John A. Wiley

John A. Wiley (September 3, 1843 – December 28, 1909) was a Pennsylvania business executive, Civil War veteran, and National Guard officer who attained the rank of major general as commander of the organization now known as the 28th Infantry Division.

John A. Wiley
Born(1843-09-03)September 3, 1843
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DiedDecember 28, 1909(1909-12-28) (aged 66)
Franklin, Pennsylvania
Allegiance United States
Service/branchUnion Army
Pennsylvania Army National Guard
Years of service1861–1865
1871–1909
Rank Major general
Commands heldOil City Grays
16th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
2nd Brigade, Pennsylvania National Guard Division
2nd Division, First Corps
Pennsylvania National Guard Division
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
Spanish–American War
Other workBusiness executive

Biography

John Alexander Wiley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 3, 1843. He was educated in Pittsburgh, and in 1861 joined the Union Army for the American Civil War, enlisting as a private in Company C, 8th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment. This organization was mustered into federal service as the 37th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and Wiley attained the rank of corporal while taking part in numerous battles, including Antietam, before receiving his discharge in 1864.[1]

After his discharge, Wiley was assigned to Camp Reynolds, near Pittsburgh, where he served as chief quartermaster clerk until the end of the war in 1865.[2]

After the war, Wiley moved to Venango County to begin a career in the oil industry, and he was employed at different times as a pipeline manager and operator of refineries and other oil-related facilities.[3]

Wiley returned to military service in 1871, when he enlisted as a private in the Oil City Grays, a Venango County unit of the Pennsylvania National Guard. He soon received promotion to First Sergeant, and in 1873 he received his commission as a captain and became commander of the Oil City Grays.[4] He became regimental commander of the Venango Grays as a colonel in 1876, and this organization was subsequently designated the 16th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.[5]

In 1886 Wiley was promoted to brigadier general and assigned to command the Pennsylvania National Guard's 2nd Brigade.[6]

Wiley was active in local politics and government, and served as Mayor of Franklin in 1894 and 1895.[7] He also served as principal of the high school in Franklin and as Franklin's school superintendent.[8]

In 1898 Wiley volunteered for the Spanish–American War, and he commanded 2nd Division, First Corps.[9]

Wiley was promoted to major general in 1907 and assigned as commander of the Pennsylvania Division, the organization now known as the 28th Infantry Division.[10] He served until retiring from the military in 1909.[11] He was succeeded by Wendell P. Bowman.

He died in Franklin on December 28, 1909, and was buried at Franklin Cemetery.[12]

References
  1. Encyclopedia of Genealogy and Biography of the State of Pennsylvania, Volume 2. Lewis Publishing Company. 1904. pp. 679–680.
  2. Encyclopedia of Genealogy and Biography of the State of Pennsylvania, Volume 2. Lewis Publishing Company. 1904. pp. 679–680.
  3. Jordan, John Woolf (1913). Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Volume II. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 494.
  4. Pennsylvania Adjutant General (1906). Annual report for 1905. Harrisburg Publishing Co. p. 172.
  5. Babcock, Charles Almanzo (1919). Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People, Volume I. J. H. Beers & Company. p. 272.
  6. Pennsylvania Adjutant General (1897). Annual Report for 1890. Clarence M. Busch. pp. 137–139.
  7. "Mayor Bohlender Served City for 20 Years, with an Outstanding Record". Franklin News Herald: Diamond Jubilee Edition. August 26, 1953. p. 114.
  8. Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1897). Journal of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives: January 5, 1897. Wm. Stanley Ray. p. 126.
  9. U.S. Army Adjutant General (1902). Correspondence Relating to the War With Spain, Volume 1. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 518.
  10. Pennsylvania Adjutant General (1909). Annual Report for 1907. Harrisburg Publishing Company. pp. 358–359.
  11. Pennsylvania Adjutant General (1914). Annual Report for 1909. United Evangelical Press. pp. 373–374.
  12. "Death of General Wiley". The Petroleum Gazette, Volumes 14–16. F. F. Murray, Jos. Murray: 5. January 1910.
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