Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1917-03-17

.Ierso Later stincion We're HardySo
and Daughters Of Erin
| the of to Famsh dandSu
| ing Of New gland.

greSS uuder the constitution, which
began the United States Govern
ment. sat Thomas FitzSimmons. a
native of Limerick, and FitzSim-
mons also occupies another position
of priority in American history. in
that he is called THE father of the
policy OF protection of American
INDUSTRIES" in other words he can
properly be called the father of
the Republican party" The first
and only man who served continu-
ously for half a century in the Con-
gress of the United States was
William Darragh Kelley, of Penn
| sylvania, and the first and only
United States Senator to represent
three different States at different
times was James Shields. from
County Tyrone. The first to read
the Declaration of Independence to
the citizens of Philadelphia at Car
penter's Hall on July 6, 1916, was
John Nixon, whose father was from
Wexford; the first to print the i'm
mortal document was John Dunlap,
from Strabane, in County Tyrone.
The first Governor of the State of
New York was George Clinton, son
Va Nhdilcn AilulOus 1IOIu LOnBIOTus
the first Mayor of the City of New
York after the Revolution was
James Duane, son of Anthony
Duane, of Cong. County Galway:
the first Governor of Illinois was
John Boyle, horn in Virginia of
irish parents in 1874; the first
Governor of Georgia after the adop-
ton of the constitution was John
Houston, son of Patrick Houston,
from Donegal; the first Governor
of Kansas was John w Denver.
son of Patrick Denver. an immi-
grant TO Winchester. Va, in 1895;
the first Governor of Montana was
Thomas Francis Meagher.
The first daily newspaper in New
York was the Packet, founded in
1876, by Samuel Loudon, from Bel
fast; the first daily newspaper in
Philadelphia was the Pennsylvania
Packet, edited by John Dunlap,
from Tyrone; the first daily news
paper in Boston was founded by an
Irishman, John DAILY Burke; the
first paper in Albany was the Gaz-
cite, founded in 1888 by Robert and
James Barber. from Longford; the
first newspaper in st. Louis, and
indeed the first west of the MiSsis-
sippi river, was the Missouri Gaz-
cite, founded in 1908 by Joseph
Charles, from County Westmeath;
the first newspaper in Vermont, the
Farmers Library. was started in
1898 by James Lyon, son of Mat
thew Lyon, from wicklow.
The first to bring Italian opera
Sx.f -h.o fv,fS bod fa4 Ind
Lynch, of New York. but originally
from Galway. The first relief ex-
pedition that ever came TO these
shores was sent by the citizens of
Dublin on August 26. 1876, to re-
lieve the famished colonists of New
England, suffering from the effects
of king Philips War" II is known
in history as "The Irish Donation"
and is so referred to IN the original
records of the Colony of Massachu-
sets Bay.
The first to give America priority
in the conquest OF the seas was
Robert Fulton, son of a Kilkenny
man; the first to propose the posi-
bility of connecting the Great Lakes
with the Atlantic by means. of a
canal was Christopher Celles. from
Cork, and the man who carried out
this great project was Governor De-
Witt Clinton, grandson of an immi-
grant from Longford. The first
builder of telegraph line In the
United States was Henry O'Reilly,
from CarrickmacToss, Ireland; the
first to build submarine boat was
John p. Holland. from Glare; the
first 10 invent reaping and now
ing machine was Mccormack, an
Irishman's grandson; the first I'M
derground railroad in America was
build by John b. Mcdonald, from
Cork, and the first to build rail-
road in Massachusetts, was Patrick
Tracy Jackson. grandson of Patrick
Tracy, from Wexford. The first to
establish a regular ferry system in
New York harbor was Daniel
O,Brien (1750). followed by the In
teresting Darby Doyle, who had to
flee from Staten Island in 1875
when the British took possession OF
his ferry.
Numerous similar examples of
Irish Firsts" have been culled
from the records. but even this
short summary shows that Irish
blood. brain and Drawn have been
valuable acquisition in the build
ing of the fabric of American dnsti-
buttons.