John Gardiner Richards Jr. (September 11, 1864October 9, 1941) was the 96th Governor of South Carolina from 1927 to 1931.

Biography

He was born in

Liberty Hill, South Carolina Liberty Hill is a scattered unincorporated community in Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The community is located along and either side of the junction of South Carolina Highway 97 and South Carolina Highway 522, northwest of Camd ...

, on September 11, 1864, to John G. Richards and Sophia Edwards Smith. He attended schools in Liberty Hill and North Carolina's Bingham Military Institute for a short time. In 1898 he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1910 he was appointed as the South Carolina Railroad Commissioner. The South Carolina Constitution had been amended in 1926 to give the governor a four-year term and Richards became the first South Carolina governor elected for a four-year term. His time as Governor was noted for his strict observance of

Blue law Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

s, even chastising golfers for playing on

Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...

.From

Walter Edgar Walter B. Edgar (born December 10, 1943) is an American historian and author specializing in Southern history and culture, particularly for South Carolina. Edgar has authored or edited several books about the state, including ''South Carolina: ...

's ''South Carolina: A History'', p. 484: He died on October 9, 1941, on

References

External links

SCIway Biography of Governor John Gardiner Richards
* ttp://www.footnote.com/image/#268951412 Letter written in 1926 by John G. Richards {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, John Gardiner Jr. 1864 births 1941 deaths 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party governors of South Carolina University of South Carolina trustees People from Kershaw County, South Carolina