John Andrew Rea
Encyclopedia
John Andrew Rea was an American journalist and politician. A native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
, he was one of the eight members of Cornell University
's first graduating class. As a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune
and the New York Herald
, he covered the 1877 flight of Chief Joseph
and the Nez Perce to Montana
and their final battle with the US Army. While living in North Dakota
, he covered the Battle of the Little Bighorn
and drafted the constitution adopted by North Dakota when it became a state in 1889. From 1889 until his death, Rea lived in Washington State where he was the editor-in-chief of The Olympian
and later President of the University of Washington
Board of Regents and the first Executive Director of the Port of Tacoma
.
. However, when Cornell University opened in 1868, he was attracted by "its promise of liberality in education" and moved there to complete his final year, along with two fellow students at Ohio Wesleyan, Morris Buchwalter
and Joseph Foraker
. While at Cornell, Rea was a founding member of the Irving Literary Society
and the Cornell chapter of Phi Kappa Psi
, as well as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Following his graduation from Cornell in 1869, he worked as a journalist for the Philadelphia Press
. For the next 30 years, journalism was to be his primary profession. In 1873, he married the former Mary Terry of Ithaca, New York
, and the couple moved to Nebraska
. He worked as a reporter in both Lincoln
and Omaha
, where among other stories, he covered the Nebraska Constitutional Convention of 1875. He later became managing editor of the Minneapolis Tribune, editor of the Bismarck Tribune
and editor of the Dakota edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press
, for whom he had covered the Battle of the Little Bighorn
As a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune
and the New York Herald
, he singlehandedly covered the 1877 flight of Chief Joseph
and the Nez Perce to Montana
and their final battle with the US Army. While Rea was living in Bismarck
, he was also for a time the Register of the United States Land Office there. In 1889 he organized the North Dakota state constitutional convention
, serving as its secretary and helping to draft the state's constitution.
In late 1889, Rea moved to Washington State where he became the editor-in-chief of The Olympian
, which had recently changed from a weekly to a daily newspaper. During his time in Olympia, he became an advisor and close friend of Elisha P. Ferry
, Washington's first Governor
when it achieved statehood in 1889. In the late 1890s, Rea and his family settled in Tacoma where he developed timber and real estate businesses and became the first Executive Director of the Port of Tacoma
, a post which he held until 1921. Rea also sat on the Board of Regents
for the University of Washington
and served for a time as the Board's President. Described as one of Tacoma's most colorful characters and an astute Republican
politician, US Presidents from Grover Cleveland
to Franklin Delano Roosevelt referred to him as "Mr. Tacoma".
John Rea died at his home in Tacoma on February 10, 1941. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving alumnus of Cornell University and the last surviving member of Cornell's first graduating class.
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
, he was one of the eight members of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
's first graduating class. As a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and the New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
, he covered the 1877 flight of Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
and the Nez Perce to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and their final battle with the US Army. While living in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, he covered the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
and drafted the constitution adopted by North Dakota when it became a state in 1889. From 1889 until his death, Rea lived in Washington State where he was the editor-in-chief of The Olympian
The Olympian
The Olympian is a McClatchy newspaper in Olympia, Washington, in the United States.-History:The Olympian started in 1860 as "The Washington Standard" a weekly paper. Daily papers did not start until February 1889. The Olympian started daily service as a way to lead the crusade to make Olympia the...
and later President of the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Board of Regents and the first Executive Director of the Port of Tacoma
Port of Tacoma
The Port of Tacoma is an independent seaport located in Tacoma, Washington. The port was created by a vote of Pierce County citizens on November 5, 1918...
.
Biography
John Andrew Rea was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to John Rea and Sarah Ann Robb on June 18, 1848. He studied for three years at Ohio Wesleyan UniversityOhio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
. However, when Cornell University opened in 1868, he was attracted by "its promise of liberality in education" and moved there to complete his final year, along with two fellow students at Ohio Wesleyan, Morris Buchwalter
Morris Lyon Buchwalter
Morris Lyon Buchwalter was a radical Ohio Republican jurist of the post-Civil War era whose jurisprudence set a progressive standard following the failure of Reconstruction and during the rise in management/labor tensions in the Gilded Age.-Early life:Hon...
and Joseph Foraker
Joseph B. Foraker
Joseph Benson Foraker was a Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 37th Governor of Ohio from 1886 to 1890.-Early life:...
. While at Cornell, Rea was a founding member of the Irving Literary Society
The Irving Literary Society (Cornell University)
Cornell literary societies were a group of 19th century student organizations at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, formed for the purpose of promoting language skills and oratory. The U.S...
and the Cornell chapter of Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
, as well as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Following his graduation from Cornell in 1869, he worked as a journalist for the Philadelphia Press
Philadelphia Press
The Philadelphia Press is a defunct newspaper that was published from August 1, 1857 to October 1, 1920.The paper was founded by John W. Forney. Charles Emory Smith was editor and owned a stake in the paper from 1880 until his death in 1908...
