Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-28
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPArcH.,

1
city, died at 7:4O o'clock this morning al
Bader's Hotel, Grayesend. L. /. Mr..
| O'Brien was taken i'll while at Albany, seven
weeks ago, and was removed at once to
Coney Island, whittier he always was
wont to repair whenever an indisposition
| overlook him. Here he improved for time
| but his trouble developed into complica-
tion of liver complaint and gastritis. For
several days before his death his stomach
was unable to assimilate food.
Early last week it was seen that his end
was approaching and the Rev. John f.
Kearney, of the st. Patrick's Church, ad-
ministered the last rites of the church. The
end came rather suddenly, for although the
family had about given up hope they
thought that the sick man would live for
several days to come. Mr.. O'Brien re-
tanned consciousness almost to the very end.
AN INTERESTING CAREER.
John J. O'Brien was born about so years
ago on the East Side, where he lived all his
life. There was no man in local politics
more widely known than he, and there was
not one who so thoroughly understood the
moods of the people he lived among or who
was SO ready to help them. For nearly %
years be was able by the sheer force of his
personal popularity to be always power
In politics; and in all this time, he said, the
friends to the last.
He could not make a public speech and
he seldom talked much, even among his
nearest friends. but be had the faculty of
engaging the cooperation and support of
orators who told the voters of his district
what he thought it was best that they should
know about politics, and workers who faith
fully carried out all his plans.
O'Brien was a picturesque figure. He
was about six feet tall, with a powerfully
built physique and a handsome head and
face. His hair and short, graceful mus
tache were jet black until within year
ago, when both became thickly sprinkied
with gray. About the waist he was built
like an Alderman. He was slow and de-
liberate in his actions, his hands were long
and slim and ever ready to grasp the hand
of anybody, and his voice was low aud soft.
His education was obtained in the public
schools.
WITH A. T. STEWART.
He was not yet able to vote when lie en-
tered the employ of A. T. Stewart & Co.
He was so willing and quick to learn that
and Judge Hilton, and he soon worked his
way to the head of the delivery department
The only interest he had taken in politics
up to 1867 was the ordinary interest of :.
young fellow who knew personally every
candidate nominated in his district. He
was swayed by his personal likes in these
matters, and, though he always had a lean
ing toward the Republican party, he never
deserted a friend just because he happened
to be Democrat
The Eighth District was a turbulent place
even at that time, and while O'Brien was a
member of the Republican organization he
disliked the political methods OF John w.
Farmer, who was the head of the organiza-
ton. In this year Farmer secured the
Republican nomination for sheriff, and he
became known as the "soup-house candi-
date" because he had established a number
OF free soup houses in the district. O'Brien
had gathered into the district organization
in the efficacy of Farmers methods as he
did.
HIS FIRST BIG FIGHT.
O'Brien openly showed his dislike of
Farmer and then began fight between him
and the latter for the leadership. As in
later years the district was rich in good
one, and finally resulted in the complete
overthrow of Farmer and the election of
O'Brien as the district leader. This was
his first victory in politics, and from that
time until his death he was the recognized
master OF the Republicans in the Eighth.
With this fight began his fame. The at
tention of the big men in the Republican
party was attracted to him. 1t did not take
them long to see that he was-a man whom it
would be profitable to cultivate and en-
courage. O'Brien remained at his work in
handling the sales of A. T. Stewart & Co.
until 1870 when he resigned this place,
much against the wishes of the firm, to ac-
cept the place of private secretary to Col
1ector Murphy and to become known as "the
beardless boy of the Custom House."
In 1871 the Democrats of his district were
thoroughly organized and confident and in
clined to laugh at the "boy leader who
had sprung up so suddenly. They knew
that he had a strong following OF, young and
eager men, but in their eyes the Republican
organization was more of a convivial and
social body than political, and so they went
calmly ahead and paid little attention to it.
UNsUsPIcIoUs OF DANGER.
O'Brien's party nominated Conrad Geib
for Assembly and George J. Krause for
Tammany organization, which had obtained
control of the district under the leader
ship of Judge Scott, and with the
assistance of Edward D. Gall, saw no
danger in them. They were nightly sur
prised, therefore, when both Geib and |
Krause were elected. From this time the
Democratic majority in the district began
away. In 1876 the district |
gave Samuel j. Tilden {, 200 majority; in |
1880 Hancock's majority was only 154, and |
in 1884 Blaine carried the district by 779 |
while in 1888 this was increased |
for Harrison to SS7.
O'Brien was special favorite of Chester |
a. Arthur, and when the latter had charge |
of Republican politics in this city for Roscoe |
he made a confdaDt of O'Buen. |
When Arthur was made Collector of the |
Port by President Grant in 1874 he made |
O'Brien United States WeIgher. This was |
a big thing for O'Brien, for it enabled him
to employ great many men in the public
stores, and so his friends in the Eighth were
we'll taken care Of
The attention Of Congress was soon at
tracted to the public stores, and an investi-
eating committee came down and discovered
that O'Brien had hired great many more
men than were necessary. But no harm
came to him from this beyond the pain it
caused him TO see some OF his friends dis
missed.
A FRIEND OF JOHN KELLY.
Along in 1877 O'Brien fell under the no.
lice of John Kelly, leader of Tammany
Hall, and warm friendship sprang up be-
tween the men. O'Brien was presently ap-
pointed as Chief of the Bureau of Elec-
hons. O'Brien held the office, first by be-
ing reappointed and then by fighting his
way through civil service examinations,
and finally. as a hold-over, until last WIN
Ter, when he was ousted. Many attempts
mad been made to get rid OF him before this,
but they had failed. The salary of the
,fice during his occupancy OF it was cut
Town from sc, 600 to $4,000. When Arthur