Henry O'Reilly facts for kids

Henry O'Reilly (born February 6, 1806 – died August 17, 1886) was an important Irish-American businessman. He was also a pioneer in the world of telegraphy. He helped connect people across long distances.

Henry O'Reilly's Early Life

Henry O'Reilly was born in Carrickmacross, Ireland, in 1806. When he was ten years old, he moved to New York City with his father. There, he changed the spelling of his last name to O'Rielly.

Later, Henry moved to Rochester, New York, with his friend Luther Tucker. They started a newspaper called the Rochester Daily Advertiser. Henry was also involved in politics. He supported President Andrew Jackson's ideas. Because of this, he was appointed to work at the Rochester post office. He chose a young Scottish immigrant, James D. Reid, as his helper. In 1830, Henry married Marcia Brooks. Her father was Micah Brooks.

Helping His Community

Henry O'Reilly cared a lot about his community. He was one of the people in Rochester who wanted to make the Erie Canal better. The canal was very important for trade. Henry believed that borrowing money was necessary to improve it. Many people at the time thought borrowing money was wrong.

He also worked hard to improve education. In 1841, he pushed for a change in Rochester's city rules. This change would support free public education for everyone. Before this, many people thought only rich kids should go to school. Henry was elected to the new Board of Education. He also helped create the Young Men's Association. This group started the city's first public library.

Becoming a Publisher

Henry O'Reilly was one of the first writers to describe Rochester and its surroundings. He first wrote a short book called Rochester in 1835. It was only fourteen pages long.

Just three years later, he published a much bigger book. It was called Settlement in the West : sketches of Rochester : with incidental notices of western New-York ... (1838). People often called it Sketches of Rochester. This book described the area in great detail.

Telegraph Pioneer

Henry O'Reilly played a big part in bringing the telegraph to many places. In 1845, he signed a contract with Amos Kendall. Kendall was working for Samuel Morse, who invented the telegraph. This contract was for building a telegraph line. It would stretch from the East Coast all the way to the Great Lakes.

Henry then helped create a large telegraph system. It was called the Atlantic, Lake & Mississippi Valley Telegraph system. It had six different parts. One important part was the Atlantic & Ohio Telegraph Company. James D. Reid, Henry's former assistant, was in charge of it.

There was a misunderstanding about Henry's contract. This led to a big disagreement and a court case with Amos Kendall. Henry lost this case. After that, his telegraph business became less powerful. However, he is still remembered as an important pioneer in connecting America through telegraph lines.