusion of his congressional term, Reily did not remain in national office but instead returned to Harrisburg and resumed the practice of his profession as a physician. He continued to live and work in the city, maintaining his role in local affairs and medical practice through the mid-nineteenth century. Luther Reily died in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on February 20, 1854. He was interred in Harrisburg Cemetery, a principal burial ground for many of the city’s prominent citizens, reflecting his standing in the community he had served in both professional and public capacities.