John Hudson Riddick (April 1, 1848 – August 5, 1895) was an educator, community leader, and minister in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church. In 1872 he was elected a member of the

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, city council. He was an AME minister at a number of churches and a leader in the Washington and Delaware Conferences of the church.

Early life and education

John Hudson Riddick was born a slave on April 1, 1848, in

Sunbury, North Carolina Sunbury is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Gates County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 289. Sunbury is located at the junction of U.S. Route 158 and North Carolina Hi ...

. He was owned by Rev. Isaac Riddick Hunter, and they moved to

, in 1857.Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p752-753 When the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

(1861–1865) started, Riddick served his master as a body servant. Later he left Hunter and served as a hospital steward for the 7th New York Independent Light Artillery until 1864. In 1864 he served at the custom-house in Norfolk under Major J. H. Hudson. When Hudson was removed after the assassination of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

by his successor President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

, Riddick moved to northeast Pennsylvania and began studying theology under Samuel G. Ortor. He then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and continued to study theology and medicine, and he graduated from Boston School of Theology.

Career

In 1869 he returned to Virginia, where he practiced medicine for a short time. On July 4, 1869, he left medicine and became a minister. He served as a missionary under Bishop A. W. Waymen. In 1872 he was elected to the city council of Norfolk and appointed United States deputy marshal. He was later ordained by Bishop

Edward Raymond Ames Edward Raymond Ames (May 20, 1806 – May 15, 1879) was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1852. Birth and family Ames was born in Amesville, Athens County, Ohio, one of three Methodist Episcopal Bishops to be born i ...

at Zoar M. E. Church in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Riddick was a respected leader in his community. By 1880 he had moved to

Chestertown, Maryland Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,252 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Kent County. History Founded in 1706, Chestertown rose in stature when it was named one of the English col ...

, and he was a part of a push to hire black teachers for the black public schools in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1880. He was active in support of the Maryland temperance campaign of Frances Harper and William Daniel. and was chief in protest of the murders of African Americans in the Danville Massacre in 1883. He was a pastor of churches at

, of Zoar M. E. Church in Philadelphia, of Ezion Church in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, and of Bainbridge Street Church in Philadelphia, where he finished his career, retiring in April 1893.

Other activities

He also contributed to the journalism of the AME church, and was managing editor of the ''Conference Advocate'' and the ''Delaware Conference Bulletin''. He was a prominent member of the Washington Conference and then the Delaware Conference of the AME church. He was active in the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

, a Civil War veterans organization.

Personal life

Riddick married Amelia A. o Headline The Philadelphia Inquirer, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) April 6, 1895, page 11, accessed December 7, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7759024/no_headline_the_philadelphia/ Riddick became sick from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

in April 1893.Dr. Riddick Dead, The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) August 7, 1893, page 1, accessed December 7, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7759230/dr_riddick_dead_the_news_journal/ Ridick died in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, on August 5, 1893. His funeral was at the Bainbridge Street Methodist Episcopal Church and buried at Olive Cemetery. o HeadlineThe Times (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) August 7, 1893, page 5, accessed December 7, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7759048/no_headline_the_times_philadephia/ He was survived by two children and his wife, who died April 4, 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddick, John Hudson 1848 births 1895 deaths People from Gates County, North Carolina People from Norfolk, Virginia People from Chestertown, Maryland Clergy from Philadelphia Clergy from Wilmington, Delaware People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Boston University School of Theology alumni African Methodist Episcopal Church clergy African Americans in the American Civil War Activists for African-American civil rights 19th-century American clergy