. For the next 30 years, journalism was to be his primary profession. In 1873, he married the former Mary Terry of Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, and the couple moved to Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. He worked as a reporter in both Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
and Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, where among other stories, he covered the Nebraska Constitutional Convention of 1875. He later became managing editor of the Minneapolis Tribune, editor of the Bismarck Tribune
Bismarck Tribune
The Bismarck Tribune is a daily newspaper printed in Bismarck, North Dakota. The Tribune is the primary daily newspaper for south-central and southwest North Dakota. Its average daily circulation is 31,081 on Sundays and 27,620 on weekdays. One notable reporter for the paper was Mark H...
and editor of the Dakota edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press
St. Paul Pioneer Press
The St. Paul Pioneer Press is a newspaper based in St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the eastern metro region, including Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties, along with western Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota and Anoka County,...
, for whom he had covered the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
As a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and the New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
, he singlehandedly covered the 1877 flight of Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
and the Nez Perce to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and their final battle with the US Army. While Rea was living in Bismarck
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
, he was also for a time the Register of the United States Land Office there. In 1889 he organized the North Dakota state constitutional convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
, serving as its secretary and helping to draft the state's constitution.
In late 1889, Rea moved to Washington State where he became the editor-in-chief of The Olympian
The Olympian
The Olympian is a McClatchy newspaper in Olympia, Washington, in the United States.-History:The Olympian started in 1860 as "The Washington Standard" a weekly paper. Daily papers did not start until February 1889. The Olympian started daily service as a way to lead the crusade to make Olympia the...
, which had recently changed from a weekly to a daily newspaper. During his time in Olympia, he became an advisor and close friend of Elisha P. Ferry
Elisha P. Ferry
Elisha Peyre Ferry was the first Governor of the U.S. State of Washington. He had been the tenth governor of Washington Territory and became the first governor of Washington upon its admission into the Union on November 11, 1889. He served a single term, 1889-1893. He was a Republican. He served...
, Washington's first Governor
Governor (United States)
In the United States, the title governor refers to the chief executive of each state or insular territory, not directly subordinate to the federal authorities, but the political and ceremonial head of the state.-Role and powers:...
when it achieved statehood in 1889. In the late 1890s, Rea and his family settled in Tacoma where he developed timber and real estate businesses and became the first Executive Director of the Port of Tacoma
Port of Tacoma
The Port of Tacoma is an independent seaport located in Tacoma, Washington. The port was created by a vote of Pierce County citizens on November 5, 1918...
, a post which he held until 1921. Rea also sat on the Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
for the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and served for a time as the Board's President. Described as one of Tacoma's most colorful characters and an astute Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician, US Presidents from Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
to Franklin Delano Roosevelt referred to him as "Mr. Tacoma".
John Rea died at his home in Tacoma on February 10, 1941. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving alumnus of Cornell University and the last surviving member of Cornell's first graduating class.
Sources
- Copp, Henry Norris, The American settler's guide: a popular exposition of the public land system of the United States of America, 1886 (accessed 16 May 2010)
- Cornell Alumni News, "Oldest Alumnus Dies", Vol. 43 No. 19, 27 February 1941, p. 262 (accessed 16 May 2010)
- Lounsberry, Clement A., Early history of North Dakota, Liberty Press, 1919 (accessed 16 May 2010)
- Magden, Ronald "Port Leadership – Past to Present – Envision Tacoma's Future", Journal of Commerce, 3 November 2008, p. 6 (accessed 16 May 2010)
- Nebraska State Historical Society, Nebraska History and Record of Pionner Days, Vol. IV, No. 1, January–March 1921 (accessed 16 May 2010)
- New York Times, "John Rea, Ex-Editor, Cornell Alumnus", 21 February 1941
- The Register-GuardThe Register-GuardThe Register-Guard is a daily newspaper published in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the Eugene Daily Guard and the Morning Register. The paper serves the Eugene-Springfield area, as well as the Oregon Coast, Umpqua River Valley, and surrounding...
, "Covering Indian Wars Was No Joke, Old Time Reporter Recalls", 15 March 1936, p. 3 (accessed 16 May 2010) - Prosser, William Farrand, A history of the Puget Sound country, its resources, its commerce and its people, Lewis Publishing Co,, 1903, p. 463 (accessed 16 May 2010)
- Tacoma Public Library Image Archives, John A. Rea, Image 3381 (accessed 16 May 2010)