Bio: Riley, James P. (1881 – 19??)

Contact: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Riley, Kearney, McLaughlin, Ford, Moore

---Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913.

Riley, James P. (9 April 1881 – 19??)

JAMES P. RILEY, attorney at law, member of the law firm of Riley & Ford, at Wausau, Wis., was born April 9, 1881, at Plymouth, Juneau County, Wis., a son of John Francis and Bridget V. (Kearney) Riley. The parents of Mr. Riley were born near Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha County, Wis., and they reside on their farm north of Elroy, in Juneau County. The paternal grandparents, Peter and Bridget (McLaughlin) Riley, were born in Ireland, and when they first came to America lived at Boston, Mass., where they were married, and then came to Kenosha County, Wis., being pioneer settlers. Later, with ox teams, they moved to Juneau County, where a number of their descendants still live. To John Francis and Bridget Riley ten children were born: Annie, James P., John, Peter, Mary, Catherine, Agnes, Margaret, Zita and Cecelia.

James P. Riley attended the public schools in Juneau County and the Elroy High School, graduating from the same in the class of 1901, after which he taught school for four winters, spending the summers on the home farm. In the fall of 1904 he entered the University of Wisconsin, where literature and science claimed one year, but in 1905 he began the study of law and in 1909 was graduated with his degree of B. L. In February, 1910, he commenced practice and in August of that year entered into partnership with John Patrick Ford, under the firm style of Riley & Ford, as at present.  

He is a member of the Marathon County Bar Association. Mr. Riley is a communicant of St. James Catholic Church, Wausau, and belongs to the Catholic Order of Foresters and to the Knights of Columbus. In politics he is a Democrat.  

The maternal grandparents, James and Ann (Moore) Kearney, were born in Ireland, but moved to Massachusetts when they were still young, where they were married. They then moved to Kenosha County, Wis., where with an ox team they moved to Juneau County, where they were pioneer settlers.  

Mr. Riley by his own exertion not only helped his parents, but put himself through both his high school and college courses, practically paying all his expenses.