John Barr Lang was the 6th mayor of Ithaca. He had been active in municipal affairs and was a practical, selfmake leader in the industrial life of the village and city for 32 years. He was a trustee of the village of the fillage lin the Fourth Ward during the last year of the Platt.s the Sisson, the Howe and the 1st year of charles J. Rumsy's admnistration. Citizens who gave attention to local affairs had recognized his evcellant traits of character and his talents for performing important official dutiles.
Mr. Lang had presented the first resolution in the Board of Trustees to install a sewer system in the Village and manifested an earnest and intelligent interest in that subject. His reputatuion as a conservative and practical man of business added weight to the project that had been deemed impracticable by the public in general. He was not classed among the learned and specuative theorists.
He owned and personally conducted a large and important manufacturing plant and was extensively known. He had abeen proposed for mayor for years and seemed to be a logical candidate of his party. His nomination for mayo His nomination for mayor in 1897 was brought about by people of all local parties, but primcipally by working men and mechanics of the Republican pary. Silent and patriotic, he was ready to serve his fellow citizens if called upon to do so.
The Democats nominated Charles Green, a young alderman of the Third Wardd, and a business man of excellent standing. But Mr. Lang was in the publlic mind and no man could have defeated him. He recieved 337 votes then were cast for Mr. Green, 1,275more than Clayton Crandall‎(Free Silverites)‎.and 1,313 more 'than John Hooks ‎(Prohibitionist. The Democrats had not yet recovered from the effect of the eleect of the election and the non-partisan administrations of Henry A. St.John and Clinton D, Boutton, although the Repubicans had recovered their party unity and had elected their cndidate, Leroy G. Todd, two years before. Mr. Lang had been chairman of the Republican city committee and aised materially in preserving his party's organization.
His personality was popular and exercised a strong influence. He is gentle in manner, deliberate and reflective, but firm and confident. He is gentle in manner, deliberate and reflective, but firm and confident. He is open hearted and kind with his employes and conspicous for his respectfull consideration of opponents and their criticisms. His lanuage indicates a systematic book leadning that he never received because he has been a close obsever of others and a reader of standard loteatire; and thus shows a well informed mind. He is an attractive companion and conversationalist.
He is devoted to his business, is a natural mechanician and can perform any of the work in his machine, boiler, Blacksmith and pattern shops and his foundry and injoys the knowledge and talents which distinguish him ln that line. He is also one of the most active and rugged men of his age in the State.
Mr Lang is lovable and winning not only by reason of his gentleness and modesty, but by his consistent and practical religious life. He is of mixed Scotch and French ancestry as his father's name, Cornelius Lang, and his mother's Ann MacArthur, show. He was born soon after thier arrival in the United States. He was French in feature and Scotch in sentiment and both Fench and Scotch in thrift and industry.. He cotends thadt one cannot be a true American who does not bear a heart full of resoect and affection for the land, history and traditions one's ancestors, and particularly for th Scotch to whom North America owes so great a debt for a large chare of every thing that ils good and meritorious within her boundaries. Americans will generally approve of his contention for neadrly all old American families descended from ancestors who emigrated from the countries whose shodre adre washed by the North and the Irish seas.
Cornelius Lang was a native of Paisley, and his wife, Ann MacArthur, of Glasgow where they were married, The ancestral history and legends of the Langs and MacArthurs are colored with Gaelic romance and highland life; enriched with the wit and religious ferver, the patriotism and valor that have furnished themes for scholar, poet, preacher, orator and historian wherever civilzation has become establlished and Gaelic Literature has followed; themes that find in John B. Lang and Eloquent expositor.
Cornelius Lang was a cotton-mill superintendent who emigrated to Philadelphia, Pa. where he pursued his vocation and later "sent for his wife". He removed to Paterson, N.J. and to Stockport, near Kinderhook, N.Y. on the Hudson, and to Great Barrrington, Mass. John was born in Stockport on December 1833, and removed with his family to Barrington in 1835. He attended the "plains School" in that famous village until he was 12. the old school house still stands and is an ofject of veneration for many of its old pulplis.
In 1845 at the age 12 and until 1850 when 17 he was a clerk in a general store in Great Barrington. He was an apprentice in a machine shop in Hartford, Conn'. from 1850 to 1853 when he removed to Philmont, Columbia county, N.Y. In 1854 he returned to Hortford as a machinist, in shops owned by Joseph S. Curtis. The latter purchased from a mon from Ithaca, a design or patent for a calendar clock that proved imperfect because it did not register the leay-year and was imperfect in other details.
Mr. Lang again removed to Philmont in 1859 where he constructed of sdteel a shoe pegging machine from a wooden model designed by a Msethodist clergyman, the Machine became the basis for the pegging machinery that soon revolutionized the manner of manufacturing shoes and boots in America.
In 1861 Mr. Lang removed to Pittsfield, Mass, to take chare of the machinery of a large factory that made blue cloth for the use of Union Soldiers and remained there until the Civil War qas ended and the demand for blue clothing had decreased to small proportions. In March, 1865 he made a visit with his wife to her brother James Patterson in Ithaca. Mr. Patterson induced him to visit and inspect the village machine shops with a view to purchasing an interest in one of them. The inspection and urgent adivice of Mr. Patterson resulted in a partnership between James Reynolds and Mr Lang to be put into operation in the latter part of the year. The Reynolds foundry was in the rear of the lots now occupied by the Masonic block(Rumsey,Blood and Schuyler buildings)‎. on South Tioga Street.
