Alexander Pancoast Riddle (born Harlansburgh,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, August 16, 1846; died near Salina,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, May 13, 1909) was an American newspaperman and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician of

Ottawa County, Kansas Ottawa County (standard abbreviation: OT) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 5,735. The largest city and county seat is Minneapolis. History Early history For many millennia, t ...

; he served as the 11th

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of Kansas from 1885 to 1889.

Life

While his father, Dr. John W. Riddle (1820-1909), was serving as an army surgeon in the Civil War, young Riddle obtained work at the

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, Pennsylvania ''Spectator'' newspaper and became a journeyman printer. He arrived in Kansas after the war and in 1873 was able to purchase a half-interest in the ''Girard Press''. In 1885 he moved to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Kansas and purchased the ''Minneapolis Messenger'' newspaper there. A member of the Republican party, Riddle came into politics by serving as the journal clerk of the state senate from 1876 to 1880. From 1881 to 1884 he served as a state senator, representing

Crawford Crawford may refer to: Places Canada * Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia * Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario United Kingdom * Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England * Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...

and

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

counties. He served as president pro tem of the senate in an emergency session in 1884 occasioned by an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease. In 1884 he was elected lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket, serving with governor John A. Martin. Martin and Riddle were re-elected in 1886. Riddle was appointed as a state insurance commissioner in 1896 and served a two-year term. Riddle was active in the affairs of several fraternal organizations, holding high office in the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

Improved Order of Red Men The Improved Order of Red Men is a fraternal organization established in North America in 1834. Their rituals and regalia are modeled after those assumed by men of the era to be used by Native Americans. Despite the name, the order was formed ...

, and

International Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

. He published monthly newspapers for the Knights of Pythias (the ''Sprig of Myrtle'') and Ancient Order of United Workmen (the ''Kansas Workman''). Riddle was killed in an automobile accident near Salina, Kansas when a car hit an embankment and the persons in the back seat, including Riddle, were thrown out of the car. He is buried in the Girard Cemetery in Girard, Kansas.

Family

Riddle married Ada Fuller in 1878 and the couple had four children, Estelle Riddle Dodge (1879–1964), Mary (1882–3), Genevieve Louise (1884–1967), and Arthur Fuller (1886–1967). Estelle was a journalist and newspaper editor; she was active in the sorority

Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Alpha Theta (), also known simply as Theta, is an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The main arch ...

for much of her life and wrote a memoir and history entitled ''Sixty Years in Kappa Alpha Theta: 1870-1929'' (1930). Arthur Fuller Riddle took over as editor of the ''Minneapolis Messenger'' after his father's death;''The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta'', Volume 34, 1909-1910, p. 201 he was later the editor of the

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...

from 1929 to 1950.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle, Alexander P. Kansas Republicans Lieutenant Governors of Kansas 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) People from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania People from Franklin, Pennsylvania People from Minneapolis, Kansas 1846 births 1909 deaths