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South Market Street Bridge Dedicated in Honor of Senator John E. Reilly, Sr.
"... when he was called on to speak he just shifted that cigar and spoke from the heart."
-- Columnist Bill Frank on the death of his friend, Senator John E. Reilly, Sr. , Wilmington Evening Journal, February 28, 1963
In many ways, John F. "Jack" Reilly, Sr., was the quintessential Wilmingtonian, working his way, with seemingly boundless energy, through several distinguished careers. Born and raised on South Claymont Street, he and his wife Alice made their home at 436 South Heald Street until his death in 1963. In this home they raised eight children.
Reilly first worked right here on the Riverfront as a machinist with the Morton J Poole Company and then with the Dupont Company. From 1921 until his retirement in 1942, he served as an engineer with the Wilmington Bureau of Fire -- an era later recalled by newsmen reporting on his legislative activities, when they referred to him as "the fire-eater." In 1942, he retired from the Bureau of Fire and resumed his machinist trade on the Riverfront, this time with Harlan and Hollingsworth.
But in 1944 he entered the Delaware State House of Representatives and found his true calling: advocate of the working men and women of Delaware. From 1948 until his death in 1963, he represented the Second Senatorial District (encompassing all of Wilmington south of 8th Street) in the roles of State Senate Whip, Majority Leader, and Senate Pro Tempore. Reilly chaired or served on major committees such as Labor, Judiciary, Executive, Public Welfare, Corporations and Elections, and sponsored or supported volumes of legislation to improve police and fire services, state parks, school construction, teachers' salaries, unemployment benefits, worker compensation, consumer protection, and minimum wage increases. He championed all these causes long before it was fashionable.
Right: Senator Reilly holding the shillelagh, an Irish fighting stick, presented to him by Lieutenant Governor Alexis I. Dupont Bayard, a fitting tribute to this legislative champion of the working class. Through legislation, Senator Reilly fought for the rights of older workers, people with mental and physical disabilities, orphaned children, veterans and recipients of public assistance. He consistently opposed state sales taxes, believing that the poorest citizens would be the hardest hit.
Senator Reilly respected all peoples. While serving on the Judiciary Committee, he worked to promote judicial appointments that fairly represented everyone in Delaware's diverse population. |