View source for John P. Ryan (New York politician)

{{Short description|American businessman and politician}}
'''John Peter Ryan Sr.''' (June 28, 1891 – October 14, 1964) was an American businessman and politician from New York.
== Life ==
Ryan was born on June 28, 1891, in [[Troy, New York]], the son of laborer Thomas Ryan and Mary Young. His parents were both Irish immigrants from [[County Tipperary]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Hayner|first=Rutherford|url=https://archive.org/details/troyrensselaerco03hayn_0/page/358/mode/1up|title=Troy and Rensselaer County, New York, A History|publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc.|year=1925|volume=III|pages=248–250|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>
Ryan attended the [[La Salle Institute]]. When he was barely 13, he began working as a check boy in Frear's department store. While working there, he attended night school at the [[YMCA]] and took a course at Troy Business College. By 1917, he worked his way up to becoming a furniture salesman at Frear's. That year, after America entered [[World War I]], he left Frear's to work for the [[General Electric|General Electric Company]] in [[Schenectady, New York|Schenectady]]. He later worked for the mechanism assembly department at the [[Watervliet Arsenal|United States Arsenal]] at [[Watervliet, New York|Watervliet]] until 1919. He then returned to Troy and worked as a furniture salesman for the Gumbel Company. In 1922, he took a similar position at Reynolds Furniture Store.<ref name=":0" />
In 1922, Ryan was elected to the New York State Senate as a Democrat, representing [[New York's 31st State Senate district]]. He served in the Senate in [[146th New York State Legislature|1923]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kndIAAAAYAAJ|title=The New York Red Book|publisher=J. B. Lyon Company|year=1923|editor-last=Malcolm|editor-first=James|location=Albany, N.Y.|pages=73|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> and [[147th New York State Legislature|1924]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/562888-new-york-red-book-an-illustrated-legislative-manual-containing-the-portraits-and-biographies-of-the-u-s-senators-governor-state-officers-and-members-of-the-legislature-also-with-the-portraits-of-judges-and-court-reporters-1924?viewer=1&offset=0#page=144&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q=|title=The New York Red Book|publisher=J. B. Lyon Company|year=1924|isbn=|editor-last=Malcolm|editor-first=James|location=Albany, N.Y.|pages=73|via=[[FamilySearch]]}}</ref> He unsuccessfully ran for Rensselaer County Sheriff after his term in the Senate expired, and he was elected President of the Troy Common Council from 1927 to 1929.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=14 October 1964|title=J. P. Ryan Sr. Dies After Brief Illness|volume=1964|page=1|work=The Times Record|issue=243|location=Troy, N.Y.|url=https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FLogin_18%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2520-%25207266.pdf%23xml%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3D4fc9b09b%26DocId%3D3689490%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520E%26HitCount%3D6%26hits%3D45%2B46%2B47%2B1bf%2B1c0%2B1c1%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FLogin_18%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2520-%25207266.pdf&xml=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3D4fc9b09b%26DocId%3D3689490%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520E%26HitCount%3D6%26hits%3D45%2B46%2B47%2B1bf%2B1c0%2B1c1%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false|via=[[Old Fulton NY Postcards]]}}</ref>
In 1925, Ryan left Reynolds to open his own furniture store. In 1929, the day before the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929|Wall Street Crash]], he signed a lease for a building he housed his furniture business. He bought a next-door building in 1939, and in 1946 to 1947 his business jointly occupied the two buildings. In 1954, he opened a second store. In 1960, he bought the Reynolds building he used to work at and opened a store there. He was president of the Troy Zoning Board and treasurer of the Troy Alderman's Association.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=14 October 1964|title=J. P. Ryan Sr. Dies After Brief Illness|volume=1964|page=5|work=The Times Record|issue=243|location=Troy, N.Y.|url=https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FLogin_18%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2520-%25207270.pdf%23xml%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3D3e5b22ef%26DocId%3D3689494%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520E%26HitCount%3D3%26hits%3D7c8%2B7c9%2B7ca%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FLogin_18%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2520-%25207270.pdf&xml=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3D3e5b22ef%26DocId%3D3689494%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520E%26HitCount%3D3%26hits%3D7c8%2B7c9%2B7ca%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false|via=[[Old Fulton NY Postcards]]}}</ref> His business, the John P. Ryan Furniture Stores, included the largest furniture store in downtown Troy. He was chairman of the Retail Merchants Bureau and an honorary member of the Downtown Fashion Guild. During World War II, he was chairman of the local Selective Service Board.<ref name=":1" />
Deeply interested in sports, Ryan played amateur baseball and basketball with the YMCA and St. Joseph's. He purchased the Troy Basketball Association in 1922 and became president of the New York State Basketball League in 1923. He was a deputy grand knight of the [[Knights of Columbus]]. He was a member of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in the 1920s,<ref name=":0" /> but by the time he died he was a member of St. Francis de Sales Church and a former president of its [[Society of the Holy Name|Holy Name Society]]. He was married to Mary A. McCarthy. Their children were John P. Jr., James J., and William T.<ref name=":2" />
Ryan died at the Samaritan Hospital on October 14, 1964.<ref name=":1" /> He was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery.<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 October 1964|title=J. P. Ryan Sr. Rites Held|volume=1964|page=9|work=The Times Record|issue=246|location=Troy, N.Y.|url=https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FLogin_18%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2520-%25207386.pdf%23xml%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3D500df464%26DocId%3D3689610%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520E%26HitCount%3D6%26hits%3Da2a%2Ba2b%2Ba2c%2Bd41%2Bd42%2Bd43%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FLogin_18%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201964%2520-%25207386.pdf&xml=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3D500df464%26DocId%3D3689610%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520E%26HitCount%3D6%26hits%3Da2a%2Ba2b%2Ba2c%2Bd41%2Bd42%2Bd43%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false|via=[[Old Fulton NY Postcards]]}}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* ''[https://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ryan.html#889.68.74 The Political Graveyard]''
* [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112717546/john-p.-ryan John P. Ryan] at ''[[Find a Grave]]''
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-ny-sen}}
{{succession box
| title = [[New York State Senate]] <br>31st District
| years = 1923–1924
| before = [[Frederick E. Draper]]
| after = [[John F. Williams (New American politician)|John F. Williams]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, John P.}}
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1964 deaths]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Troy, New York]]
[[Category:Politicians from Troy, New York]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:American salespeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:American company founders]]
[[Category:American chief executives]]
[[Category:20th-century American legislators]]
[[Category:Democratic Party New York (state) state senators]]
[[Category:New York (state) city council members]]
[[Category:Catholics from New York (state)]]
[[Category:20th-century New York (state) politicians]]