DeForest Richards
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| DeForest Richards | |
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| In office 1899 – 1903 |
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| Preceded by | William A. Richards |
| Succeeded by | Fenimore Chatterton |
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| Born | August 6, 1846 Charlestown, New Hampshire |
| Died | April 28, 1903 |
| Political party | Republican |
DeForest Richards (1846-08-06–1903-04-28) was an American banker, farmer, and politician. He was the fifth Governor of the state of Wyoming, and the first to die while still in office.
Born in Charlestown, New Hampshire, Richards became involved in the post-Civil War Reconstruction after completing his education, moving to Alabama in the mid-to-late 1860s. He served as sheriff and treasurer of Wilcox County, and ran a tannery. During his time in Alabama, Richards was often derided as a "carpetbagger". After the failure of his tannery, he moved to Chadron, Nebraska, where he similarly acted as county treasurer.
Following his experiences in Chadron, Richards moved to Douglas, Wyoming, where he set up the mercantile firm Richards and Lidell. He also helped found the First National Bank of Douglas, of which he was the first President. Both the firm and the bank were very successful, and Richards moved on to politics, successfully running for mayor of Douglas, commanding the Wyoming National Guard, attending the Constitutional Convention that saw Wyoming Territory achieve statehood, and sitting on the Wyoming Senate.
In 1898 he ran as the Republican candidate for state Governor, and defeated Democratic candidate Horace C. Alger by 1 394 votes. He ran for a second term in 1902, defeating George T. Beck by the largest margin seen since the Territory joined the Union in 1890. However, the victory was short-lived: Richards died on 1903-04-28, just four months into his second term.
Richards was a member of the Holy Royal Arch. His body is interred at Lakeview Cemetery, in Cheyenne.
[edit] References
- State biography – Wyoming State Archives
- Gubernatorial Vote in Wyoming – Wyoming Secretary of State
- [1], [2] – Political Graveyard
- "Richards Family Papers Available for Research" – Heritage Highlights, newsletter American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
- Sandoz, Mari, The Cattlemen from the Rio Grande Across the Far Marias (1978), ISBN 0-8032-5882-8
- Turnbull and Denslow, History of Royal Arch Masonry Part Three (2004), ISBN 1-4179-5006-4
| Preceded by William A. Richards |
Governor of Wyoming 1899–1903 |
Succeeded by Fenimore Chatterton |
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