John Hardy (September 19, 1835 - December 9, 1913) was born in Scotland on September 19, 1835. At four he, along with his parents, immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. There he attended public schools and in 1853 graduated from the College of the City of New York, where he studied law. In 1861 he was admitted to the New York Bar and in the same year took a seat on the New York State Assembly. He later was elected to the Board of Alderman of New York City and held this post, on and off, from 1863 to 1869. In 1870 and again in 1871 he held the position of Clerk of the Common Council of New York City. In this position, like Valentine and Shannon before him, he published an annual Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York, which detailed the events of the year, Common Council minutes, offered an assortment of maps, and included political and historical notes on the city. Late, in 1877, he became the Chief Clerk to the Mayor and in 1881 was elected on the Democratic ticket to the United States Congress, a position he held until 1885. He died on December 9, 1913 and is interred in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn.