Bedford County PA Archives Biographies.....Cessna, Hon. John
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Judy Banja jbanja@msn.com May 2003


HON. JOHN CESSNA, late a distinguished citizen of Bedford 
County, Pennsylvania, was a lineal descendant in the fifth 
generation of John Cessna, of trans- Atlantic birth, and 
according to the family history a Huguenot or French 
Protestant, who fought in the battle of Boyne, Ireland, in 
July, 1690, and marrying an Irish maiden in the same year, 
came to America.
  John Cessna, first, and his wife settled in Eastern 
Pennsylvania.  They reared a number of children, including a 
son who bore the father's name.  John Cessna, second, also 
married and had a family.  He settled somewhere near 
Shippensburg, Cumberland County, Pa.  Among his sons were 
John and Charles.  The Cessnas of Pennsylvania are 
frequently mentioned in Colonial Records.
  John Cessna, third, was a patriot of some distinction at 
the time of the Revolution.  He served as a delegate in 1774 
to the convention which, under the leadership of Benjamin 
Franklin, formally adopted the Constitution.  John Cessna, 
third, moved in 1765 from Shippensburg to Friend's Cove in 
Bedford County, where he bought a farm that is still 
occupied by his descendants.  He served six years as Sheriff 
of Bedford County.  He was twice married.  His first wife 
died when he was seventy years of age, and they had reared 
thirteen children.  He then married a young woman, who bore 
him five children.  John Cessna, fourth, son of the third 
John by his first marriage, also had a large family.  His 
wife was Mary McCauslin, said to have been a very beautiful 
young woman, who came from Ireland when but an infant of a 
few months.  Their son William, a farmer of Colerain, Pa., 
who died in 1865, was the father of the late John Cessna, of 
Bedford, and grandfather of the subject of this sketch.
  John Cessna, fourth, was born June 30, 1821, in Colerain 
township.  He was educated at Marshall College, Mercersburg, 
Pa., and subsequently taught school until 1844, when he 
returned to the college as Latin tutor.  Reading law in the 
office of the Hon. Samuel M. Barclay, of Bedford, he was 
admitted to the bar on June 25, 1845.  He practised mostly 
in Bedford, Fulton, and Franklin Counties, somewhat in 
Blair, Somerset, and other counties, also in the Supreme 
Court of the State, being indefatigable in his attendance at 
every session in this district except two, when he was 
unavoidably absent. As an advocate he displayed signal 
knowledge and ability; and in the administration of trusts 
he was efficient and faithful, as executor or administrator 
and guardian looking after the interests of more than two 
hundred people.  For six years he was a member of the House 
of Representatives in the Pennsylvania legislature, his 
first term being in 1850, his last in 1872. He was Speaker 
of the House in 1851 and in 1863, and for his ability and 
impartiality received at the close of each session a 
unanimous vote of thanks.  So accurate was his knowledge of 
parliamentary law, and such was his efficiency and tact as a 
presiding officer that, when a member of Congress, to which 
he was elected in 1868 and 1872, he was often called to 
serve as Speaker pro tem. and in Committee of the Whole; and 
on one memorable occasion, during the contest over the Civil 
Rights Bill, under the Speakership of James G. Blaine, Mr. 
Cessna occupied the chair during an all-night session.  His 
decisions on all these occasions were received as final.  In 
1865 he was chairman of the State Central Committee 
(Republican), and that year the whole State ticket was 
elected by a majority of over twenty-two thousand.  In 1880, 
as chairman of the Republican State Committee of 
Pennsylvania, he not only effectively organized the ranks in 
his own State, but rendered distinguished and invaluable 
services toward securing for Garfield the votes of Indiana 
and Ohio, services which prominent politicians in those 
States did not fail handsomely to acknowledge in words of 
high appreciation and esteem.  In 1893 he was a member of 
the Pennsylvania legislature, and served on all the 
important committees of that body.  He was president of 
Franklin and Marshall College of Lancaster, Pa., 
twenty-eight years previous and up to the time of his death.
  As a citizen of Bedford the Hon. John Cessna did not fail 
to concern himself with the development of the resources of 
the county and the opening up of needed avenues of traffic.  
He was foremost in pushing forward the construction of the 
Bedford & Bridgeport Railroad, and from 1870 to 1885 was its 
president.  Upright, public-spirited, and capable, he could 
not fail to command the confidence and win the regard of his 
fellow-citizens, and going hence, to leave to his children 
the inheritance of a good name.
  He was married at Mercersburg, Pa., on September 24, 1844, 
by the Rev. John W. Nevin, D.D., to Ellen J. Shaeffer, 
daughter of Daniel Shaeffer, Esq., of that place.  They 
shortly began house-keeping in Bedford.  Of the seven 
children born to them, five grew to maturity.  One of these 
- namely, Carrie C., now deceased - was the wife of Robert 
L. Gearhart, of Bellefonte, Pa.  Three still make their home 
in Bedford.  They are as follows: Daniel, the elder son; M. 
Etta, wife of E. S. Doty; and Harry.
  Harry Cessna was born August 8, 1865, and was educated in 
the common schools of Bedford and Franklin, Marshall Academy 
and Marshall College, receiving the degree of Bachelor of 
Arts as a member of the class of 1887. Reading law with his 
father both before leaving college and after, he was 
admitted to the bar in 1889, and until his father's death, 
which occurred on December 13, 1893, he practised with him.  
He has since succeeded to his father's practice.  In 
political affiliation he is a Republican.
  Mr. Harry Cessna was married December 18, 1890, to Miss 
Flora Eaby, daughter of George and Rachel (Reese) Eaby, of 
Lancaster, Pa.  Mr. and Mrs. Cessna are members of the 
Lutheran church.  They have two children: George E., born 
December 1, 1891; and Helen Reese, born May 18, 1894.


Source: Bedford Biographical Review, 1899, Bedford Co., Pa