The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-08-30
DEATH OF COLONEL
JOHN O'BYRNE
DISTINGUISHED ARISH-AMERI-
CAN PASSES AWAY.
A Man of Scholarly Attachments and
Great Versatility Who Had an
Interesting Career.

Colonel John OByrne died at $50
o'clock last evening at his home. + air Oaks
and Twenty-fourth streets after an ILL
ness of several weeks. during which he
suffered the most intense pain. The cause
of his death was inhammatory rheuma-
tism, which went to his heart.
Colonel O'Byrne was one of San Fran
cisco's most prominent and distinguished
citizens, and as leader of Irish-Ameri-
cans he had a national reputation. His
history is an interesting one. He was
born in Dublin in 1926, four years before
the passage of the OConpeu emancipa-
ton act His ancestors were the
O'Byrnes, chieftains of Wicklow. and he
was very proud of this fact. After re-
ceiving a thorough education he at once
plunged into political affairs, and at the
age of % was a participant in the Irish
rebellion of 1S48. Making his escape, he
came to the United States, locating in
New York City, where he engaged in
the field of journalism for few years.
Colonel OByrne then moved to Phila-
delphia and there studied law in the Of
flee Of Benjamin F. Brewster, who subse-
quently was Attorney General of the
United States. In the year 1854 OByrne
took prominent part in the defense of
riots.
When the Civil War broke out he went
to the front for the Union, serving in one
OF the Philadelphia regiments commanded
by. Colonel Gosland.
About the year 1870 Colonel O'Byrne
purchased in Brandywine Hundred, a sub
urb of Wilmington, Delaware, a beautiful
ana extensive estate, where he lived for
several years. Buying the Weekly Adver-
user or Wilmington he converted it into
a daily morning paper under the name of
the Herald. This was the first morning
paper in the State of Delaware.
!, AT the request of the Democratic Ma
uonaI Committee Colonel O'Byrne stump
ed the State of New York in the presiden-
tial campaign of 1880 for General Hancock.
His experience in that campaign led him
70 change his residence from Delaware to
New York, where he was soon appointed
assistant to the District Attorney, Hon.
John McKeon, the distinguished anti
TINS responsible position with great eff
cheney and success. Owing to failing
health he came to California in 1888. and
was soon recognized as a lawyer of great
ability and an orator of magnetic elo-
quence. He was the orator of the day at
the st. Patrick's day celebration in 1890,
and on that occasion delivered a brilliant
and memorable Grafton.
Colonel O'Bryne-journalist, lawyer. or
ator, soldier, patriot-waS man of schol-
arly attachments and great versatility.
He could address a political audience and
deliver a lecture before an astronomical
or geographical society the same even
ing, or engage in the defense of a person
charged with crime. His was a most ac-
tive life, and he was constantly In the
midst of political excitement He was,
however, man who never carried for
day any malice or revengeful vindictive-
ness even against his most aggressive
and most bitter opponent.
Colonel O'Byrne was a patriotic man
both as an American and as an Irish
man. He was a participant in the ia
nous Fenian movement and was the
last of the charter members of the cele-
brated Philopatrian Society of Philadel-
phia. He also took an active part in the
Land League movement, headed by Par
nell.
Colonel o Byrne was a member of the
knights of St Patrick, Ancient Order
of Hibernians, Knights of the Red
Branch and other Irish societies. He
leaves a widow. four sons and one daugh-
ter. One of his sons is a lawyer in this
city and another is with the Sixty-ninth
New York Regiment The daughter is
a Visitation Nun in Philadelphia.