Richard Francis (c. 1827 – November 30, 1888) was an African-American bartender in Washington, D.C. He is believed to have been the second African-American bar manager for the United States Congress. His son,

John R. Francis John Richard Francis (March 3, 1856 – May 23, 1913) was an American physician and educator from Washington, D.C. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Francis established a private sanatorium, taught and practiced obstetrics at Howard Univ ...

, was a Washington physician and educator.

Life and career

Francis was born in about 1827 to free African-American parents in Surry County, Virginia. By 1848 he was in Washington, D.C., where he worked at Hancock's bar on 12th and Pennsylvania Avenue for almost four decades. He was a friend and confidant to a wide range of Washington politicians, reportedly including antebellum senators

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...

, and Daniel Webster. In 1884, his friend, Senator

George F. Edmunds George Franklin Edmunds (February 1, 1828February 27, 1919) was a Republican U.S. Senator from Vermont. Before entering the U.S. Senate, he served in a number of high-profile positions, including Speaker of the Vermont House of Representative ...

, who was at that time President pro tempore of the Senate, gave him the patronage role of managing the private restaurant and bar that then existed in the U.S. Senate. Cocktail historian Dave Wondrich reports that, while the record is fragmentary, the first Black bartender for Congress was an individual by the name of Carter in the 1830s to 1850s, and Francis is believed to be the second Black bar manager for Congress. Francis died in 1888 a wealthy man due to his investments in DC real estate; his son, Dr.

, later purchased Hancock's bar. He died of a paralytic stroke at home the morning of November 30, 1888 at the age of 62.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Richard 1820s births 1888 deaths African-American people People from Surry County, Virginia People from Washington, D.C. American bartenders American restaurateurs