John Ryle (manufacturer)

John Ryle (October 22, 1817 – November 6, 1887) was the Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey from 1869 to 1870. An English-born silk manufacturer, he was best known for being the "father of the United States silk industry".

Born in Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, Ryle started working in the silk mills of his native town at the age of five, where he was a "bobbin boy". His family had been involved in the silk industry for generations, and his two eldest brothers, Reuben and William Ryle, were England's largest manufacturers of silk.