John Ryle (manufacturer) - Mayor of Paterson

Mayor of Paterson

As a natural result of the course of his life, John Ryle had by this time gained unbounded popularity throughout the city, and although he had heretofore never allowed his name to be used as a possible candidate for any public office, yet he succumbed to the importunities of his friends and consented in the spring of 1869 to become candidate for the mayoralty of Paterson. He was elected by the largest majority that any candidate had received up to that time.

While John Ryle served as Paterson's mayor, he designed the Coat of Arms for the city which depicted a young man planting a mulberry bush. According to popular legend, silk worms are fond of mulberry plants, and given Ryle's association with the silk industry, the image was adopted and is still used today.