BIOGRAPHY: Hon. John HANNAN, Cambria County, PA 

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From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria 
County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 415-6
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HON. JOHN HANNAN, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is one of the solid business men 
of that enterprising city. He is a son of Martin and Ellen (O'Rourke) Hannan, 
and was born in New York city December 18, 1836. His father, Martin Hannan, was 
born in County Longford, Ireland, in 1809, and came to America in 1830. He 
settled in the city of New York, and there married the mother of our subject. In 
April, 1840, be came to Johnstown, where he died in February, 1860. He was a 
contractor and builder of brick and stone-work, and helped to construct the 
famous dam at the South Fork reservoir, being employed at that time on work for 
the State along the line of the old Pennsylvania canal. Some of the masonry 
built by the State at that time still exists, and for strength and smoothness of 
finish it is a model for workmen of the present day.
    The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Ellen O'Rourke. She was 
born in County Cavan, Ireland, in 1817, and came to New York with her father's 
family in 1832.
    Martin and Ellen Hannan were the parents of two sons, James and John, and of 
three daughters, Margaret, Mary and Jane. James died in New York city, and our 
subject is now the only surviving member of the family.
    John Hannan was educated at St. Francis College, at Loretto, Pennsylvania. 
After leaving school he learned the trade of moulder in the foundry of S. H. 
Smith & Co. This firm then operated a plant consisting of a foundry, car-shop 
and machine-shop on the site of the present Gautier Mill. He worked at his trade 
until 1866. He then went into business on Franklin street, conducting a grocery 
and furniture store under one roof in adjoining rooms. He continued in business 
until 1878, when he started a foundry on Centre street, and operated it with 
great success until the entire plant was swept away by the great flood of May 
31, 1889
    After the flood, in which he lost not only his property, but the lives of 
two of his children, Mary Ellen and Eugene, Mr. Hannan turned from his own 
sorrows and became active in securing relief for his surviving townsmen. He was 
appointed a member of the Committee of Inquiry, whose duty it was to inquire 
into the merits of the claims of those among whom the relief fund was to be 
distributed. The Hon. Tom L. Johnson, of Cleveland, Ohio, was chairman of the 
committee, but soon resigned, and Mr. Hannan, being second on the committee, 
took his place. It was a thankless task; to satisfy all was impossible; weaker 
men would have resigned in disgust, but it is to the honor of the committee that 
they stuck to their arduous and disagreeable task until the matter was adjusted 
as satisfactorily as was possible under the circumstances.
    After the Committee of Inquiry had completed its work Mr. Hannan again went 
into the foundry business, this time on Broad street. After two years his health 
failed and he was compelled to give up this business.
    He then bought the hardware stock of Waeldin & Whittaker and went into the 
hardware business in the "Hannan Block," which he built on Franklin street. On 
the fourth of March, 1896, this splendid block was ruined by fire, but has since 
been rebuilt and is today the finest business block in the city.
    Mr. Hannan was married Aug. 29, 1859, to Agnes P., daughter of John 
Matthews, of Summit, Pa. To them were born the following children : Jennie, 
deceased; Martin Ellsworth, the contractor; James, who operates a machine shop 
on Broad street; Mary Ellen, deceased; John V.; Charles E., the well-known 
physician; Harry J.; Frank, who is in the drug business in the Hannan Block; 
Eugene, deceased; and Leo, who died in infancy.
    In politics Mr. Hannan has always been a staunch democrat, and was elected 
by that party as a representative in the State Legislature for the term of 1875-
76. He was also at one time a member of the town council, and is one of the 
trustees of the Johnstown Savings Bank.