John Walker Ryon (March 4, 1825 – March 12, 1901) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

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, ...

Biography

John W. Ryon was born in Elkland, Pennsylvania on March 4, 1825. He attended the common schools, Millville Academy in

Orleans County, New York Orleans County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,343. The county seat is Albion. The county received its name at the insistence of Nehemiah Ingersoll though historians ...

, and Wellsboro Academy in

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Wellsboro is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The borough was founded by Benjamin Wistar Morris. It is located northwest of Williamsport. The population was 3,472 at the 2020 census. Early in the 20th century, Wellsboro was the shipp ...

. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1847, and open a law practice in

Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania Lawrenceville is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The population was 690 at the 2020 census. Geography Lawrenceville is located at (41.996564, -77.125159). It is at the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 287 and Pennsylvania Route 49. ...

. From 1850 to 1856, he served as district attorney of

Tioga County, Pennsylvania Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812. ...

. During 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 ...

, Ryon assisted with the organization of Company A of the famous Bucktail Regiment, and was then appointed by Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin as

paymaster A paymaster is someone appointed by a group of buyers, sellers, investors or lenders to receive, hold, and dispense funds, commissions, fees, salaries (remuneration) or other trade, loan, or sales proceeds within the private sector or public secto ...

with the rank of major in the reserve corps. Post-war, he moved to

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of th ...

, and resumed the practice of law. Ryon was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-sixth Congress. He served as president of the Pennsylvania National Bank for several years.

Death and interment

Ryon died in Pottsville on March 12, 1901, and was interred in St. Patrick's (No. 3) Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-14
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryon, John Walker 1825 births 1901 deaths Politicians from Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Union Army soldiers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Reserves 19th-century American politicians