O H Irish

Biography

O. H. Irish was born in 1830 (or perhaps 1831) and raised in New York City. He was educated in Erie, Pennsylvania. The 1850 US Census shows that Irish lived in the East Ward of Erie, Pennsylvania with the George Selden and his family. His age is listed as 19 and his occupation, clerk. The rest of his family, mother, father and three younger sisters lived in nearby Conneaut Township, about 25 miles to the west and a few miles inland from the shore of Lake Erie.

In 1855 Orsamus Irish was listed as a director and secretary of the North Western Insurance Company located at 76 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.

While in Philadelphia he lived at 53 Melon Street and had another business at 320 N. 12th Street.

In 1857, Irish moved to Nebraska, a territory at the time, where later was the owner and editor of The Daily Press in Nebraska City, Nebraska. On May 15, 1861, he became Indian agent at the Omaha Reservation. Also in 1861 (October 9) he was appointed U.S. Postmaster in Black Bird County, Nebraska Territory. Irish was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Northwest in the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1864, with offices in Salt Lake City.

He returned to Nebraska in 1866 as an internal revenue collector, later resuming his newspaper career as the editor of the Nebraska City Press. In 1869, Irish was appointed U.S. Consul in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony before the unification of Germany. He was confirmed as U.S. Consul by the U.S. Senate on January 25, 1870. He returned to Nebraska in 1873, entering the nursery business, a business that failed in 1875 when his nursery was wiped out by grasshoppers. He then moved to Washington, D.C. to practice law.

Political Activity

Active in the Republican Party, he was a delegate for the Territory of Nebraska at the 1860 Republican Convention, in Chicago, Illinois, that nominated Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States. During that convention Irish represented the Territory of Nebraska as a member of the convention's executive committee.

In 1864, Irish represented Nebraska at the National Union Party's (temporary name for the Republican Party) convention. He served on the party's national committee.

As chairman of a fund raising sub-committee (Departments of Treasury and Justice), Irish also participated in the planning activities for ceremonies surrounding the inauguration of James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States. He attended Garfield's inaugural ball on March 5, 1881.

Career at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Irish joined the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1877 becoming Assistant Chief of the Bureau, and Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1878. During his tenure as Chief, a new building was authorized and constructed on the southwest corner of 14th and B (Independence Avenue today) streets. Construction started in September 1878 and was completed in 1880.

On July 17, 1861, Congress authorized the Federal Government to print currency. Prior to that time, currency was issued by banks. At first the printing was accomplished with private printing companies with some final processing done at the U.S. Treasury. It was during Irish's tenure that the Treasury Department became the sole printer of U.S. currency.

Irish held the office of Chief until his sudden death in 1883. His funeral was on January 30, 1883 at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Washington D.C. with his burial at the Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.).