John Henry Ryan
Frances Haskell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 38th[1] district | |
| In office January 10, 1921 – January 12, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | Frances Haskell |
| Succeeded by | Dean C. McLean |
| In office January 12, 1931 – January 9, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred J. Smith |
| Succeeded by | C. E. McIntosh |
| Member of the Washington Senate from the 28th district | |
| In office January 9, 1933 – January 11, 1937 | |
| Preceded by | Ray Jacobus |
| Succeeded by | Monty Percival |
| Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 28th district | |
| In office January 13, 1941 – January 11, 1943 | |
| Preceded by | Gerald G. Dixon |
| Succeeded by | Winifred C. P. Meddins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 6, 1865[2] Chillicothe, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 20, 1943 (aged 77) Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | |
| Spouse | Ella Ryan |
| Occupation | Newspaper editor |
John Henry Ryan (1865 - 1943) was a businessman, newspaperman, and state legislator in the U.S. state of Washington.[2][3] He was a member of the NAACP.[4]
Ryan and his wife, Ella, published The Weekly and then The Forum newspapers.[5]
Biography
[edit]He was born in Chillicothe, Ohio and was one of 12 children born to George R. and Mary Elizabeth (Gatliffe) Ryan.[2] His grandmother was Cherokee.[3]
He married Ella Alexander and moved to Spokane, Washington in 1889.[2] They briefly moved to Seattle before settling in Tacoma, Washington in 1903.[2] The Ryans briefly published The Weekly, the city's first black-owned newspaper, but abandoned the paper to start The Forum in July 1903.[3] John and Ell were charter members of the Tacoma NAACP and the Republican Party.[2] Ryan compiled Ryan's Legislative Manual published in 1907.[3]
Ryan was elected to the 38th distirct of the Washington House of Representatives in 1921 as a member of the Farmer–Labor Party.[1][3] He was the only African American serving in the Washington House of Representatives at the time. He helped defeat a proposal for an anti-intermarriage bill.[2][6]
Ryan would serve in the 38th district from 1921 to 1925, and again from 1931 to 1933 as a Republican.[1] He then served in the Washington State Senate for the 28th district from 1933 to 1937 as a Democrat. In that session, he opposed a proposed bill that would require fingerprinting vagrants.[3] Ryan served in the House again for the 28th district from 1941 to 1932.[1]
He changed his name to Senator J. H. Ryan.[3] He published Ryan's Weekly.[3]
Ryan died on January 20, 1943, in a private nursing home.[3]
See also
[edit]- Horace R. Cayton Sr., editor of the Seattle Republican
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Washington State Members of the Legislature" (PDF). Washington State Legislature. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lowe, Turkiya (January 21, 2007). "Ella & John Ryan". Black Past. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kershner, Kate (June 13, 2011). "Ryan, John Henry (1865-1943) and Ella (1866-?)". History Link. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ Taylor, Quintard (June 7, 2022). The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle's Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era. University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295750651 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hornsby, Alton (August 31, 2011). Black America: A State-by-State Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313341120 – via Google Books.
- ^ Taylor, Quintard (July 1, 2011). The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle's Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-80223-7 – via Google Books.