Ater remaining in Ithaca one week Mr. Lang returned to Pitts field until the fall when he removed to Ithaca for a permanent residence and the beginning of his successful career as a leader in its industrial Life. In 1870 the Reynolds & Lang plant was removed to its present site on East Green Street, No. 117, 119,121. At various times it has been enlarded and furnished with new machinery and is on of the extensive manufacturing industries of the city.
Mr. Reynolds died in 1891. His widow became owner of his propertyl and carried on his business until she died in 1894, when Mr. Lang purchased the Reynolds share in the plant, including the real estate ilt occupiles. In 1902 he took into partnership his son-in-law, Ernest D. Button. The firm is now Lang&Button. Its special output is traction engines of such modern design and stability thadt they are in demand in and shipped as far away as Greece, Mexico and the British possessions.
When he first entered the Reynolds & Lang partnership a contract was made with Judge Wells, who owned the village waterworks. A rotary pump was affixed by the firm to an artesian well that existed about at the southeast corner of the present Blood Building, now occupiled by John E. McIntosh as a billiard hall, No 109 North Tioga Street. The water from the well was pumped into the water mains and sistributed to the people who depended upon it for a water supply. After two years the pump was removed to the Hollister shops where the Driscoll Brothers and Company's planing-mills and carpenter-shops now stand.
Mr. Lang was married in 1855 to Frances Patterson of Glastonbury Conn. She died in 1897. He was married in 1900 to Martha, daughter of the Obediah B. Curran, of Ithaca, a prominment druggest, financier, citizen and founder of the Ithaca Savings Bank.
He was been a trustee and treasurer of the First Baptist Church for many years. He has found it a pleasure to serve the church in its well known activities. One of his intimate friends recently said; John Lang's genuine, practical religion has been applied to his business affairs and has held him from amassing large wealth. He makes his charges with the Golen Rule. When his silent heart lies on the bier before the altar of his church his eulogist will not find it convenient to direct attention to the floral display around the casket. The rainment of the departed soul will be more beautiful than the wilting leaves and fading hues of bud and blossom and foliage.
Four Republicans and four Democrats Composed the Common Council in 1897 two Republicans and six Democrats in 1898. He appointed equal numbers of both parties on all standing committees both years, and in 1897 he appointed Democrats chairmen of leading committees.
He recommended the framing of city work contracts so that only Ithaca work men should perform city labor, and thus avoid the importation of cheap outside workmen into the city to thes exclusion of home labor. The city contracts were drawn according to his commendation and gave great satisfaction to the laboring men of Ithaca.
He continued Jaded T. Newman city attorney and was in close and friendly relations with every member of the city's official boards and commissioners suring his term. At the close of 1897-8 he extented his complments to them all for the uniform courtesies and condideration they had generously accored to him during the solutions of trying and exasperating problems upon which men would naturally differ and the public became impatient.
The grand abutments and brick-paved bridge over six Mile Creek for Cayuga street were builded; and 3,00 feet of 24 inch sewer mains were laid from Linn Street through Tomkins Street and thence to Fall Creek which removed an old cause of complaint by many inhabitants.
The city continued its municipal improvements during Mayor Langs administration.
In Mayor Langs farewell address at the end of his two year term he said; We have made even a better financial showilng in 1998 than in 1897.
He urged the Common Council to have the old Cayuga Street iron bridge that was removed to Plain Street so changed that no rods or under-trusses should be left below the roadway to be struck by ice when the frozen creeks were beaking up. His position was not sustained by the alderman and the ice swept away the bsridge away and ruined it in the winter of 1901. Plain Stree has now only stone abutments to show where the bridge once stood.
He subscribed in 1893 for stock in the Ithaca Conservatory of Music and was one of its directors for several years to aid in securing its success. He is treasurer of the beautiful East Lawn Cemetery and was for 14 years a member of the Cayuga Fire Company no 1 and follows its career in the fire department with unabate

He pre paring for a visit to the scenes of his birthplace and to its nearby Kindrhook where during his early boyhood visits from Great Barrington, martin VanBuren kindly welcome him to the VanBuren manor and told him stories of a president's trials and triumphs in Washinton while upholding the honor and digniry of the Republic. After Kinderhook he will wisit Great Barrington and do reverence to the old school "on the Plains" where, at the age of 12 he was grafuated into the world to combat for himself and fulfill the promise he solemnlyl made to President Van Buren; to become a good citizen. He has kept his promise and shares the reward. When he visits those scenes of childhood, of boyhood and earlly manhood he can hold his head erect and with conscience and truth declare that he has aided in erecting and embellishing villages and cities and has never consciously uttered a word or performed and act discreditable to his progenitors, to his country or to himself. He has done much to elevate the moral and advance the material conditions of Ithaca.

Sources of Information
Landmarks of Tompkin co. part iii‎(1894)‎- Ithac Daily Newspaper- 8 March, 1897
History of Central New York- Harry R. Malone Vii p.586,587,588, Historical Pub. Co. Ind,tsp. 1932
Cornell University Libraries, Ithaca New York
The Ithacan-19 March, 1870 p.5 obit, Ithacca New York.