John B. Reilly (May 18, 1870 – November 15, 1928) was the first
Mayor of Miami.
John B. Reilly was born in Connecticut on May 18, 1870. In 1886, he became a shipping clerk in
Branford, Connecticut
Branford is a shoreline town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, about east of downtown New Haven. The population was 28,273 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a to ...
. He moved to Florida in 1893 accepting the position of bookkeeper and cashier for the firm of McQuire & McDonald, who contracted with
Henry M. Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founde ...
and built his hotels. He was then appointed as a manager of
Florida East Coast Railway in 1896 and acted as company spokesman in Miami, Florida. The city was incorporated shortly after his arrival and due to his key role with the
Florida East Coast Railway he was elected mayor in 1896 serving four consecutive 1 year terms.
On August 7, 1896, the Reillys welcomed the birth of their son, Joseph Albert Reilly, the first white baby born in the new city of Miami.
Reilly served as United States Commissioner for the southern district of Florida being appointed in 1897.
In March, 1914, he became associated with the developments of
James Deering
James Deering (November 12, 1859 – September 21, 1925) was an American executive in the management of his family's Deering Harvester Company and later International Harvester, as well as a socialite and an antiquities collector. He built ...
's Summer House
Villa Vizcaya and acted as financial agent until 1921. He was director of the Bank of Bay Biscayne, a business that several other city mayors including J.E. Lummus and
E.C Romfh were involved with. He was director of Reilly, Stoms & Paxton and a director of Miami Realty Corporation.
See also
*
List of mayors of Miami
Below is a list of Mayors of the City of Miami, Florida, United States.
List of mayors
See also
* Government of the City of Miami
*
* Timeline of Miami
* List of mayors of Miami-Dade County, Florida, 1964–present
* Miami City Hall
Re ...
*
Government of Miami
The government of the city of Miami, Florida is organized under the City Charter, which provides for a mayor-commissioner form of city government.
Organization
City Commission and Mayor
The Mayor of Miami, currently Francis X. Suarez, is the ...
*
History of Miami
Thousands of years before Europeans arrived, a large portion of south east Florida, including the area where Miami, Florida exists today, was inhabited by Tequestas. The Tequesta (also Tekesta, Tegesta, Chequesta, Vizcaynos) Native American trib ...
*
Timeline of Miami
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
1870 births
Mayors of Miami
Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut
1928 deaths
People from Branford, Connecticut
{{Miami-stub