James Reilly (March 28, 1835 – July 9, 1909) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was the sixth

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Early life

Reilly was born in 1835 in

Napierville, Quebec Napierville is a municipality in the Jardins de Napierville Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada, situated in the Montérégie administrative region. The population as of the 2021 Canadian Census was 4,020. It is the location of the ...

to immigrant parents from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In Quebec he became an architect and builder before going to

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

in 1882, then to Calgary in 1883. In Calgary he became actively involved with the local community. He played a key part in organizing a citizens group concerned about the location of the railway station that was built in Calgary. While proprietor of the Royal Hotel, he organized the first civic committee meeting on January 4, 1884. This was the first step leading to Calgary's municipal incorporation later that year.

Political life

Reilly continually sought opportunities for political positions throughout his time in Calgary, although only succeeding at the local level as Councillor and Mayor for Calgary. Reilly ran for mayor in Calgary's second municipal election in January 1886, and lost the popular vote to incumbent

George Murdoch George Murdoch (April 29, 1850 – February 2, 1910) was a Canadian politician, Alberta pioneer, saddle-maker, and the first mayor of Calgary, Alberta. Early life George Murdoch was born in Paisley, Scotland, on April 29, 1850, and at the age o ...

Stipendiary Magistrate Stipendiary magistrates were magistrates that were paid for their work (they received a stipend). They existed in the judiciaries of the United Kingdom and those of several former British territories, where they sat in the lowest-level criminal ...

Jeremiah Travis Jeremiah Travis (January 21, 1830 – April 27, 1911) was a Canadian politician and attorney. He was a member of the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories in the 1880s, serving as stipendiary magistrate. He was an attorney and judge. Trav ...

overturned the result of the January 1886 election on weak charges of corruption by Murdoch, and appointed Reilly the Mayor of Calgary. Murdoch would not accept Travis' order and both parties attempted to govern the town, leading to dysfunction and the absence of local government until the federal government reorganized the Northwest Territories governance, suspended Travis and a new election was organized for November 1886. Neither Reilly or Murdoch would contest the November 1886 election. The City of Calgary recognizes Murdoch as the elected mayor in January 1886. Reilly would later be elected Town Councillor in

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

, and subsequently be elected Calgary's sixth mayor in 1891. Reilly served one term as mayor, and was again elected as a councillor in

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

. After serving one term as councillor, Reilly would remain out of municipal politics until second election as mayor in

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

Territorial election attempts

Reilly would contest several Northwest Territory general elections, including the 1894,

and 1902 Northwest Territories general election in the constituency of

East Calgary Calgary East was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1953, 1979 to 1988, from 1997 to 2015. It was a lower income urban riding in Calgary, with a sizable visible min ...

. Reilly would never garner more than 22 per cent of the vote, or finish better than third.

Federal election attempt

James Reilly would contest the

1891 Canadian federal election The 1891 Canadian federal election was held on March 5, 1891, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 7th Parliament of Canada. It was won by the Conservative Party of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. The main issue of th ...

for the

Alberta (Provisional District) Alberta (Provisional District) was a federal electoral district in the Northwest Territories, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1887 to 1908. History The Alberta Provisional District was created in 1886 when the ...

, losing by a considerable margin to

Donald Watson Davis Donald Watson Davis (November 23, 1849 – June 4, 1906) was a politician from Northwest Territories, Canada. Born in Londonderry, Vermont, he served in the Union army during the U.S. Civil War. He came west and then north to southern Alberta ...

. In an advertisement in the February 28, 1891

Edmonton Bulletin The ''Edmonton Bulletin'' was a newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta, published from 1880 until January 20, 1951. It was founded by Edmonton pioneer Frank Oliver, a future Liberal politician and cabinet minister in the Canadian Government. Oliver co-f ...

, Reilly would explain his platform which was primarily focused on having Alberta become a province in Confederation. Reilly would also support greater trade through railways with the United States, local options for liquor prohibition, greater commercial development in

Banff, Alberta Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise. At above Banff is the community with the second highest e ...

, removal of the Sarcee people for urban expansion, and supported the claims of

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

people for recognition from the government. While it is noted by historians that Reilly was a member of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

, and he was supported in his election by future Liberal Member of Parliament Frank Oliver, Reilly noted in an advertisement in the Edmonton Bulletin that he is "''a Conservative and supporter of that policy of Sir

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

that has built up the financial credit of Canada...''".

Later life

In October 1899, Reilly left Calgary and traveled extensively. He retired in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

, where he died on July 9, 1909 from

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

. His death came as a shock to many, as his condition had been seemingly improving. He was later interred in Calgary. After his death, it was said that "to write the life of the late James Reilly is to rewrite the history of Calgary." Reilly was married to May Watts.

Sources

*Frederick Hunter
THE MAYORS AND COUNCILS OF THE CORPORATION OF CALGARY

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, James 1835 births 1909 deaths Mayors of Calgary Canadian people of Irish descent Deaths from influenza Infectious disease deaths in British Columbia People from Montérégie Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia 19th-century Canadian politicians