O'Reilly, John Devereux

Submitted by Mike Miller

O'Reilly, John Devereux, well-known civil engineer, New Orleans, La., is a son of Anthony J. and Frederica (Devereux) O'Reilly, and was born in Denver, Col., May 4, 1884. Anthony J. O'Reilly, the father, was born at Reading, Pa., April 18, 1850, and went to Denver while yet a young man. There he became associated with railroad business and has devoted his energies to that line of endeavor since his first connection with it. For a time he later served as general freight agent of the Hannibal & St. Joseph, which is now the Burlington system. He now occupies the important position of traffic manager of the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville R. R. Frederica Devereux was born at Owensboro, Ky., and was a daughter of Judge John Pierce and Frederica (Mason) Devereux, of Fairfax county, Va. From Owensboro the Devereux family moved to the West after the war. The parents, Anthony J. O'Reilly and Frederica Devereux, were married at St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 23, 1883. John Devereux O'Reilly came to New Orleans in 1889, where he has passed the greater part of his life. In the course of his education the young man attended Rugby academy, New Orleans, and after finishing at that institution matriculated at Tulane university, where he passed one year and then entered Virginia Military institute, from which he graduated 4 years later, in the class of 1907, with the degree of C. E. When his professional education had been completed he returned to New Orleans and for a time was in the service of Black & Laird, general contractors. Later he formed a partnership with W. H. Aiken, and they conducted a business about 1 year, at the expiration of which time the partnership was dissolved. Since this latter dissolution Mr. O'Reilly has been alone in the conduct of his engineering business. Mr. O'Reilly is a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, the Louisiana Engineering society, the Louisiana club, and the Audubon Golf club. June 30, 1908, Mr. O'Reilly was married to Miss Beatrice Gilmore, of New Orleans, a daughter of John and Charlotte (Morgan) Gilmore, both deceased. Three daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. O'Reilly: Frederica Devereux, Ellinor Gilmore, and Beatrice Morgan O'Reilly.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 333-334. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.