Reyburn was born on February 7, 1845, in New Carlisle, Ohio, to William and Lydia Reader Crane Reyburn.[1] He was taught by a private tutor and attended the Saunders Institute in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the University of Pennsylvania.[2] He studied law under E. Spencer Miller,[1] was admitted to the bar in 1870, and opened a law practice in Philadelphia.[3]
Elected to Congress as a Republican to fill the vacancy left by the death of William D. Kelley, Reyburn was reelected three times and served from February 18, 1890, to March 3, 1897, until he was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1896. He was again elected to Congress to fill the vacancy left by the death of Robert Adams, Jr. and was reelected in 1906 to the 60th United States Congress, serving from November 6, 1906, to March 31, 1907, when he resigned to serve as Mayor of Philadelphia. Elected in the 1907 Philadelphia mayoral election, he served as mayor from April 1, 1907, to December 4, 1911.[3]
As mayor, he led the Philadelphia Republican political machine and his tenure was marred with several instances of corruption. Reyburn was charged with receiving $450,000 from corporations and public officials. While several officials and contractors were convicted for bribery, Reyburn was not and claimed that his name was forged on the documents.[5]
He was engaged in manufacturing in Philadelphia, but retained a residence in Washington, D.C.[3]
Personal life
He married Margaretta Eleanor Crozier in 1881 and together they had three children; Eleanor Reyburn Harrington, Robert Crozier Reyburn, and Congressman William Stuart Reyburn.[4]
He was a yachting enthusiast and owned several estates in the United States and one in Canada.[1]
Death
Reyburn died on January 4, 1914, in his Washington, D.C. residence and was interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[6]
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