Bureau County IL Archives Biographies.....Bailey, John W.
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Virginia Perry vperry@midwest.net January 1999

Biography for John W. Bailey, Bureau County, Illinois

John W. Bailey, Princeton, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 15, 
1830.  He is the son of William S. and Caroline A. (Withall) Bailey.  
William S. Bailey is a native of Massachusetts, but in childhood removed 
West with his family, and settled in Ohio, and there he was married.  At 
the age of eleven years, after having spent five years in the common 
schools, John W. Bailey commenced as "devil boy" in a Cincinnati job 
office, where he remained until he had thoroughly mastered the jobbing 
trade; and in the meantime had begun to write sketches for the daily 
papers of the city.  Mr. Bailey then became connected with various daily 
papers of Cincinnati as a reported and news editor; next assisted in 
establishing a Republican paper in Indiana, and in 1858 became a half 
owner of the Tiffin, Ohio, Tribune.  His interest in this he sold in 
1860. and became a one-third owner of the Dailey Toledo Commercial.  In 
1863 Mr. Bailey purchased the Bureau County Republican, and has since 
resided at Princeton (see chapleted on press).  In early life he was 
identified with the Abolition party, and also with the "underground 
railroad" business, and as he lived on the dividing line, he relates 
many incidents connected with the work which would read well in romance.  
He cast his first vote for Gen. Winfield Scott, in 1852, while strongly 
sympathizing with the Free Soil party under the lead of John P. Hull, 
realizing full well that either Scott or Pierce would be the choice of 
the people.  He vigorously opposed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise 
in 1854, voted for John C. Fremont in 1856, and for every Republican 
President since that time, always the uncompromising opponent of 
slavery, and the firm advocate of liberty.  He was among the first to 
favor the arming of the Negroes to help put down the Rebellion; to favor 
Thier right to citizenship and the ballot, and he maintains now that the 
points of the war to preserve a free Republic will be lost unless the 
purity of the ballot an be firmly established.  The chief energies of 
his life have been devoted to upbuilding the newspapers with which he 
has been so long connected, and his papers have ever taken the part of 
all enterprises calculated to benefit the public.  The Republican has 
ever been the stanch supporter of the high school, manufactories and 
various improvements.  Mr. Bailey has given but little attention to  any 
other business that that of conducting his paper in the best and most 
successful way.  However, at the beginning of the war he spent one 
winter in Washington, D. C., as correspondent for his paper, in the 
mailing department of the House; and in 1880 he accepted the 
Supervisorship of the Census for the Third Illinois District, embracing 
fourteen counties lying between Bureau County and the Mississippi River.  
In Masonry he became far advanced, and is now a member of the Blue 
Lodge, Chapter, Council, Commandery, and in Scottish Rite Masonry he has 
taken the thirty-second degree.  He is an I. O. O. F., and in religion 
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  March 27, 1860, at 
Tiffin, Ohio, he was united in marriage to Miss Emma D. McClelland, who 
was born in Lancaster County, Penn., October 10, 1835.  She is the 
mother of the following named children:  Ella C., William J., Harry U., 
Howard and Mable; also tow others died in infancy.  The two eldest are 
following in the footsteps of their "dad," and are now in he Republican 
office.

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