Richard Henry Whiting (January 17, 1826 – May 24, 1888) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He was the uncle of Rep.

Ira Clifton Copley Ira Clifton Copley (October 25, 1864 – November 1, 1947) was an American publisher, politician, and utility tycoon. Born in rural Knox County, Illinois, Copley's family moved to Aurora when Copley was 2 so he could be treated for scarlet fever ...

, and the grandfather of composer

Richard A. Whiting Richard Armstrong Whiting (November 12, 1891 – February 19, 1938) was an American composer of popular songs, including the standards "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?" and "On the Good Ship Lollipop". He also wrote lyrics occasiona ...

. Born in

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...

, Whiting attended the common schools. He moved to

Altona, Illinois Altona (formerly LaPier & Walnut Grove) is a village in Knox County, Illinois Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 49,967. Its county seat is Galesburg. Knox County comp ...

, in 1850, thence to

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

, in 1860, where he built a gas works. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

he served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

as paymaster of Volunteers 1862-1866. He was appointed assessor of internal revenue for the fifth district of Illinois in February 1870, serving until May 20, 1873, when the office was abolished. He was appointed collector of internal revenue for the same district May 20, 1873, with office at

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, and served until his resignation on March 4, 1875, having been elected to Congress. Whiting was elected as a Republican to the Forty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1875 - March 3, 1877). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1876. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884. He died in New York City, May 24, 1888. He was interred in

Springdale Cemetery Springdale Cemetery is a historic, non-sectarian, active cemetery in the United States city of Peoria, Illinois. It was chartered in 1855, received its first interment in 1857. Almost 78,000 individuals are buried at the cemetery. It contains a p ...

References

Richard H. Whiting
in ''Kansas: a cyclopedia'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Whiting, Richard Henry 1826 births 1888 deaths People from West Hartford, Connecticut Politicians from Peoria, Illinois Union Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American politicians