John Leland Webb

John Leland Webb (February 25, 1794 – October 17, 1846) was an American contractor and Democratic politician in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives during the 1846 session and died in office. He previously served as sheriff of Bradford County.

Four of Webb's sons became prominent politicians: James in Pennsylvania, William and Henry in Wisconsin and Kansas, and Charles in Wisconsin.

Biography John Leland Webb was born February 25, 1794, in Norwalk, Connecticut, and was raised and educated in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

He moved to Chemung County, New York, in 1813, and went to work in construction. He then moved to Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in 1823, and initially settled at Ridgebury Township. There he went to work as a building contractor and was hired as one of the contractors for the construction of the North Branch Canal.

He soon became involved in local politics. He was the first justice of the peace at Ridgebury township, serving ten years while holding other offices. In 1827, he was elected coroner of Bradford County, and, in 1830, he was elected one of the three county commissioners. He was then elected sheriff of Bradford County, serving from December 1833 to November 1836.

Personal life and family John L. Webb was the sixth of seven children born to Moses Webb and his first wife Polly ( Street). Moses Webb was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, having served in the Connecticut militia. The Webb family descended from the colonist Richard Webb, who came to Connecticut Colony from England in 1626.

John L. Webb married Annis Hammond of New London County, Connecticut, on September 23, 1819. They had seven children, though two sons died in childhood. All four of their surviving sons grew to have prominent political careers. James Hammond Webb served as the 50th speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and was register and recorder of Bradford County for three terms. William Craw Webb was the first Kansas Insurance Commissioner, and also served in the Kansas House of Representatives and the Wisconsin State Assembly. Henry Greenleaf Webb was a member of the Wisconsin Senate, Wisconsin State Assembly, and Kansas House of Representatives, and served as a Kansas district court judge.