John Harrington Farley (February 5, 1846 – February 9, 1922), also known as "Honest John" Farley, was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

of the

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who served as the 27th and 34th

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Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, from 1883 to 1884 and from 1899 to 1900.

Early life and career

John Farley was born on February 5, 1846, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Patrick and Ann ( Schwartz) Farley. His father had been born in

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 ...

, and emigrated to the United States, settling in Cleveland in 1833. He won the city commission for all mail and express freight arriving in Cleveland, which made him a wealthy man. His mother had been born in the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German ...

, and emigrated to the United States with her farmer father, John. The Farley family was a large one. Farley was educated in Cleveland's public schools. He left school before the age of 16 to take over the wholesale grocery and liquor business owned by his elder brother, Andrew, who had died. After winding up the business, he partnered with James Farnan to found a brass foundry. Farley later took a business school course, and for a time worked as an accountant and bookkeeper. After his father's death in June 1883, Farley became a wealthy man. Farley began his political career in 1871 when he was elected to

Cleveland City Council Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Ci ...

as a Democrat and served three terms—one of them as council president. After twice running unsuccessfully, Farley was elected mayor of Cleveland in 1883. After serving one term in office, he was appointed collector of internal revenue by

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Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

. He served four years. Farley was made Cleveland's director of public works by Mayor Robert Blee in the spring of 1893. Farley ran for mayor again in 1899, defeating the incumbent Republican, Robert E. McKisson. In his tenure as mayor, Farley had to request the state militia to support Cleveland police in maintaining order during the streetcar strike in 1899. Farley retired from the mayor's office in 1901. His successor was progressive

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, Tom L. Johnson, regarded by many as Cleveland's greatest mayor. After his mayorship, Farley made a career in business and played a part in the founding of the Central National Bank. He was elected president of the Mutual Building & Investment Co., and a director of the Guardian Savings and Trust Co.

Personal life and death

Farley married Margaret Kenney of Cleveland on November 23, 1884. She died of pneumonia on February 17, 1901, after a long battle with influenza. Farley suffered a stroke in

Public Square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

in downtown Cleveland while riding in a

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

on the evening of February 9, 1922. He died in an ambulance en route to the Huron Road Hospital. He was buried at

Woodland Cemetery Woodland Cemetery may refer to: * Woodland cemetery, a type of cemetery or it may refer to specific places: in Sweden * Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) in Stockholm, Sweden in the United States (by state) * Woodland Cemetery (Quincy, I ...

in Cleveland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farley, John H. 1846 births 1922 deaths Mayors of Cleveland Cleveland City Council members American people of German descent American people of Irish descent Burials at Woodland Cemetery (Cleveland)