John A. Wiley (September 3, 1843 – December 28, 1909) was a Pennsylvania business executive,

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

veteran, and

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

officer who attained the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

as commander of the organization now known as the 28th Infantry Division.

Biography

John Alexander Wiley was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

on September 3, 1843. He was educated in Pittsburgh, and in 1861 joined the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

for the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, enlisting as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Company C,

8th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment The 8th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 37th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army as part of the Pennsylvania Reserves infantry division during the American Civil War. ...

. This organization was mustered into federal service as the 37th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and Wiley attained the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

while taking part in numerous battles, including

Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

, before receiving his discharge in 1864. After his discharge, Wiley was assigned to Camp Reynolds, near Pittsburgh, where he served as chief

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

clerk until the end of the war in 1865. After the war, Wiley moved to Venango County to begin a career in the oil industry, and he was employed at different times as a pipeline manager and operator of refineries and other oil-related facilities. Wiley returned to military service in 1871, when he enlisted as a private in the Oil City Grays, a Venango County unit of the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 pe ...

. He soon received promotion to First Sergeant, and in 1873 he received his commission as a captain and became commander of the Oil City Grays. He became

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

al commander of the Venango Grays as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1876, and this organization was subsequently designated the 16th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. In 1886 Wiley was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and assigned to command the Pennsylvania National Guard's 2nd Brigade. Wiley was active in local politics and government, and served as Mayor of

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

in 1894 and 1895. He also served as principal of the high school in Franklin and as Franklin's school superintendent. In 1898 Wiley volunteered for the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

, and he commanded 2nd Division, First Corps. Wiley was promoted to

in 1907 and assigned as commander of the Pennsylvania Division, the organization now known as the 28th Infantry Division. He served until retiring from the military in 1909. He was succeeded by Wendell P. Bowman. He died in Franklin on December 28, 1909, and was buried at Franklin Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, John A. 1843 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American businesspeople in the oil industry American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials in Pennsylvania American militia generals Military personnel from Pittsburgh National Guard (United States) officers Pennsylvania Reserves People from Franklin, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War United States Army generals Union Army soldiers