Mark Richards (July 15, 1760 – August 10, 1844) was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont and as the ninth lieutenant governor of Vermont.
Mark Richards | |
|---|---|
| 9th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont | |
| In office 1830–1831 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Olin |
| Succeeded by | Lebbeus Egerton |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's At-large congressional district | |
| In office March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1821 | |
| Preceded by | Luther Jewett |
| Succeeded by | Phineas White |
| Member of the Vermont Governor's Council | |
| In office 1815–1816 | |
| Preceded by | William Hall Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Theophilus Crawford |
| In office 1813–1814 | |
| Preceded by | William Czar Bradley |
| Succeeded by | William Hall Jr. |
| Sheriff of Windham County, Vermont | |
| In office 1806–1811 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Fletcher |
| Succeeded by | Gilbert Dennison |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Westminster | |
| In office 1834–1835 | |
| Preceded by | John Smith |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| In office 1832–1833 | |
| Preceded by | Cyrus Boynton |
| Succeeded by | John Smith |
| In office 1828–1829 | |
| Preceded by | Ebenezer Goodell |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Mason |
| In office 1826–1827 | |
| Preceded by | Gideon Warner |
| Succeeded by | Ebenezer Goodell |
| In office 1824–1825 | |
| Preceded by | Elijah Ranney Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Ebenezer Goodell |
| In office 1804–1805 | |
| Preceded by | Ephraim Ranney Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Ephraim Ranney Jr. |
| In office 1801–1802 | |
| Preceded by | Ephraim Ranney Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Stephen R. Bradley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 15, 1760 Waterbury, Connecticut Colony, British America |
| Died | August 10, 1844 (aged 84) Westminster, Vermont, U.S. |
| Resting place | Old Westminster Cemetery, Westminster, Vermont |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Ann Ruggles (m. 1782-1841, her death) |
| Profession | Merchant |
Biography
editRichards was born in Waterbury in the Connecticut Colony on July 15, 1760, and received limited schooling. In 1776, he enlisted for the American Revolution.[1] A private in the Continental Army, he served for several years, including the Battle of Red Bank, the 1777-1778 winter encampment at Valley Forge, the Battle of Monmouth, and the Battle of Stony Point. Richards moved to Boston after the war to work in a general store. In 1796 he moved to Westminster, Vermont, to open his own store.
Richards was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1801 to 1805. He served as sheriff of Windham County from 1806 to 1810 and was a Presidential elector in 1812.[2] He served on the Governor’s council from 1813 to 1816.
Richards was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the US House of Representatives, and served from 1817 to 1821 as a member of the 15th and 16th United States Congress.[3][4] He served again in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1824 to 1826, in 1828 and from 1832 to 1834. He was the Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1830 to 1831.[4]
Death
editRichards died on August 10, 1844, in Westminster, Vermont, and is interred in the Bradley tomb in the Old Westminster Cemetery in Westminster.[1]
Family
editIn 1782, Richards married Ann Ruggles. Their daughter Sarah was the wife of William Czar Bradley.
References
edit- ^ a b "RICHARDS, Mark, (1760 - 1844)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ "Mark Richards (1760-1844)". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ "Rep. Mark Richards". govtrack.us. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ a b Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography, American Publishers Association, Chicago, Ill., 1914, p. 1