John Breese Hay

John Breese Hay (January 8, 1834 – June 29, 1916) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois and a long-serving public official in St. Clair County. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Illinois in the Forty-first and Forty-second Congresses and remained active in law and local government for more than half a century.

Hay was born in Belleville, St. Clair County, Illinois, on January 8, 1834. He was educated in the common schools of the area and spent his early years working on a farm and as a printer, experiences that grounded him in the life of his community and the practical concerns of working people. While still a young man, he turned to the study of law, preparing for a professional career that would anchor his later public service.

In 1851, Hay was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in his native Belleville. He quickly became active in public affairs and in the emerging Republican Party. He served as prosecuting attorney for the twenty-fourth judicial district of Illinois from 1860 to 1868, a period that spanned the Civil War and early Reconstruction. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Republican State convention, aligning himself with the party at a pivotal moment in national politics. During the Civil War, he served in the Union Army in the 130th Illinois Infantry Regiment, contributing to the Union war effort while maintaining his legal and political ties in Illinois.

Hay’s national political career began with his election as a Republican to the Forty-first and Forty-second Congresses, serving from March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1873. As a member of the Republican Party representing Illinois, he contributed to the legislative process during two terms in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history marked by Reconstruction and postwar adjustment. After his two terms, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1872 to the Forty-third Congress and again an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1880 to the Forty-seventh Congress, but he remained a prominent figure in Illinois public life.

Following his service in Congress, Hay resumed the practice of law in Belleville. He also held federal office at the local level, serving as postmaster of Belleville from 1881 to 1885. His career then shifted increasingly toward the judiciary and municipal government. From 1886 to 1900 he served as judge of the St. Clair County Court, presiding over local judicial matters for fourteen years and reinforcing his reputation as a respected legal authority in the county.

In the early twentieth century, Hay continued his public service in municipal office. He was elected mayor of Belleville and served from 1901 to 1905. After being re-elected county judge, he resigned the mayoralty in 1905 to return to the bench, where he served again as county judge until 1914. His long tenure in these overlapping roles—lawyer, prosecutor, congressman, postmaster, judge, and mayor—made him a central figure in the civic life of Belleville and St. Clair County over several decades.

Hay spent his later years largely in retirement from public office. He died at his son’s home in Chicago, Illinois, on June 29, 1916. His remains were returned to his native region for burial, and he was interred in Green Mount Cemetery, closing a life closely tied to Belleville and the public institutions of Illinois.